The missing Tasmanian devil that captivated Australia has been found alive after weeks on the run, but wildlife carers say she was in an unstable condition when rescuers finally tracked her down.

Mary was located on Tuesday night by the Paradise Country Wildlife team in bushland off Kopps Rd on the Gold Coast, less than two kilometres from the park where she escaped.

Staff discovered her missing on Tuesday, June 2, after CCTV captured her roaming the park at about 4am that morning.

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The two-year-old Tasmanian devil escaped by performing what wildlife keepers described as an “abnormally large leap” over a 1.4m fence surrounding her quarantine enclosure.

Mary had arrived at the theme park alongside fellow Tasmanian devil Mavka as part of broader conservation efforts for the endangered species, which is native to Tasmania and not found in the wild on mainland Australia.

Wildlife keepers said Mary escaped her quarantine enclosure after making an ‘abnormally large leap’ over a 1.4m fence. Credit: Paradise Country

The discovery followed an extensive search effort involving drone tracking, field searches and geographical projection modelling to narrow down her possible movements.  

Wildlife keepers, drone operators and volunteers spent days combing dense bushland around the park, setting humane traps and scanning through the night with thermal imaging technology.

During the search, there were encouraging signs Mary had been finding food while on the run, with multiple sightings captured on home security cameras across the area.

But the relief of finding Mary was tempered by concerns for her health.

“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,” Paradise Country said in a statement.

Wildlife crews tracked sightings of Mary across Oxenford before locating the runaway Tasmanian devil. Credit: 7NEWS

CCTV footage shows endangered Tasmanian devil Mary escaping her enclosure at Paradise Country in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Credit: Paradise Country

Mary remains under the care of veterinary specialists, with further diagnostics planned.

“Paradise Country’s experienced wildlife team are continuing to support and care for Mary who is currently stable and remaining in the veterinary hospital to allow specialists to conduct further diagnostic testing,” the park said.

The endangered marsupial’s disappearance sparked widespread public interest, generating headlines across the country and inspiring a flood of memes, AI-generated images and social media speculation.

Search crews had spent days combing nearby bushland and reviewing CCTV footage in a bid to locate the elusive animal.

— More to come...

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