5 Jan 2014
DENMARK'S Copenhagen Zoo hopes to become a centre of excellence in Tasmanian devil handling.
The zoo celebrated the first successful breeding of the endangered animals outside Australia last year when two female devils gave birth to a total of seven joeys.
Now the zoo is planning to open a dedicated devil handling school, where staff from other European zoos can receive the training that will be necessary to take part in Tasmania's overseas Ambassador Devils initiative.
Copenhagen zoo curator Flemming Neilsen, who received his training at Tasmania's Trowunna Wildlife Park, has become the first so-called devils' advocate outside Australia.
The zoo's scientific director Bengt Holst said international press coverage of the birth of the devil joeys had been phenomenal. The creation of the devil school would put the zoo at the forefront of the conservation effort outside Australia, he said.
Save the Tasmanian Devil Program director Howell Williams said the Tasmanian Government would review the current overseas program next month before deciding whether to allow other international zoos to adopt devils.
However, New Zealand's Auckland and Orana zoos already have approval to receive devils in coming months.
There are 23 devils in zoos overseas, including Copenhagen, Wellington, San Diego and Albuquerque, which received four devils from Victoria's Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary last month.
Mr Williams said only zoos with a proven conservation record would receive devils under the ambassador program, which is based on a model for the protection of the endangered golden lion tamarin from Brazil.
Copenhagen Zoo first received two devils as a gift from the Tasmanian Government in 2006 to celebrate the birth of Crown Princess Mary's first son Christian.
The four adult devils currently at the zoo were sent from Trowunna in 2009.
