Aussie Animal Island

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[edit] General Information

Nature Documentary hosted by Jason Donovan, published by ITV in 2013 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Series looking at how scientists are using the protected habitat of Maria Island, off the east coast of Tasmania, as a place of refuge for Australian animals under threat.

[edit] Mission Maria Island

The first episode follows a group of Tasmanian devils, threatened by a devastating cancer epidemic that is sweeping the state. Orphaned joeys Reba, Remmy and Ruben were raised by wildlife carer Lorraine Deweys, and while they are small and fluffy now, scientists hope the trio and many others like them will grow to become the predators they were born to be. A rescue squad of scientists plans to take 15 healthy devils to Maria Island to start a new, disease-free dynasty.

[edit] Devil D-Day

The Tasmanian devils are taken to an isolation centre in Hobart where their behaviour is assessed. If they are to survive in the wild, they must shy away from human contact but remain curious about their surroundings. The devils are released into a large enclosure where a hierarchy emerges, as Big Jimmy hogs the food and hapless Manny goes without. Once training is complete, the devils get a final health check and five lucky animals are fitted with GPS collars so their every move can be monitored.

[edit] Meet the Neighbours

The 15 Tasmania devils released on the island are cautious, curious and hungry, living up to their reputation as carnivorous hunters. One finds a free meal under the nest of a wedge-tail eagle while the others scavenge for long dead wildlife. The one named Manny does the unthinkable though and crashes a tourist barbeque. Later, he is caught on camera behaving more like a labrador than a devil, posing for photos for the tourists.

[edit] Summer on Devil Island

Follows the devils through a scorching summer as they try to adjust to their new environment. This hand-reared squad have a lot to learn as they should be cooling off in a burrow, not lying around in the hot sun. The island's little penguins can cope, as they feed out at sea. The scientists worry that the devils may prey on these tiny creatures, so radio collars and remote cameras are used to protect them. The island's grazing wildlife - forester kangaroos and Cape Barron geese - are also struggling to find food, and the geese return to the mainland in search of greener pastures. While the locals leave, the tourists arrive by the boatload. As the streams dry up the Tasmanian devils must roam further in search of fresh water, but the forest is littered with the corpses of dead animals giving the devils a chance to scavenge.

[edit] Manny Goes Missing

One of the eight female Tasmanian devils has finally got the hang of finding food. Now she must find a male and produce a new generation of disease-free young. As the breeding season draws near, the scientists set traps around the island to capture and examine each of the devils to ensure they are healthy and ready to mate. Even during the mating season, the devils must eat. One of them is drawn by the smell of an elephant seal carcass rotting on the beach. Inquisitive, confident and bit of a show-off, Manny is a favourite with the scientific team but has always had a nose for trouble. He has not been seen for a few days, so the team try to locate him using the tracking device on his collar - with heartbreaking results.

[edit] Devil Dynasty

The future looks bright for the Tasmanian devils as all eight females prepare to have joeys - the result the scientific team had hoped for. By mid autumn, the scientists return to check on the devils. They discover that big Jimmy has been a busy lad - so busy he has forgotten to eat and has lost almost a third of his weight. Lorraine Deweys, the wildlife carer who raised Reba as a baby, arrives on the island to hear the good news - Reba has two tiny babies in her pouch.