“Female devils have three breeding cycles. Each cycle lasts four days with around a month off in between,” Dean Reid, the supervisor at the Tasmanian Devil facility ‘Devil Ark’ in Barrington Tops said.

Female Tasmanian Devils breed between the ages of two and four. They have relatively short life span of six years of age. To the outsider, a female’s ‘oestreus’ (breeding) season begins when she goes off her water and food, becomes dazed and lethargic and develops a lump of fat on her neck. Sensing the subdued female in season, the male her by the neck and drag her into her den, where they remain for up to five days until she wakes from her lethargy and throws him out. He then guards the den from other males for another five days.

“But some dens have more than one entry,” Dean said, citing obvious implications for the paternity of subsequent joeys.

If the female is successfully impregnated, around 20 to 40 tiny joeys the size of a small grain of rice will emerge after 21 days and make their way up to her pouch by instinct and smell. Proving only the fittest survive, a Tasmanian Devil only has four teats inside her pouch. A lucky four latch on for three months before their mother starts feeding them bits of meat until being weaned at four months.

“When they get too big for the pouch, all four will cling onto her back while she runs through the forest. Then, at nine months, the mother just gets up and leaves.”

Tasmanian Devils are inherently solitary creatures and the siblings left behind will make their own way into the wider world at the age of 14 to 15 months. The cycle then starts all over again when they hit the breeding age of two.

“We’ve had a 70 per cent hit rate with the females we put into the breeding pens. We put four females and four males together according to recommendations from ZAA [the Zoo and Aquarium Association). We are trying to diversify the genetic lines,” Dean said. 

Twenty seven joeys have been born so far this year, with another breeding cycle still to go. Devils Ark started with 44 Devils and has since had four successful breeding seasons with over 135 joeys born. Currently 140 Devils are roaming in 13 large free range enclosures. This number will soon drop with the relocation of 30 young devils to Tasmania where the animals are facing extinction due to the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

“Half of them will go to a fenced in disease free enclosure and the other half will be part of a new vaccination trial by the University of Tasmania,” Dean said.

The release project will cost $60,000 and involves the preparation, conditioning, monitoring and transport of the devils in readiness for their release. Half of this amount has been raised so far and any donation is welcome.

For more information go to www.devilark.com.au or facebook. Tours are conducted through the 'Ark' but visitors must book.