A Tasmanian devil who escaped from a Gold Coast theme park more than two weeks ago has been found alive but in poor health.
Two-year-old devil Mary was captured on Tuesday night in bushland in Oxenford, less than two kilometres from Paradise Country where she had been living.
Mary escaped her enclosure on June 2 after making what staff described as an “abnormally large leap” over a 1.4 metre fence.
She was spotted on CCTV wandering the park at around 4am that morning, about three hours before staff noticed she was missing.
A Paradise Country statement said the animal was tracked down using CCTV sightings and geographical projection modelling.
“Upon finding her, Mary was in an unstable condition and the team assessed and determined she required veterinary care and rushed her to a specialist veterinary hospital where they were able to stabilise her condition,” the statement said.
“Paradise Country’s experienced wildlife team are continuing to support and care for Mary who is currently stable and remaining in the veterinary hospital to allow specialists to conduct further diagnostic testing.”
The search for Mary lasted 14 days and involved up to 20 wildlife keepers from the theme park and other Gold Coast parks working in shifts.
Teams used sniffer dogs, thermal imaging drones, trail cameras and dozens of humane traps.
Mary was spotted by a home security camera at a property backing onto Saltwater Creek Reserve in Oxenford on June 7.
Fresh droppings and remains of kangaroo and wallaby carcasses found in nearby bushland suggested she had been finding food on her own.
Paradise Country curator of animals Lauren Mousley had previously said Mary was “extremely shy” and had only recently arrived at the park with her companion Mavka as part of a conservation initiative.
Mary is expected to be reunited with Mavka once she recovers.
