Banjo has a certain ring

A WILD TASMANIAN DEVIL IS HELPING AID THE LONG-TERM SURVIVAL OF HER SPECIES

A reclusive Tasmanian devil who roams the foothills of Mount Wellington now has a name.

Meet Banjo, pictured here with University of Tasmania disease ecologist, Dr Rodrigo Hamede.

Banjo is one of 172 devils captured and released by our team of researchers monitoring the impact of the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) on wild populations of the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial.

In December, the Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal set out to raise $10,000 to monitor a wild devil population for the year.

This new event in the Appeal’s fundraising calendar was a part of Giving Tuesday, a day where people are encouraged to come together to help transform their communities and the world.

Donors went into the draw to name a wild devil, and Barbara May from South Australia was the lucky devil who won. When it came to choosing a name, she opted to stick to the adage: ’it’s better the devil you know’.

The alumna, who graduated with a Graduate Certificate in Nursing in 2012, had several reasons for choosing ‘Banjo.’

She’s a fan of Banjo Patterson, it was her puppy’s nickname, and it reminds her of “a couple of blokes in the bush.”

Thanks to the kindness of Barbara and 144 other generous donors, the Appeal raised almost $20,000 and monitoring the devils in the Huon Valley and Kingborough has begun.

The research will provide crucial information about the wild population, breeding, infection rates and the spread of the disease. Dr Hamede said the researchers would like to thank donors for their support.

“The response from the community was remarkable. They were full of enthusiasm, generosity, and empathy for this important conservation challenge,” he said.

Find out more about how you can help the Tasmanian devil: utas.edu.au/devil

Dr Rodrigo Hamede with Banjo the Tasmanian devil.

For more information about philanthropy at the University of Tasmania, contact us:

utas.edu.au/giving university.giving@utas.edu.au +61 6226 1920

University of Tasmania Private Bag 40 Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia