Toledo Zoo helps Tasmanian government conserve its at-risk marsupials

Though fairly antisocial, Tabasco and Tequila, who just recently met, get along well.

The young Toledo couple is unusual in at least one way — they are Tasmanian devils.

Their story was told Friday at the Toledo Zoo during a public screening of From Tasmania to Toledo: The Journey of 8 Tasmanian Devils. The 17½-minute documentary discusses the animal transfer, a project two years in the making, that’s part of an international mission to save the endangered species from extinction.

Bred in Tasmania, the two 1-year-old marsupials endured more than 30 hours in the air, with two layovers, on their June trip to Toledo.

Once at the Toledo Zoo, they immediately went on display, doubling the zoo’s permanent population of Tasmanian devils — endangered carnivorous marsupials with a signature spine-tingling scream who are found in the wild only in Tasmania, an island state of Australia.

Koral Stoddard, the zoo’s mammal-area manager, said the young pair is meant to eventually take the place of the older pair, Bubbles and Spider-Man, who are each 7½ years old and are about six months past the species’ life expectancy.

Ms. Stoddard was one of the three zoo officials who took a trip to Tasmania’s Cressy Wildlife Centre where they learned from local Tasmanian devil handlers before accompanying the eight animals — each in its own heavily bedded crate of wood and steel — on their flight.

While Tabasco and Tequila are good with one another, the zoo is not allowed to breed them, because breeding Tasmanian devils is the prerogative of the Tasmanian government until it decides otherwise, explained Michael Frushour, the zoo’s general curator of endotherms (warm-blooded animals).

The Toledo Zoo, which has had Tasmanian devils on exhibit since 2015, serves as their “transportation hub” in the United States. The zoo partners with the Tasmanian government and the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, transferring most of them on to other of the seven participating zoos.

The effort includes a captive breeding and reintroduction program, wild devil monitoring and research, genetic analysis, and a vaccine trial.

“Our partnership with the Tasmanian government has been integral to the success of this mission,” Mr. Frushour said.

Four of the other six devils brought to Toledo have already been transferred and the remaining two are slated to be transferred in the near future, organizers said before emphasizing that all eight Tasmanian devils had no problems while being transported and all adjusted to the zoo “splendidly.”

“We actually spent about a week in Tasmania, working side by side with experts who have dedicated their lives to saving Tasmanian devils and we’re able to bring a piece of that conservation effort to the United States,” Mr. Frushour said. “This will not only enhance the genetic diversity of the captive population but also raise awareness about the plight of these incredible animals."

Tasmanian devils, the largest species of carnivorous marsupial, are nocturnal and mainly opportunistic scavengers. They are roughly the size of a racoon and can easily climb a stone wall, officials said. Though capable of hunting smaller mammals, lizards, and birds, they mainly feed on carcasses of animals like opossums, kangaroos, and wallabies. At the zoo, they are fed chicken and venison.

In the wild, the animals are threatened by a fatal form of contagious cancer — devil facial tumor disease — that spreads via their frequent biting when mating or fighting over resources.

All the animals at Cressy Wildlife Centre were screened at take-in, Mr. Frushour said, so all their offspring are guaranteed to be cancer free.

Since the 1990s, sightings of wild devils have plummeted by about 80 percent, organizers said.

This “alarming decline” prompted the creation of an insurance population in 2006 to safeguard the species from extinction. Thanks to the introduction of healthy animals back into the wild, the decline has recently plateaued.

“To be able to tell the story of the hard work that has gone into saving these animals from the brink of extinction is a privilege,” Mr. Frushour said. “Our keepers are excited to work with such a charismatic species and to contribute to their ongoing survival.

The documentary was filmed, edited, and directed by Corey Wyckoff, director of content and production at the Toledo Zoo.

“I enjoyed it; it was very informative,” said Ashley Pettit, a Northwood X-ray technician who was one of about 80 people in the audience.

“I think they are cute,” Ms. Pettit said of the devils, adding that she is delighted with the zoo’s conservation efforts.