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From
1996 and through to today, clear fell logging has been in
operation around the Boomajaril property. Following the logging
comes the plantation of new niten gum seedlings. Unfortunately
the wallaby and possums feed on these new plants and to prevent
this from happening 1080 poison laced carrots are scattered
to kill these animals. Of course Tasmanian Devils and Quolls
eat wallabies and possums and everything else the poison kills
such as wombats and bandicoots.
It
is claimed that 1080 poison needs to be consumed in high quantities
for it to kill a Tasmanian Devil. However it has shown that
high levels of the poison remains in the organs of the poisoned
animal. If this is digested it could result in secondary poisoning.
From what I know about devils and what I have observed. Devils
eat everything, including bones, fur and organs.
In
April 2004, A major poisoning and shooting campaign was underway.
The day before the drop our Devils were coming to the property
as usual. A few days after the carrot drop all our Devils
and quolls disappeared. You could argue that there was a major
feast out there, it was also breeding season. The fact that
they all disappeared at the same time was a little too coincedental.
Boomajaril
became a ghost forest for seven months. No Devils, quolls,
wallabies or possums. There were only birds. Spring and the
baby Devils are coming out and we were delighted to see one
of our old Devils Kiwi. Kiwi however was the only Devil to
return from the 12 Devils and 2 quolls who were frequenting
Boomajaril prior to the poisoning. The other sad thing to
come of this was that there were all these baby Devils going
out on their own and there wasn't any food. No possums or
wallabies to be seen. I'd hate to know how many starved to
death.
We
don't know exactly what happened to these Devils, however
like I said the coincedence of the poison and their disappearance
poses many questions.
Below are seven of our most memorable devils of 2003, they
will always be special to us as they were the first, they
were the brave and they taught us so much.
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LITTLE
RUM
Little
Rum was my favourite Devil. He was extremely sensitive
and gentle. He had a sweet personality, timid
and very clumsy. He actually reminded me of my
childhood Teddy Bear because he had such a sweet
face. Little Rum would come up on the back verandah
while the other Devils came up on the front. He
would sit at the door like a dog and look in at
what was happening inside and occasionally give
a little bark. He would take food from our hands
but at times he would get shy and play peak a
boo under the step - after he had fallen off it
that is. Rum was the first Devil to curl up on
the door mat and go to sleep. We unfortunately
lost Rum during the April 2004 poisoning of Possums
and Wallabies. |
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CUDDLES
Cuddles
was our big resident male. He was a beautiful
looking devil in fantastic condition and very
gentle. He was the first Devil to befriend us
and take food from our hand. Cuddles would come
and visit only every so often. Stay a couple of
days and then head off hunting again. Cuddles
was so comfortable around us that when we would
go outside he would come almost right up to us.
This was a problem when we had lambswool slippers
on as he would head for our feet thinking it was
food. He never hurt us in anyway though. Cuddles
never returned after the poisoning in 2004. |
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WUFF
Wuff
was a very exciteable Devil and very vocal with
the barking. He was the first Devil who barked.
He was also a very good looking young male in
extremely good condition. Hyperactive might be
one way of describing him another would be bright
eyed and mischievious. He would bang on the door
until it almost fell in to get your attention
and would also climb to the top of it. He was
cheeky and very loveable. Wuff also disappeared
after the 2004 poisoning. |
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SCAR
BABY
Scar
Baby was a heartbreaking introduction that
melted your heart, she would have only been a
year old. In the middle of the day she turned
up weak and skinny. She had a massive scar on
her torso in the shape of a bite mark and we assumed
she had been bitten by another Devil when she
was smaller. She came up to the window and desperately
looked in, she was starving. My mother laid on
the floor and talked to her putting her hand to
the glass. The Devil put her paw to the glass,
it was an amazing moment. We continued feeding
Scar Baby during the day and she became fit and
strong. Unfortunately though, she never returned
after the 2004 poisoning. |
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BOXY
Boxy
got his name, as our first encounter with him
was watching him run around the back verandah
under a box - destroying everything in his path.
Boxy was a very intelligent and persistant devil.
He would come to the back door knowing he would
get fed without having to fight other devils for
it who were congregated at the front door. He
would also run into the bush to eat it and not
go under the house like the rest, where he would
have it taken off him. He was a climber and would
spend alot of his time on the door than in front
of it and he also worked out how to open the door.
Unfortunately Boxy died on our front verandah
- cause unknown. Full story on Boxy's antics in
Devil Mischief |
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KIWI
Kiwi was our first all black devil and that's
how she got her name (after the New Zealand
Rugby "All Blacks" team). Kiwi was
a tiny Devil and even as she aged she never
really got much bigger. She was however one
tough Devil, a real fighter and I mean that
in the way that she never gave up. She was a
very pretty Devil but when other devils came
near her she would turn into Mr Hyde, despite
her size she would take them all on to maintain
her position at the door. And nobody would take
her food, she was more likely to take theirs.
Kiwi's fighting spirit saw her live to a very
old age. The last time we saw her earlier this
year she was in her 6th year, that is very old
for a devil in the wild. Kiwi was the only devil
to return after the poisoning. More
on Kiwi
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WHISKEY
Whiskey came to us extremely skinny and desperate.
She was completely skin and bone and so desperate
for food that she would follow my mother around
the yard during the day, it was heartbreaking.
Whiskey was the first devil we fed. She was scrawny
and a mass of whiskers (hence the name), she was
one ugly devil, but cute all the same. She just
got uglier as she became very vicious and would
attack every devil within eyeshot. As a result
she had terrible wounds to her face and body.
She became extremely possessive of the front door
and believed only she should have the food. There
was no doubt this Devil had a mental problem which
probably resulted from her starting so low on
the food chain. If we had not fed her she would
not have survived. Whiskey did not return after
the 2004 poisoning. |
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Click
here to view video footage of Boomajaril and
it's wild residents who come up on the verandah. |
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Cuddles,
one of our first Devils in 2003, He was our first
big gentle male to visit and feed from our hands. |
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Make
a Donation and
help find a cure for the Devil Facial Tumour Disease
and save the Tassie Devil. Click
Here. |
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