Bonorong

The famous devil

Bonorong is a wildlife preservation/rehabilitation reserve a few miles from Hobart, Tasmania. Since many of the animals we wanted to see are nocturnal and difficult to see in the dark, we chose to visit Bonorong where we would be able to see the Tasmanian devil, wombats, and several other birds and animals. We did see a couple of wombats in the wild. We did see, sort of, pademelons at our resort, but even these views were less than satisfactory as they refused to stay in the light. They were little more than dark blobs on the lawn. About all we could make out was that they are related to kangaroos. What can one do? Animals do have their own agendas and we humans must adjust our expectations and behaviors accordingly.

Cleaning the cage

We arrived about an hour before Bonorong’s daily tour so we began with some exploring on our own. Our first stop was to see one of the wombats. He was asleep in his ‘house’ offering only a partial view when one of the workers came by to clean the area. This wombat clearly liked her as he came out of his house and followed her around as she worked walking between her legs and generally being a nuisance.

Tawny Frogmouth

We spent some time trying to see one of the devils, but they remained hidden. We were able to see several birds include five Tawny Frogmouths in one enclosure. These birds look much like owls and also tend to be nocturnal so are very difficult to see in the wild. Like all the other animals and birds at Bonorong, they had been injured or abandoned as youngsters and were therefore not ready to live in the wild.

Ugly and unafraid, emus can be a real pest

By this time our tour was ready, so we joined our guide for a closer look at some of the animals. Our first stop was at our friendly wombat. After discussing its traits and lifestyle, our guide picked up the wombat so we could touch its fur. Careful to touch it only on its butt, we felt the rather coarse hair and fur.

Next stop was the koalas. Nocturnal, slow-moving, and well-camouflaged, they are extremely hard to see in the wild unless it is when they wander across the road putting themselves in great danger. They sleep about 20 hours a day. Their metabolism is extremely inefficient so they get very little energy from the food they eat. Therefore they sleep and sleep and sleep … They only like three of the eucalyptus trees out of the hundreds that grow in Australia explaining one of the reasons they are endangered today. The koala we focused on barely moved while our guide talked and didn’t even move when we were allowed (four at a time only) into the enclosure to feel its coarse fur.

One of the older devils put out to pasture

Our third stop was at the Tasmanian devil enclosure. They came out and wandered around while our guide talked about them. They are an aggressive animal. One of the stories she told involved the local peacock who was normally quite careful to avoid their pen. However, one day he decided to sit on their fence. Unfortunately, his then-beautiful tail extended into the pen and was grabbed by one of the devils. After much ado and screaming by the children watching, the peacock managed to get away with some significant damage to the tail.

Spotted Quoll

Bonorong also has a breeding program for the devils. A mother may have up to 40 babies. Each is so small that four would easily fit onto one of our nickel coins. Forty sounds like a lot, but the mother only has four teats, so at best only four will survive. They have had good success with their breeding program and have been able to release several into the wild. When the devils finally get too old to breed they are placed in a larger enclosure with enough room for at least 40 to live out their lives in relaxed luxury.

After the tour we walked through the rest of the sanctuary. Over 100 kangaroos have the run of the place and they are quite tame. At this point we remembered the little sacks of oats we had been given when we paid our entry fee. Placing several grains in a palm is all that it takes. The roos are happy to eat right out of your hand. I felt teeth but was in no danger of actually being bitten.

We saw a few other birds and animals as we continued to wander the grounds. We also saw signs for a new waterfowl rehabilitation area, but it was closed to the public. Some of the creatures were out of sight because of the cold. Even so, we had a great time and definitely recommend this for visitors in the Hobart area.