Calls for more protection as Tasmanian devil roadkill toll rises

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A bid to reduce Tasmanian devil deaths on a country road in the state's north west seems to be failing. A local wildlife carer says in the six months since speed limits were changed, devil fatalities have only risen.

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00:00 Looking after two orphaned Tasmanian devils.

00:05 Alice Carson is a wildlife carer on Tasmania's far northwest coast.

00:13 The joys were found wandering a notorious stretch of road where Ms Carson has counted hundreds of dead devils.

00:20 It breaks my heart because I don't care if they're a devil or a petty.

00:24 I just, it's awful.

00:27 The speed limit changed at Woolnorth and West Montague Roads mid last year.

00:33 From 100km/h to 80.

00:37 But Ms Carson recorded 23 devil deaths between July and December last year.

00:42 Higher than the same period in the two years before.

00:46 I just think they're worth saving. I think they're worth doing something to help save them.

00:50 And changing the speed limit and putting up some virtual fence isn't enough.

00:55 She says people are speeding.

00:58 But the Mayor says random speed counters suggest otherwise.

01:02 The evidence we've got is that the majority of people, and there's always going to be a cowboy that doesn't do it, anywhere, anytime,

01:10 but the majority of people are obeying the speed limit.

01:14 Mayor Blizzard says it's too early to tell if the speed limit change is working.

01:19 You put something in place, you've got to give it a chance to work to see if you've got to change it, tweak it, or go in a different direction.

01:27 After the devil disease, roadkill is the most significant source of mortality for devils.

01:34 It won't send them extinct by itself, but it is important that we address it to help buffer those populations.

01:42 A stakeholder group is exploring other ways to bring down roadkill in the area,

01:47 including carcass removal, roadside slashing, rumble strips and signage.

01:52 That's as well as driver awareness, which Professor Jones says is critical, especially for locals.

01:58 So anything we can do to say this is really important and let's be aware of it, let's slow down, let's look out for wildlife,

02:07 and let's not try to hit Tasmanian devils or any other wildlife on the road.

02:13 One way to protect an endangered species.

02:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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