Welcome To Devils At Cradle

Our Sanctuary

Our Sanctuary

Located on the edge of the World Heritage listed Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair National park, our alpine sanctuary is situated within a beautiful natural setting of cool temperate rainforest and grasslands with views of Cradle Mountain.

Devils@Cradle is a privately owned, conservation-based breeding facility that is involved in two national conservation programs focusing on three species: Tasmanian devils, Spotted-tail quolls and Eastern quolls. We also rescue, raise and release orphaned or injured wildlife.

Our enclosures have won the Zoo and Aquarium Association ‘Exhibit Award’ three times in 2014, 2016 and 2018. They are built to exceed industry standards and provide a range of natural habitat and behavioral opportunities. 

Open to the public year-round, visitors can experience first-hand the operation of a working sanctuary, whilst enjoying up close encounters and educational insights with the knowledge your entry fees are contributing to the conservation of these amazing animals.

The Species

Devils@Cradle focuses on conservation programs for Australia’s three largest carnivorous marsupials (Dasyuridae) – the Tasmanian devil, the Spotted-tail quoll and the Eastern quoll. All three of these species are currently listed as either threatened or endangered in the wild and all occur locally in the Cradle Mountain area.

We also currently house one resident wombat named Pancake, who came to us as an orphan in 2017. Due to minor but not insignificant medical issues, she was not suitable for release and now calls Devils@Cradle home.

Tasmanian Devil

Sarcophilus harrisii

The Tasmanian devil is the largest of the world’s carnivorous marsupials, with males and females weighing around 10.0 kg and 7.0kg respectively, larger males commonly reach 11-12 kg. A solitary species who has evolved into a very effective scavenger, they have a strong build and powerful jaws capable of crunching and consuming bones efficiently. An opportunistic hunter, devils will eat almost anything from insects, amphibians and reptiles through to larger species such as possum, wallaby and wombat. They rely largely on their sense of smell and their endurance when searching for food.

The reproduction cycle for this species (and all dasyurids) is quite complex. Breeding occurs between Feb-March, the female will accept multiple males during her 7-10 day cycle and 18-21 days later she will give birth to up to 40 young. With only 4 teats in the pouch, only those who survive the tough journey into mum’s pouch will survive. Once attached to the teat the young will remain within the pouch for around 4 months, at this point they are fully furred and too large for the pouch. They remain within the den for another 4-5 months. During this time their diet will change to become largely carnivorous and they become fully independent and disperse at 9 months of age, around Nov-Dec. Their lifespan is 5-6 years in the wild, up to 7 years in captivity. 

The species is very adaptable and finds suitable habitat throughout Tasmania’s diverse landscape, from the alpine mountainous  areas (such as Cradle Mountain) through to the coastal environments surrounding the island and everywhere in between. Found only in Tasmania, the species is believed to have been forced into extinction on mainland Australia following the introduction of the dingo. The species has recently been classified as ‘endangered’ following a decline of up to 85% across its natural range due to a contagious facial cancer known as Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). In addition to DFTD another major threat to this species is roadkill, with a smorgasbord of carrion available along the road devil religiously use these ‘man made’ tracks, so please take care when travelling our roads after dark.

Spotted-tail Quoll

Dasyurus maculatus

The Spotted-tail quoll is the largest of the quoll family native to Australia and Papua New Guinea, with males and females weighing around 4.0 kg and 2.0 kg respectively. Two subspecies are recognised, the smaller northern QLD subspecies (Dasyurus maculatus gracilis) and the larger which is found in small numbers in southeastern Australia and Tasmania (Dasyurus maculatus maculatus).

Largely territorial, they are considered an apex predator with their prey consisting of insects, crayfish, lizards, snakes, birds, domestic poultry, small mammals, platypus, rabbits, arboreal possums, pademelons, small wallabies, and wombats. As this might suggest, they are capable of predating on animals much larger than themselves. 

The breeding season begins in early winter and, as with devils, the female will accept multiple males and 18-21 days later she will give birth to up to 30 young. With quolls however, the female can raise up to 6 young in her pouch with weaning occurring in the spring and the young generally dispersing in November. Their lifespan is 3-4 years in the wild and up to 6 years in captivity. 

Spotted-tail quolls are found throughout Tasmania, which is considered their last stronghold, but also exist in patchy distribution along the east coast of mainland Australia. They live in a variety of habitats, but seem to prefer wet forests such as rainforests and closed eucalypt forest. They are semi-arboreal and very capable climbers, being equally at home in the trees or on the ground. 

This species is vulnerable to decline as it requires certain climates and habitats and it tends to live in low densities. The main threats to the Spotted-tail quolls are habitat loss and fragmentation, roadkill, competition from foxes (mainland only) and feral cats and illegal poisoning, trapping and shooting, due to the fact that they will kill poultry. 

Eastern Quoll

Dasyurus viverrinus

The Eastern quoll is a small to medium-sized carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, with males and females weighing around 2.0 kg and 1.0 kg, respectively. A fast and agile solitary predator, hunting at night for its prey of insects and small mammals, they have also been known to scavenge food from the much larger Tasmanian devil. 

The breeding season begins in early winter. The female can give birth to up to 30 young and raise only up to 6 young in her pouch. Weaning takes place at about 10 weeks of age, with the young staying in the den whilst the mother forages for food. Young disperse around November. Their lifespan is 3 years in the wild and up to 5 years in captivity. 

They are unique among the quoll species, as they are the only species that can be found in two completely different fur colours – fawn and black (referred to as a “morph”). The fawn morph is more common as only 25% of Eastern quolls have black fur. There is no difference between the colours, and it is not a result of sexual dimorphism as both sexes can be either colour. 

Their habitat is varied and consists of alpine areas including grasslands, heathland, and rainforest through to dry grassland and forest mosaics, bounded by agricultural land and some coastal environments.

Once found across south-eastern Australia, they are now only found in the wild in Tasmania. Feral foxes and cats, as well as habitat loss and disease, caused their extinction on the mainland. The last sighting of Eastern quolls on the mainland was in the 1960’s. The lack of foxes and dingoes in Tasmania is believed to have contributed to the survival of the species here on the island. Today, the main threats to the Eastern quoll is roadkill, habitat loss, insect decline, competition and predation from feral cats and illegal poisoning and trapping as people often confuse this species with the larger Spotted-tail.

Bare-nosed Wombat

Vombatus ursinus

Wombats are some of the world’s largest burrowing animals, weighing between 22-40 kilograms and reaching 90-115 cm in length. Equipped with sharp claws and strong limbs, they create complex burrowing networks that can extend to up to 40m long. They have thick, tough fur that comes in shades of grey, brown, black, and even blonde.

Bare-nosed wombats are found throughout south-eastern Australia in a variety of habitats including grasslands, low open shrubland, open forest and open heathland. There are several subspecies of the common wombat: the Mainland Bare-nosed Wombat (Vombatus ursinus hirsutus), Tasmanian wombat (Vombatus ursinus Tasmaniensis), and the Flinders Island wombat (Vombatus ursinus ursinus).

Breeding can occur year-round, with sexual maturity being reached at 2 years of age. Gestation is between 20-30 days after which the female will give birth to a single joey. It will be kept in the mothers pouch until roughly 10 months, and is weaned and dispersed at 12-15 months. The average lifespan in the wild is 15 years, but they can live up to 30 years in captivity.

Sleeping upwards of 16hrs a day, they typically emerge between dusk and dawn to feed on grasses, shrubs and roots using their continuously growing incisors. Digestion takes between 14-18 days during which water and nutrients are efficiently absorbed resulting in very dry, compact, cube-shaped poo!

Wombats are solitary and can be territorial, particularly when resources are scarce, with biting the most common form of defense against other wombats. When threatened by predators, they will run down the nearest burrow and crush the predator’s head against the roof of the burrow with their rump!

Whilst listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, wombat numbers are declining, particularly on the mainland. They are threatened by habitat loss, road collisions, predation by feral dogs, competition by introduced rabbits and sarcoptic mange, a horrible disease caused by the scabies mite which kills wombats through fur loss, blindness, deep wounds, infections and starvation.

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You Can Help Assist Our Conservation

Every donation, adoption or sponsorship helps us effectively run our range of conservation programs which protect and support these unique animals.

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