American zoo 'honoured' to take on Tasmanian devil ambassadors

They've joined 51 other members of their species as Tasmanian Devil Ambassadors to raise awareness for their plight while building international relationships.

Having started in 2013, the initiative currently involves 21 zoos across New Zealand, Japan, America and Europe as part of the Save the Devils Program.

This group of devils will be housed at facilities in the eastern United States, although there are plans to send the species to the west coast in the future.

They'll all be quarantined at Toledo Zoo in Ohio for 30 days before being distributed to Columbus, Saint Louis and Fort Wayne.

Toledo Zoo general curator of endotherms Michael Frushour said devils Tequila and Tobasco would remain as permanent fixtures of the facility.

"We are honoured to be able to take these animals back to the United States, and it's one of my joys to tell that conservation story," he said.

"Our zoo has always gravitated towards Australian species. We have some echidnas and dingoes, we had a koala for a time, but devils have been a staple for the last eight years."

Mr Frushour admitted that the species wasn't particularly well known to Americans, who often believe the name derives from the Looney Tunes character.

But he said this provided an opportunity to teach others about how the devils had been saved "from the brink of extinction".

"It's really funny when you talk to somebody who might not know that it's a real animal," he said.

"We pride ourselves on telling the story. Not only is it a real animal, it's one of the most tenacious, endearing, charismatic animals you could ever imagine."

The devils will take a connecting flight to Sydney then Toledo in crates that have been specially built for their needs.

They were created through a collaboration between Save the Devils, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and a contractor.

"It's a really secure area that's bedded down with shredded paper. It's got a way for us to feed and water them without having to leave the enclosure," Mr Frushour said.

"Since it is a longer trip, we want to make sure it's as comfortable as possible for the devils."

Tasmanian Devil Ambassador Program co-ordinator David Schaap said the initiative had selected its partner facilities very carefully.

"So Toledo Zoo for example, they have a climate very similar to ours and we like to maintain that level of consistency because it provides good welfare outcomes," he said.

Mr Schaap added that the program tries to send the youngest devils it can, with one-year-olds considered ideal.

"They're independent from their mums at that stage but still have a lot of life ahead of them," he said.

Once these devils have landed and settled in, the program will focus on another export to New Zealand.

"Auckland Zoo have been long-standing partners of ours who again have a very similar climate, so it works really well," Mr Schaap said.