Drop what you’re doing because you’re about to go into cuteness overload.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is home to three very adorable newbies: Tasmanian devils, Sprout, Mustard, and Thyme.
Tasmanian Devils haven’t lived at the Columbus Zoo in over 20 years and Columbus is one of only seven zoos in North America that house the little nuggets!
Males, Mustard and Sprout, and Sprout’s sister, Thyme, are still in arrival quarantine per standard protocol, but pretty soon they’ll be out and about in their brand new habitat in the Zoo’s Australia and the Islands region.
Over the last five years alone, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has supported conservation projects that benefit Tasmanian devils in a lot of different ways. From developing strategies to rebuild wild populations to tracking Tasmanian devils via satellite, the zoo is doing everything they can to help the wild population bounce back.
“The Tasmanian devils are an exciting addition to our Columbus Zoo family and play an incredibly important role as ambassadors for their species,” said Columbus Zoo President and CEO Tom Stalf.
“It is a privilege to be able to work with the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program and continue to expand our impact internationally by contributing to the conservation of this species while also raising awareness within our own community about these animals and how we can help them.”
Not only are Tasmanian devils basically the cutest little things you’ve ever seen, but they’re also the world’s largest carnivorous marsupials! And while they are cute, it’s important to remember that they’re fierce. Relative to their body size, Tasmanian devils have an even stronger bite than a Bengal tiger and they can eat up to 40% of their body weight in one sitting.
But, seriously, they’re so cute.
The viewing schedule for the Tasmanian devils has yet to be released. Follow the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Facebook for more updates!
