Moving quietly so as not to frighten the devil, Miki crept into the pen and perched on a flat log. The devil paused from eating to glance at her then went back to the food, apparently unperturbed. Miki slithered off the log, squatted low and shuffled closer. The devil raised her head and stopped chewing, testing the air with her nose then blinking before returning to the business of eating. Miki listened to those strong teeth grinding on ribs and crunching through bone. The devil focused on her again as Miki crabbed further forward. She could smell the devil now: not the rank odour of anger, but the musty scent that she loved. The devil was not afraid; Miki could see her whiskers twitching, the moist shine of her eyes. She was healthy—no wounds on her face.

This was all that was needed. Miki’s devil was safe; it was fine to go home.

She was about to retreat when the devil dropped the carcase and stepped towards her. Miki extended her hand, and the devil walked up and snuffled it. Out came the pink tongue to lick Miki’s fingers: three short swipes.

Miki couldn’t see through the blur of her tears, but she knew she’d made the right choice. Her devil would be cared for here, and she would make babies that didn’t have the disease. This justified the cost of giving up the devil’s freedom.

Dale was smiling as Miki came out of the pen and he closed the gate behind her. ‘She knew you,’ he said. ‘No one’s been able to get that close since she arrived.’

They visited the young devils next, who were in a smaller pen near the entry, on display with two other little devils. They were all running around together like wind-up toys, their stiff tails cranking.

‘You might not believe this,’ Dale said, ‘but devils make good pets when they’re young. Not so good when they’re older though—they become less tame and more unpredictable. But sometimes the staff have to hand-raise little orphans, and they fall in love with them.’

Miki didn’t like the sound of devils as pets; they had wild temperaments and deserved to be free. ‘Being here is a good step on the way back to freedom,’ she said. ‘This is a nice place, but it’s not where devils belong.’

Dale regarded her thoughtfully. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘Having healthy wild devils is what we’re working for.’

On the way home, Leon wanted to discuss the wildlife park and the breeding program, and Miki was happy to go along with it, weighing up the costs and benefits. Leon was convinced the devils would eventually be restored to the wild, but Miki wasn’t so sure. ‘I’d like to see them all free again,’ she said. ‘But how will we get rid of the disease?’

‘Vaccination.’