{"id":792136,"date":"2026-10-04T23:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T23:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/792136\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T23:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T23:36:15","slug":"in-1830-tasmania-paid-people-to-kill-its-now-iconic-devils-females-earned-a-higher-bounty-than-males","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/792136\/","title":{"rendered":"In 1830, Tasmania paid people to kill its now-iconic devils; females earned a higher bounty than males |"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"In A Tasmanian devil is now one of the most recognisable animals associated with Tasmania, but its reputation among early European settlers was very different. In the 19th century, the stocky marsupials were treated as pests, particularly around farms and poultry yards. In 1830, the Van Diemen\u2019s Land Company introduced a bounty scheme on its north-western properties, paying people to kill devils as part of a wider effort to remove animals regarded as nuisances. The rates were not even the same for both male and females (2\/6 (25 cents) and 3\/6 (35 cents) respectively), as reported by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.<\/p>\n

How Tasmania became the devil\u2019s last stronghold<\/p>\n

Tasmanian devils were not always restricted to Tasmania. Fossil evidence shows that they once lived across mainland Australia, where remains have been found in a number of locations. Their disappearance from the mainland is generally placed at around 3,000 years ago, well before European settlement.The reasons are thought to include a combination of environmental and ecological changes. Increasing aridity may have reduced suitable conditions, while the arrival and spread of dingoes added another pressure. Tasmania’s position across Bass Strait meant dingoes did not establish there, leaving the island as a refuge for the species. By the time Europeans settled Tasmania, the devil was therefore already an island animal, although not one that received much protection from the newcomers.<\/p>\n

Tasmania\u2019s 1830 bounty put a higher price on female devils<\/p>\n

Early settlers around Hobart complained about devils getting into poultry yards. Their scavenging habits and ability to make use of food around farms brought them into conflict with people, and the animals acquired a reputation as troublesome wildlife. The 1830 bounty introduced by the Van Diemen\u2019s Land Company was aimed at removing several animals from its north-western properties. Tasmanian devils were included alongside Tasmanian tigers and wild dogs.Reportedly, the payments were recorded in the old currency of the period. Hunters could receive 2 shillings and 6 pence for a male devil and 3 shillings and 6 pence for a female. In modern decimal terms, the source gives those amounts as roughly 25 cents and 35 cents respectively.The higher payment for females meant that the bounty scheme placed a greater monetary value on killing a female devil than a male. That distinction is significant because females are the animals that carry and raise the young, although the source does not state that the bounty was designed around population effects.\"Tasmania\u2019s<\/p>\n

Tasmanian devils recovered after legal protection in 1941<\/p>\n

The bounty scheme was not the end of pressure on devils. For more than 100 years, the animals were trapped and poisoned, and their numbers fell until they became rare in parts of Tasmania. Their decline eventually prompted a change in approach. Tasmanian devils were given legal protection in June 1941, after which the population began to recover gradually.The species’ later history has been shaped by a very different threat. In 1996, Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) emerged as a serious problem. Unlike the earlier persecution by people, this disease could spread between devils and became a major cause of mortality.<\/p>\n

The devil’s unusual place in the ecosystem<\/p>\n

Despite its fierce reputation, the animal is largely a scavenger, although it also hunts when the opportunity arises. Its diet can include wallabies, possums and wombats, along with smaller mammals and birds. Reptiles, amphibians and insects have also been recorded in the stomachs of wild devils. Strong jaws and teeth allow a devil to consume much of a carcass, including bones and fur. In farming districts, the animals may feed on the remains of sheep and cattle.That scavenging role also has practical consequences. By removing carcasses, devils can help keep areas around farms cleaner and reduce the food available to blowflies whose larvae can cause problems for sheep.<\/p>\n

The physical traits that define the Tasmanian devil<\/p>\n

The Tasmanian devil is the largest surviving carnivorous marsupial. It has a compact body, a broad head and a short, thick tail. Most are black or predominantly black, often with white markings on the chest or rump. Males are generally larger than females. A large adult male can weigh up to about 12 kilograms and stand roughly 30 centimetres at the shoulder. In the wild, devils can live for around six years.They are primarily nocturnal. During daylight hours, they usually remain in a den or dense vegetation before travelling after dark in search of food. Individual animals can cover considerable distances, with movements of up to about 16 kilometres recorded.<\/p>\n

The surprising behaviour behind the devil\u2019s fearsome appearance<\/p>\n

The devil’s famous open-mouthed expression can make the animal appear ready to attack, but the display does not necessarily mean that it intends to fight. The gape or yawn can be associated with fear and uncertainty. Their vocal repertoire is far more dramatic than their appearance might suggest. Devils produce coughs, snarls and high-pitched screeches, while a sharp sneeze can act as a challenge during encounters with other animals.Some of the behaviour seen when several devils gather around a carcass is also ritualised. Displays and noises can help animals establish boundaries and avoid more damaging physical fights. They are not strongly territorial, but each devil has a home range. Where food is scarce, that range can become particularly large. The animals can swim when necessary and have also been observed wading and splashing in water, sometimes using it to cool themselves.<\/p>\n

A breeding system that leaves little room for young<\/p>\n

Breeding usually takes place between February and May. After a pregnancy lasting about 21 days, a female can give birth to as many as 40 young. Very few of those newborns can actually survive in the pouch. The mother has four teats, so a maximum of four young can remain attached and continue developing there.The surviving young spend roughly four months in the pouch. They then begin emerging while continuing to depend on their mother, eventually being left in a den such as a hollow log or an abandoned wombat burrow. Some dens can even be found beneath buildings.The young are weaned at around 10 months and leave their mother by late summer to establish their own home ranges. Devils can begin breeding towards the end of their second year, with some reaching maturity earlier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Tasmanian devil is now one of the most recognisable animals associated with Tasmania, but its reputation among…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":792137,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[260767,238470,90,177503,260768,56,54,55,260769,4407],"class_list":["post-792136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-bounty-scheme","tag-devil-facial-tumour-disease","tag-science","tag-tasmanian-devil","tag-tasmanian-wildlife-preservation","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-van-diemens-land-company","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=792136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/792137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=792136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=792136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=792136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}