The urgent search for a missing Tasmanian devil has deepened after CCTV footage showed the endangered marsupial sprinting away from her enclosure at a popular theme park in the early hours of the morning.
Mary is a two-year-old Tasmanian devil that recently arrived at Paradise Country on the Gold Coast as part of a conservation program. She vanished from her quarantine enclosure sometime before she was discovered missing during routine checks at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
CCTV Captures Escape
Security footage reviewed by staff captured the elusive marsupial making a dash across the park grounds shortly after 4 a.m. on June 2, sparking a major search involving thermal drones and wildlife crews.
Paradise Country curator of native and exotic wildlife Lauren Mousley said how Mary escaped remained "a bit of a mystery."
"At the moment we do think that an abnormally large leap has happened and that's how she's breached out of her quarantine area," Mousley said.
Extensive Search Underway
The park initially shut its gates to visitors on Tuesday as wildlife teams combed the property and surrounding bushland for the endangered animal. Mousley said the response was launched within minutes of staff realizing Mary was gone.
"We've got internal procedures to deal with unlikely events like animal escapes, and we were able to trigger those response teams pretty well immediately," she said.
"The search has been extremely extensive, so we've got thermal imaging cameras, we now have sniffer dogs on the trail as well."
Queensland Police, Wildcare volunteers, and nearby zoo facilities have also joined the operation, while park owner Village Roadshow deployed thermal imaging drones to search through the night.
Despite an extensive overnight operation involving more than a dozen wildlife staff and drone operators, Mary was still missing on Wednesday morning.
"Our priority remains on relocating Mary to ensure her welfare, and we will continue to search the property and are investigating additional resources to assist finding her," Paradise Country said in a statement.
Public Warning
The park said locals in the Kopps Road area should contact Wildcare if they spot the animal and avoid approaching or attempting to catch her.
"Devils can be reactive if they are provoked or if anyone attempts to catch them, so please call Wildcare," Mousley said.
She described the two-year-old devil as a shy young animal whose disappearance had stunned experienced keepers.
"Generally around this age they can be a little bit more adventurous, but we've only known her for a short period of time," she said.
"What we do know about her is that she's extremely shy and when there is movement she tends to bunker down. So finding that she was the one that headed out is very, very abnormal given her demeanour."
Conservation Context
Tasmanian devils are nocturnal marsupials native to Tasmania and are listed as endangered in the wild. Mousley said Paradise Country's enclosures met and exceeded Biosecurity Queensland standards and incidents like this were "extremely unusual."
"I've been in zoo keeping for a very, very long time now and I've never had an event like this occur," she said.
Mary and fellow Tasmanian devil Mavka had recently arrived at the Gold Coast attraction as part of a broader conservation initiative for the endangered species, which is native to Tasmania and not found in the wild on mainland Australia.
The carnivorous marsupials are known for their powerful jaws, piercing screeches, and nocturnal behavior. The species has been devastated by the spread of Devil Facial Tumour Disease and remains endangered in the wild.
Paradise Country has confirmed the park will reopen to visitors on Wednesday while search efforts continue.
