Mary the missing Tasmanian devil has been caught on camera roaming suburban backyards nearly a week after escaping a Gold Coast wildlife park, with search crews still unable to catch her.
The elusive marsupial was filmed wandering through a residential driveway about 2km from Paradise Country at Oxenford, where she disappeared on June 2.
The overnight sighting is the clearest sign yet that Mary has adapted well to life in the Queensland wild, more than 2000km from her native Tasmanian home.
Locals who first spotted the animal initially thought it was something far less unusual. "I got a notification on my security camera and checked the footage — I thought it was a cat," resident Caitlyn Wis told 7NEWS.
Neighbour Oliver Tattersfield said he was stunned Mary had ended up so far from Paradise Country. "She travelled a fair way to get here," he said.
The sighting was recorded about 2km from the wildlife park, where Mary made her daring escape. Security footage previously reviewed by staff captured the endangered marsupial sprinting across the park grounds shortly after 4am on June 2, triggering a major search operation.
The two-year-old Tasmanian devil had only recently arrived at Paradise Country as part of a conservation program for the endangered species. Curator of native and exotic wildlife Lauren Mousley said it remained "a bit of a mystery" how the shy young Tasmanian devil managed to escape her enclosure. "At the moment we do think that an abnormally large leap has happened and that's how she's breached out of her quarantine area," Mousley said earlier this week.
Wildlife crews believe Mary has travelled kilometres from her enclosure, with sightings mapped across Oxenford. Search crews and wildlife teams have been combing surrounding bushland each night using thermal imaging cameras, drones and sniffer dogs, but until now had focused their efforts further north.
The latest sighting has given crews fresh hope Mary is still nearby, while also expanding the search area further south. "About four cars rocked up and 10 people came looking throughout the back here, making a plan for how to find it," Wis said after alerting wildlife crews to her CCTV sighting.
There have also been several other credible sightings since the escape. Mary was reportedly seen on Wednesday in nearby bushland, before devil droppings were discovered on Thursday, suggesting she had been eating regularly and staying healthy while on the run. Experts say Mary appears to be adapting well despite being born in captivity, making her increasingly difficult to catch.
Search crews have set traps through dense Gold Coast bushland as the hunt for runaway Tasmanian devil Mary enters another night. Tasmanian devils are carnivorous marsupials known for their powerful jaws, piercing screeches and nocturnal behaviour. The endangered species has been devastated by the spread of Devil Facial Tumour Disease in the wild.
Search teams are now concentrating efforts around thick vegetation and bushland near the latest sighting, where experts believe Mary has found plenty of food, shelter and places to hide. Mary's disappearance has captured national attention, spawning memes, AI-generated images and widespread speculation online.
