Airport devils direct donations to disease research

Two new Tasmanian Devil sculptures will be sure to catch the eye of travellers through Launceston Airport and encourage donations to the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal which raises funds to combat the devastating Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

The devil sculptures will be launched on Friday, September 5, at 1:30pm ahead of National Threatened Species Day on Sunday.

Fundraising coin-collection devils have been well patronised over the past three years with the support of Virgin Australia, but well-worn and weary they are being replaced by new models with extended information panels and QR links to track how the donations make a difference.

Launceston Airport manager Paul Hodgen said that the enhanced sculptures are a welcome addition to the airport landscape and have been positioned to both welcome and farewell visitors, hopefully creating interest and capturing plenty of donations.

“We are very pleased to host the two splendid sculptures which promote Tasmania’s iconic fauna, allowing our airport visitors to support this great cause,” he said.

Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal Manager Rebecca Cuthill said that with Threatened Species Day being celebrated on Sunday (September 7) the launch of the new devil sculptures is a timely reminder to the public about the importance that donations make to supporting key research and conservation strategies for the Tasmanian devil.

“More than $10,000 has been collected in public donations at Launceston Airport in the past few years and I am hopeful that this gorgeous re-vamped design will be even more attractive to airport patrons,” she said.

Money raised through public donations supports a variety of projects including vaccine research at the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Research Institute Tasmania; monitoring of devils in the wild and projects assisting with the reintroduction of Tasmanian devils into safe, wild habitats.

“It is an incredibly exciting time for devil conservation and I am thankful to Launceston Airport for being part of this journey to keep our iconic devils alive in the wild,” Ms Cuthill said.

The Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal is administered by the University of Tasmania.
University of Tasmania media officer Lana Best