Zoo offers reward to find Tasmanian devil's killer

Security has been beefed up at a zoo in the US after a Tasmanian devil was bludgeoned to death in one of its enclosures.

A $5000 reward is also being offered for any information leading to the arrest of four-year-old male Jasper's killer.

Staff at Albuquerque BioPark Zoo in New Mexico found Jasper's body on Wednesday.

A necropsy determined Jasper died from a fractured skull and brain trauma. Two large chunks of asphalt were later discovered near where his body was found.

Police believe someone may have entered the roped-off area to attack the endangered creature.

"The mayor has made it a top priority for our BioPark," Mayor Richard Berry’s chief of staff Gilbert Montaño told the Albuquerque Journal.

The Zoo said that although there are no security cameras capturing the footage of the enclosure where Jasper was kept, there is "surveillance video in that general area".

Jasper arrived at Albuquerque BioPark Zoo from the Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria last December as part of a breeding program.

"We have worked long and hard to bring these wonderful creatures to the United States and to provide them with a top-notch environment," zoo director Rick Janser said.

"To have this happen so soon after they arrived here has been very hard on the zoo staffers who work daily with these fascinating animals."