I Got a Close Look at Tasmania’s Famous (and Endangered) Wildlife — Here’s How Travelers Can Help Preservation Efforts

"A 20-suite lodge inside Freycinet National Park, Saffire Freycinet is a luxurious nature escape with wraparound views of Great Oyster Bay and the Hazards Mountains that you can enjoy from a private patio or, in some rooms, a plunge pool. I joined a guided devil experience led by Ashlee Ugle in a 2.5-acre forested enclosure where six Tasmanian devils — including Moltema, Mayberry and Melvin — live as retirement animals from the Save the Tasmanian Devil captive-breeding program; during the visit I watched their scuffle and mealtime, saw them work together to tackle wallaby and pademelon carcasses with powerful jaws breaking bone, and observed them calm and grooming after the meal. Nicole Dyble, Saffire’s head “devil keeper” since 2014, explained that devils can be affectionate and form bonds in captivity, and the property also sponsors DFTD vaccine research at the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute and asks guests, via a short handwritten letter left in rooms, if they’d like to sponsor one of the creatures." - Elizabeth Warkentin