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Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth released a Tasmanian devil into the wild in the year 2020. The animal, named Adventurous Lisa, just have birth to a litter of joeys, marking a step forward for various organizations that have been working hard to bring back the endangered species to Australia.
Pataky and Hemsworth were working alongside various organizations to accomplish this feat, including Aussie Ark, Re:wild, WildArk, and the Australian Reptile Park, who banded together to bring the animals back to their country. Before Adventurous Lisa, it had been 3,000 years since there had been one of these animals in Australia.
"We were in the middle of routine devil health checks when we were overjoyed to discover Lisa had joeys,” said Tim Faulkner, director of Aussie Ark, to PEOPLE. "This is the very first confirmed devil joeys of 2023, and proof yet again that our breeding program and rewilding program is working," he said. Other experts shared why returning species to their wild homes is vital for preserving the health of the planet, battling climate change and biodiversity loss.
Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth have long been invested in the health of the planet, particularly in Australia, where they live. In 2020, the couple helped release 11 Tasmanian devils into the wild, with their efforts being repaid in full now.
"Once they were back in the wild, it was up to them, which was nerve-wracking. We had been watching them from afar until it was time to step in and confirm the birth of our first wild joeys. And what a moment it was!" said Faulkner.