Conservation organisation Aussie Ark, with partners Australian Geographic and WIRES, have completed a health check of Eastern Quolls in their care, declaring all the animals are in prime health and ready for release into the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary.
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Aussie Ark Curator Kelly Davis managed the health check.
"It's always a special thrill standing in Australia holding an animal which is extinct in Australia," Ms Davis said.
"The Eastern Quoll vanished from the mainland more than 60 years ago. But here at Aussie Ark we have dozens of them breeding and thriving in our care. It shows the extraordinary success and value of our work."
The endangered marsupials only survive in the wild within Tasmania.
They have called Aussie Ark home since nine animals were delivered to the organisation from Tasmania in 2017, as an 'insurance population'. Since then, Aussie Ark has successfully bred more than 250 quolls of which 80 individuals have been released into its 400 hectare feral-proof sanctuary, offering the species hope for the future.
Next step is release into the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary where they will live out the rest of their days in a wild, feral-proof environment
- Aussie Ark Curator, Kelly Davis
"They were part of the Australian landscape for millions of years, serving an important role as carnivores," Ms Davis said.
"After they became extinct on the mainland, Tasmania became their only stronghold.
"But sadly, the Tasmania population has declined by 50 per cent in the past 10 years and shows no sign of recovery."
The Eastern Quoll is a cat-sized marsupial, equipped with a pouch for its young, and is most famous for its exquisite spotted pelt.
The health check involves trapping the animals, providing medication to prevent diseases and parasites, assessing general body condition including weight, and conducting pouch checks for young.
This last step is the favourite for Kelly Davis.
"It's like a treasure hunt, opening a quoll pouch and finding jelly-bean sized young inside," Ms Davis said. "And that treasure hunt went nuts this spring.
"We had a quoll baby boom - 63 joeys were born this year in our sanctuary, which is a record for us."
The story was huge for the organisation with extensive media exposure across the nation. People of all walks of life were captivated by the images and inspired by the enormous success of Aussie Ark's Eastern Quoll breeding and rewilding program.
All the quolls passed their health-check with flying colours.
"Next step is release into the Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary where they will live out the rest of their days in a wild, feral-proof environment," Ms Davis said.
"So stay tuned for that, and hopefully the announcement of an even bigger baby boom next spring."
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