Markets 
A Tasmanian devil named Mary that escaped its Gold Coast enclosure more than two weeks ago has been recovered following a large-scale search.
The two-year-old devil escaped a quarantine enclosure at Village Roadshow’s homestead and animal sanctuary Paradise Country on June 2, sparking a search of bush and suburbia.
A Village Roadshow spokesperson said on Wednesday Mary had been recaptured on Tuesday night in bushland less than two kilometres from the wildlife park.
“Upon finding her, Mary was in an unstable condition, and the team assessed and determined she required veterinary care and rushed her to a specialist veterinary hospital where they were able to stabilise her condition,” the spokesperson said.
Before her escape, Mary had been recently moved to Paradise Country along with a second young devil, Marka, as part of the park’s involvement in conservation initiatives.
Village Roadshow described the two-year-old animal’s escape as “extremely rare”, and staff initially believed Mary had been stolen.
Paradise Country later confirmed she had escaped with an “abnormally large leap” over her enclosure’s 1.4-metre boundary fence shortly before 4am on June 2.
As early as June 3, search crews received reports the animal had been seen in bushland near the park along Kopps Road, where she was discovered on Tuesday.
She was also seen on home security footage.
Sniffer dogs brought in to help search detected signs of life, including scat, in the area, and by June 8 efforts had “triangulated an area which backs onto Saltwater Creek Reserve”.
Paradise Country said its search involved up to 20 of its keepers, who worked around the clock, baiting non-lethal traps, using thermal imaging drones, and trail cameras.
On Wednesday, Village Roadshow confirmed Mary was still recovering and remained in a veterinary hospital undergoing checks.
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