Media release – Cradle Coast NRM, 14 December 2023
Slow down this summer for our devils
This summer holidays, road users are encouraged to slow down to protect our endangered Tasmanian devils.
A new film on the local Woolnorth devil population is set to be broadcast across the nation this Sunday night on ABC. Living with Devils, directed by Simon Plowright, follows a family of young devils as they grow and venture out into the world. Simon’s previous film, Quoll Farm, garnered significant acclaim and this film promises to do the same with its beautiful footage highlighting our unique local environment and wildlife.
Over the summer months, Tasmanian devils move around more, especially young devils leaving their dens and finding their own territories. This makes them more susceptible to being hit by vehicles on our roads. Unfortunately, data shows that January and February each year are when the most devil roadkill is observed. The good news is that the simple action of slowing down between sunset and sunrise can dramatically reduce the rate of roadkill. Tasmanian research shows that reducing vehicle speed from 100 km/hr to 80 km/hr can reduce roadkill by up to 50%.
After shockingly high numbers of our iconic Tasmanian devils were observed dead on the roads around Woolnorth, far north-west Tasmania, drivers have been pledging to slow down to protect the devils.
Claire Jinnette from Cradle Coast Authority and a member of the Circular Head Roadkill Mitigation Working Group have been raising awareness of the importance of slowing down for our devils and asking people to sign a commitment.
“By signing the pledge, community members can commit to slowing down on our roads and taking a positive step to protect our devils. It’s heartening that 376 people have signed already, and the comments provided make it clear that the north-west community really value and want to look after this iconic species.”
Pledgers are entered into a draw to win one of seven family passes to see the often-elusive devil up close at Devils@Cradle. The prizes will be drawn just before Christmas on the 20th of December. It is not too late to make your pledge!
The Woolnorth area supports one of the highest densities of Tasmanian devils in the state, according to monitoring by the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP). This is mostly attributed to the continued absence of Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) in the Woolnorth devil population, although unfortunately, DFTD has recently been detected in the area.
The Devil Pledge is just one of many actions which are being implemented through the Circular Head Roadkill Mitigation Working Group, a group of concerned stakeholders formed in 2022 to tackle the problem of the alarmingly high number of devils being killed on roads around Woolnorth.
Circular Head Roadkill Mitigation Working Group members have been educating their staff and the Circular Head community about slowing down on the road. Circular Head Council has extended and refurbished virtual fencing in the area, installed more signage and successfully applied to the Transport Commissioner to reduce the speed limit on West Montague Road and Woolnorth Roads.
Follow this link to sign the Pledge to Protect Devils on our Roads and go into the draw to win a family pass to Devils@Cradle. Prizes drawn Wednesday 20 December 2023: https://shorturl.at/gwLP7
The public is encouraged to contribute records of roadkill, using the Roadkill Reporter app. Install the app with instructions here: www.nre.tas.gov.au/roadkillapp
If it is safe to stop, please remove the dead animal from the road to reduce the risk of predators being hit. Check the pouch for young. Injured or orphaned wildlife should be reported to Bonorong Wildlife Rescue Service on 0447 264 625. Tune in to Living With Devils on ABC this Sunday at 7:30 pm or check it out on ABC iview afterwards.
Featured image above: Still from the Living With Devils film by Simon Plowright.
