Cuddling the Devil

By Monique Ebrington
HEALESVILLE Sanctuary’s Tasmanian Devil keeper Tiffany Eastley gave pup Yulgilbar her first cuddle and human contact last Tuesday.
Five-month-old Yulgil-bar is the only Tasmanian Devil pup to be born at the sanctuary this year.
She’s in capable hands, though, as Tiffany has been watching over her and first time mother Honey since Yulgilbar’s birth on 13 May.
“It’s great to get some babies. It’s been a while since I’ve held a baby but it’s great. It’s my favourite part of the job,” Tiffany said.
Tiffany developed a soft spot for Tasmanian Devils at a young age and said she moved from Tasmania eight years ago to work with them at the sanctuary.
Her passion for the species is just as strong in ensuring their conservation, supporting Zoos Victoria’s Devils Advocate Campaign.
Yulgilbar, or Gillie for short, was named after the Yulgilbar Foundation that donated $400,000 towards saving the Tasmanian Devils through the Devils Advocate Campaign.
Devil Facial Tumour Disease, both contagious and fatal, is found across 60 per cent of Tasmania and is progressing faster than originally anticipated said Zoos Victoria spokesman Paul Clark.
The Devils Advocate is a fund-raising campaign aimed at developing a Tasmanian Devil breeding and research centre at Healesville Sanctuary, he said.
This mainland population of disease-free devils is intended to ensure a healthy population destined for re-release once the disease is managed.
Those wanting to contribute can contact Paul Clark at Zoos Victoria Foundation via email HYPERLINK “mailto:zvfoundation@zoo.org.au” zvfoundation@zoo.org.au or phone 9285 9451.