Endangered Tasmanian Devil Mary Breaks Free From Sanctuary

WHO:

Newser - The Tasmanian devil is named Mary, a 2-year-old female.

CBS News - Wildlife experts, a sniffer dog, and a thermal-imaging drone operator are involved in the search.

WHAT:

Newser - Mary escaped from her quarantine enclosure at Paradise Country Wildlife Park.

Newser - Surveillance footage shows Mary bolting across the grounds hours before her absence was noticed.

Newser - Park officials describe Mary's behavior as out of character for an "extremely shy" animal.

WHERE:

Newser - The incident occurred at Paradise Country Wildlife Park on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Newser - Mary and her companion were transferred from a New South Wales zoo.

WHEN:

Newser - Mary was discovered missing from her enclosure on Tuesday morning.

Newser - Mary and her companion were transferred to the park less than two weeks prior to her escape.

WHY:

Newser - It is unclear how Mary escaped, but park officials suggest she must have made an unusually large leap.

HOW:

Newser - A dozen wildlife specialists, a sniffer dog, and a thermal-imaging drone have been deployed to search for Mary.

(UPDATED June 4, 2026 19:44 UTC)

A two-year-old Tasmanian devil named Mary has escaped from her quarantine enclosure at Paradise Country Wildlife Park on Queensland's Gold Coast, prompting a search involving a dozen wildlife specialists, a sniffer dog, and a thermal-imaging drone. Surveillance footage shows Mary bolting across the grounds just hours before she was reported missing, which park officials say is unusual behavior for an "extremely shy" animal. Mary and her companion were transferred to the park from a New South Wales zoo less than two weeks prior to her escape, and it remains unclear how she managed to make such a large leap to get away.