Photography courtesy of Saint Louis Zoo
There's no word if Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck will be on hand for the celebration at the Saint Louis Zoo, but a new outdoor habitat for a pair of female Tasmanian devils will open next Thursday, April 28.
The 2,000-square-foot Emerson Children’s Zoo exhibit, featuring two dens and a fresh-water pond, will be home to 2-year-old devils Yindi and Jannali. The pair were born at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia, and come to St. Louis as part of Australia’s Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. Now listed as an endangered species, the number of Tasmanian devils in the wild has dropped dramatically since 1996 because of “devil facial tumor disease.”
The Saint Louis Zoo becomes one of six zoos in the U.S. that will be home to Tasmanian devils. Visitors will have a chance to view them through two 8-by-8-foot glass panels. The devils are natural diggers, so there will be plenty of soil in their new home. They can also climb to an elevated area and look down at their habitat.
Yindi and Jannali’s arrival marks the first time the zoo has cared for the species in 30 years. The zoo also provides financial support to Australia’s Zoo Aquarium Association Wildlife Conservation Fund, which helps monitor and manage the Tasmanian devil population.
The new exhibit is opening just as the zoo announced major plans for renovations and improvements over the next 20 to 30 years. The plans include a “major animal-focused attraction,” expanded animal habitats, a gondola and bridge over Interstate 64, and a zoo-themed restaurant and hotel. The changes are planned for the 93-acre campus and 13.5-acre site at the former Forest Park Hospital site.
