Mary the runaway Tasmanian devil makes full return

Mary, the runaway Tasmanian devil, has returned to her public display enclosure at Paradise Country on the Gold Coast. The two-year-old marsupial has spent months in recovery after going missing for weeks when she escaped her enclosure at the theme park in June. What's next? Mary is expected to be reintroduced to fellow Tasmanian devil, Mavka, at the theme park in the coming weeks. A Tasmanian devil that sparked a two-week search in Gold Coast bushland has returned to public display after spending months in recovery following her misadventure. Mary, the two-year-old escape artist, made headlines in June when she absconded from her enclosure at Paradise Country with what staff described at the time as an "abnormally large leap". The daring devil spent more than two weeks on the run, evading sniffer dogs, thermal drone technology, humane traps and every other attempt to capture her. Mary then spent the next five days in a specialist wildlife hospital where she was treated for inflammation of the brain, before being released to recover back at her theme park home. Today, nearly three months since returning to the park, Mary was released back into her outdoor enclosure. "I'm a little bit emotional when I think back at how many months it took to get her here," the park's wildlife curator, Lauren Mousley, said. "It took a lot of dedication, hard work, happy tears and sad tears, but it's a great day … and we believe she's ready for it." After her escape, Queensland's Department of Primary Industries (DPI) conducted an onsite investigation of Mary's enclosure and the wider facilities at Paradise Country. "[DPI] is satisfied the enclosures were already compliant with legislated requirements," animal security general manager Allison Crook said at the time. Ms Mousley said while the enclosure was found to be compliant, several new measures had been introduced to Mary's habitat to prevent another "abnormally large leap" and a second escape. She said the ledges overlooking the enclosure were now "domed" to prevent any animals getting a toe-hold. "We've also re-landscaped the habitat space so that all the trees are nice and central," she said. "We had to put some other guards in, some non-climbable material on the trees, because they are climbers by nature, but we've extended those and increased the number of guards we have as well." Mary is expected to be reintroduced to her fellow devil, Mavka, in the coming weeks.