Saturday, July 10, 2010

a devil of a time

yesterday we took a trip up to the mountain to see the snow. minor complications led us to stop briefly at the devils sanctuary and so we decided to enjoy an afternoon visit with tasmanias largest marsupial.
the tasmanian devil....
we had quite a nice time getting to know these noisy fellas up close and personal.
look, jack even got to give one a pat.
he doesn't quite look it, but i believe he was thrilled.
tasmanian devils are currently on the critical endangered species list, as their survival rate has been threatened due to a cancerous facial tumor disease which has already wiped out 80% in the wild.
visiting places like this wildlife park and getting to know little friends like these guys is important.
i got a bit choked up actually, when i touched him and realized in ten years time they might not be around.
for more information on these fascinating creatures from tasmania, or to donate, or to learn more about the sanctuary up on cradle mountain, please visit  http://www.devilsatcradle.com/.
{this was a big mama with a little one in her backward pouch, so cool.}

16 comments:

  1. what a sweet but sad post. the thought of endangered species has always haunted me since i was a child learning about the extinction of prehistoric animals we wouldn't want to share the planet with today... hopefully, the sanctuary and other wildlife protection organizations will be able to keep these guys around. jack is being brave i think. i mean - they do have the word devil in their name! did you knit his awesome sweater? i love nesta's facial expression. what a little man!

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh my! talking of the devil. my only memory of the tasmanian one is, as said, the cartoon. he looks quite something, i mean, a little like an oversized mouse, no? great snaps, by the way! grtz -

    ReplyDelete
  3. what a great experience. i've never seen one of these little national treasures live. very cute. my motherinlaw brought back a little picture book about them and how we can help them from the perils of extinction. xo m.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gorgeous post!
    There is a wildlife sanctuary near my parents' Tassie property that we visit once a year and I always get that chocked up feeling too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. they really don't look devilish ... except for the scary open mouth pic, they look sweet. hope you enjoyed your trip and got to see some snow too. my kids haven't seen snow, ever.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is so sad...if you ever pass through Salamanca or visit Artefacts at Salamanca there's a woman named Bhoomi who crochets Tassie devil tea cosies and beanies to help raise money for them. She does amazing work...then there's the wilderness society also. If Bhoomi is at the markets she's pretty easy to spot 'cos she wears a big Devil beanie:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. They do desperately need help. Maybe there could be held a bloggy fundraiser? With a Hand made Tassie Devil something as the prize every whenever. Just a thought...

    ReplyDelete
  8. nerines i think that is a wonderful idea. perhaps we could get the local orgs to donate a tassie item to raffle, and make some as well? anyone know how a blog raffle works/?

    ReplyDelete
  9. That sounds a terrific idea (orgs donating items also)!! I'd be happy to make some calls come monday. I've noticed some blogs, like say meet me at mikes have a donation button, linked to a paypal account..there might be something on it through google? I'll check that out too...mmmm...still thinking:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. maybe it could be just a minimum of one or two dollars a ticket. I did see a raffle held on someones blog I'll go check it out (hopefully I can find it). Gawd, sorry I should just email you, I'm taking up all your comment space:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my goodness what scary little creatures! So sad that they are so endangered though :( What an experience to see them up close and personal!

    ReplyDelete
  12. oh I do love Devils, such amazing creatures and so special

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tasmanian Devils are so cute. I didn't realize they were endangered. How sad!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Isn't it strange that when the stock market dips, the whole world knows about it, but if an animal goes extinct, it's like, "Hunh."...onto the next news item? A whole species, extinct? It boggles the mind. Reminds me of a song "What race will be next in line for the slaughter? The elephant, or the cod? Or your sons and daughters?"...for what we do to them, we do to ourselves.
    Thanks for stopping by the Knitty Gritty Homestead! That post was revised many times as it became a total rant against toy snobbery...but I cut out that part and pasted it...will post it some other time!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great photos.
    Glad you all had a great time... awful that they're so endangered.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow - what amazing pics! Let's hope that these little creatures come through. x

    ReplyDelete