From Australian Broadcasting Corporation News at 5:34pm, Tuesday the 2nd of June 2026:

Search for missing Tasmanian devil at popular Gold Coast wildlife park

• By Emily Dobson

Mary is one of two Tasmanian devils which have recently arrived at the Gold Coast facility. [Generic picture] (Supplied: Aussie Ark)

A Gold Coast theme park has been closed as staff search for a missing Tasmanian devil named Mary.

The young marsupial is one of two recent arrivals to Paradise Country in Oxenford but staff noticed the animal was missing from a secure indoor habitat during Tuesday's routine morning check.

The wildlife team failed to locate the animal from the vicinity surrounding the habitat, which has an access to a small outdoor area.

A spokesperson for Village Roadshow Theme Parks said there was no evidence of damage or structural issues that would allow Mary to escape.

"The welfare of the animals in our care is our highest priority, and our habitats are specifically designed to ensure the safety and security of each species," the spokesperson said.

"Incidents of this nature are extremely rare."

The park was closed as a precaution as staff expanded the search, including reviewing security footage.

Thermal imaging equipment will be used to assist the search for the devil overnight, when the species is most active.

The park has notified Biosecurity Queensland and said it is working closely with relevant authorities.

Edited June 2Jun 2 by Jamberoo Fan

a secure indoor habitat

apparently not.

Park is open today, Mary is still missing. Overnight search party and heat sensing cameras could find her. At least theft as been ruled out, as their is cctv of her running around the main park at 4am yesterday.

From Australian Broadcasting Corporation News at 4:43pm, Wednesday the 3rd of June 2026 (Video of thermal imaging drone search can be found via links in one of the images & its caption or here):

Missing Tasmanian devil will likely survive, as Gold Coast search spans second day

A two-year-old Tasmanian devil (not pictured) went missing from its quarantine enclosure at a Gold Coast wildlife park. (ABC News: Matilda Colling)

Sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones are being deployed as the search for a missing Tasmanian devil on the Gold Coast spans a second day. 

The two-year-old marsupial, named Mary, escaped from the Paradise Country wildlife park in Oxenford on Tuesday morning, after arriving at the facility last month.

It is unclear how the animal broke out, but staff believe it leapt out of the quarantine enclosure.

Park officials said the perimeter had been scoured, with Queensland Police and Wildcare Australia also joining the search as it expanded into surrounding areas.

University of Queensland adjunct professor and captive animal management expert Al Mucci said he believed Mary was likely still nearby.

"There is a lot of natural bushland area surrounding Paradise Country, so she could move up to a kilometre or so," he said.

"She's probably a little bit scared because it's all new and maybe [she] found a little hidey spot near a log or a dog kennel even."

Search continues for missing Tasmanian devil 'Mary'

Professor Mucci said the devils were "good climbers".

"We've had pretty horrible weather the last month and if branches fall into an enclosure — there's always a chance for a devil to climb out," he said.

He said while escapes like Mary's were rare, they had happened before on the Gold Coast.

"Every so often, a juvenile devil does escape its enclosure, but they've all been found," he said.

Devils easily attracted to traps, says expert

Paradise Country reopened on Wednesday morning, with visitors offering their well-wishes.

"It's a vulnerable time for it so I just hope it does get back safely," Elaine Redford said.

Tasmanian devils are extinct on the mainland and endangered in Tasmania, where less than 25,000 remain in the wild.

While generally shy, they can be aggressive when provoked or approached by humans.

Greg Owens, director of the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Hobart, said the marsupial would likely be found if it was still in the vicinity and food traps had been left out.

Greg Owens said devils were adaptive to new conditions. (ABC News: Matilda Colling)

"At the end of the day devils are very adaptive, so the devil will probably be fine even if it's not caught," he said.

"But they're pretty easy to get in a trap, — if there's food they're attracted to it.

"So hopefully we'll be hearing of [Mary's] triumphant return in the next few days."

Paradise Country has urged anyone who saw Mary to contact Wildcare.

The park said the devil would receive a full vet assessment once it was found and returned to the facility.

So are there tornado shaped holes in fences and walls up at PC now?

took me a second to get that! good one Gaz.

2 hours ago, Gazza said:

So are there tornado shaped holes in fences and walls up at PC now?

Yep, and apparently the holes are easier to find than the devil.

From Australian Broadcasting Corporation News (Video of closed-circuit television footage can be found via links in one of the images & its caption or here):

Wildlife carers hone search area as hunt for missing Tasmanian devil enters second week

A missing Tasmanian devil has been spotted on CCTV roaming around the Gold Coast.

In short: 

Mary, the Tasmanian devil, escaped from her enclosure on the Gold Coast last Tuesday.

A rescue team of nearly 20 people has searched on foot day and night, using sniffer dogs and a thermal drone.

What's next?

Wildlife carers have thanked residents for supplying video of sightings.

In Detail

Carers are honing search efforts to recover a two-year-old Tasmanian devil on the loose in a leafy Gold Coast suburb.

The devil, named Mary, has been missing for a week since breaching her enclosure with what wildlife park Paradise Country staff described as an "abnormally large leap", last Tuesday.

More than a dozen staff and specialists have spent the past week in a frantic search for the marsupial, bringing in sniffer dogs and thermal drone technology to pinpoint her location.

A breakthrough came Sunday night when Mary was spotted on a home security camera system about 2 kilometres from the park.

A spokesperson for Paradise Country said the sightings were crucial to assist the team in narrowing the search area, but that Mary had been "quite elusive".

The sighting has helped carers to triangulate a search area that backs onto the Saltwater Creek Reserve, with humane traps placed nearby in anticipation of Mary's movements.

Prime conditions for devil survival

Carers have found devil droppings in the surrounding bushlands as well as the remnants of a kangaroo and wallaby carcasses.

University of Queensland captive animal expert Al Mucci said there were promising signs for Mary's survival.

"As long as there's food and water, she'll be able to survive comfortably for as long as she wants," he said.

"The weather is on her side, she doesn't have to adjust too much at the moment, the biggest threat is humans, dogs and vehicles."

He said devils could travel about 10 kilometres in a night, but that would not be in a "straight line".

"[Mary is] moving quietly, she is nimble while cruising around the neighbourhoods and bushland," Mr Mucci said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries, which takes in Biosecurity Queensland, said it was working with Paradise Country to ensure the park met its obligations.

The park was closed after noticing Mary missing during daily morning checks to allow a widespread search, but reopened a day later.