Save the Tasmanian Devil Program 2013-14 Annual Program Report Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment The 2013-14 Annual Program Report The Annual Program Report is produced by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (the Program) to report on activities over the past financial year. This edition, however, covers the period 1 July 2013–31 December 2014, a period of 18 months, in order to align future reporting with the calendar year. The Report outlines how, with guidance from national and international specialists and support from funding partners, the Program is working towards the vision of an enduring and ecologically functional population of devils in the wild in Tasmania. The Annual Program Report is produced by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE). The report also features contributions from the wide range of organisations that are part of, or work closely with, the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. ISSN 1839-1907 (Print) ISSN 1839-1915 (Online) Contents Introduction ....................................................... 1 Overview ......................................................... 2 Program Management ............................................... 4 Insurance Population Sub-program .................................... 8 FOCUS ON: Contraception Project .................................... 11 Monitoring and Management Sub-program ............................ 12 Wild Management ................................................. 15 FOCUS ON: Mine shafts ............................................ 21 Research and Collaboration ......................................... 22 FOCUS ON: Bio Archive . 26 Case Study: Professor Kathy Belov . 27 Publications ...................................................... 29 Performance of the Program to Targets ................................ 31 Devil Dollars . 32 Where to from here? ............................................... 33 Devil Directory (as at 31 December 2014) ............................... 34 i Introduction The past 18 months has been a period of transition The review, conducted by independent expert group for the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP, the Environmental Evidence Australia, identified the Program). At the beginning of this period a five-year establishment of the Insurance Population as a phase was completed. That phase had a strong focus major achievement. It also commended the Program on establishing an Insurance Population, improving as “exemplary in active adaptive management in knowledge of the presence of Devil Facial Tumour the scientific process”, stating that “the Program Disease (DFTD) in the wild and establishing the Maria architecture, flexibility, governance and collaborative Island devil population. agenda enabled understanding of the threat and management options to be continually informed as the With the completion of this period, the conservation science in many research areas matured”. actions of the Program have been considerably broadened. The Program’s strategic direction is now Recognition of the strong collaborative nature of the focused on establishing disease-free devil populations Program is important. The Save the Tasmanian Devil in Tasmania and developing strategies to maintain Program has succeeded in building very productive viable populations in the wild across Tasmania. partnerships between governments, the conservation breeding community (zoos and wildlife parks), research Along with this substantial development in the groups and the community. strategic direction of the Program, a number of initiatives have also been advanced. These include: Much of the work undertaken over the past 18 months could not have been done without the support • significant progress in knowledge of the disease and guidance of collaborators, colleagues and the and steps towards immunising against it community. The stories of lucky devils Savage and • implementing the Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Larry, (Pp. 19-21) are just two of the many that Program make this abundantly clear. The Program is proud of • opening the fourth Devil Island relationships forged and maintained with national and international research institutions, with zoos across • welcoming new member institutions into the the nation and across the globe, with community Insurance Population volunteers, with Tasmanian businesses and with • monitoring devils and other fauna on Maria colleagues in all three tiers of Government. Island, and I hope you enjoy reading about the Program’s • working to secure a DFTD-free population of achievements. I encourage you to keep up to date with all devils on the Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas the activities of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program throughout the year at www.tassiedevil.com.au and on It has been gratifying to see the Program’s performance our Facebook page. and achievements favourably recognised in a recent review commissioned by the Federal Government. The aims of the review were to evaluate the impacts and Alistair Scott achievements of the Program, and to identify potential Chair, Save the Tasmanian Devil Program Steering legacy contributions to the longer-term Program goals. Committee The final report, which provides the performance assessment along with a series of recommendations, was finalised in July 2013. A copy, as well as a summary table showing the Program’s responses to the report’s recommendations, is available to download from the Program website at www.tassiedevil.com.au 2013-14 Annual Program Report 1 Overview: 1 July 2013–31 December 2014 The 2012–13 Annual Program Report made the allowed the Program to turn its focus towards the wild. statement that “This species and its disease are creating Releasing devils that are well represented genetically a unique management issue never before faced: how to within the Insurance Population will enable the protect an endangered species which is still relatively Program to supplement existing wild populations common but which has a virulent, transmissible and bolster them both numerically and genetically. and invariably fatal cancer and how to manage the Additionally, the opportunity to release devils into concomitant ecosystem impacts”. the wild while DFTD is still present has created an opportunity for immunisation work to progress to trials Work undertaken over the past 18 months has in the Tasmanian landscape. tackled these unique issues head-on. The innovative Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program was developed With 610 devils in the Insurance Population, including in this period, and exciting progress was made in 132 joeys born in 2013–14, efforts to secure the species immunisation research. Concurrently the Save the in captivity have well and truly succeeded. Helping to Tasmanian Devil Program, in partnership with the manage this outstandingly successful program is a new Australian Government, moved closer to finalising Captive Management Plan (CPM) for 2014–18, which the strategic document the Recovery Plan for the addresses a priority one Recovery Plan activity: Develop Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), which identifies and implement integrated management plans for all the key threats, options and actions required to ensure captive Tasmanian devils held at different locations. the recovery of the Tasmanian devil into the future. The CMP covers devils held in intensive management, During the development of the Recovery Plan, Program in free range enclosures, on Maria Island, within the activities have been aligned with the actions identified Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program and soon, those as necessary for the recovery of the species. devils that will be released as part of the Peninsula Devil Conservation Project (formerly known as the The final draft of the Recovery Plan specifies eight key Tasman Isolation Project). actions which have guided Program activities over the past 18 months, and will continue to do so into the The establishment of the Tasmanian Devil Ambassador future: Program was also made possible by the success of the Insurance Population. Ambassador devils are sourced 1. Manage devils and DFTD in the wild from a subset of the Insurance Population containing 2. Manage threats in the wild genetically well-represented animals not required for 3. Maintain and manage the Insurance Population breeding. These animals are being used for advocacy through their public display at five zoos: three in 4. Monitor Tasmanian devils New Zealand and two in the USA. This initiative 5. Improve knowledge of the disease and translate delivers significant benefits for the conservation of the that knowledge to management actions Tasmanian devil by raising public awareness of the fight against DFTD outside Australia, and by building 6. Research and measure habitat variables on-ground support for activities being undertaken 7. Manage the recovery program within Australia. 8. Communicate with the community and The success of the initial 12-month trial has seen this stakeholders pilot program approved by the Tasmanian Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage to become a These actions, beneath which lie a suite of activities, permanent part of the Save the Tasmanian Devil help provide a picture of how the Program has Program. During 2015 it is likely that more zoos in progressed towards saving the Tasmanian devil over North America will receive Ambassador devils. the past 18 months; and how the activities conducted by one part of the Program link with and contribute to The population of devils on Maria