Tassie’s quality quolls return to the big island

AFTER 50 years of extinction outside Tasmania, eastern quolls yesterday re-entered the wild at NSW’s Booderee National Park.

The 20 quolls, which were specially bred and reared at Tasmania’s Trowunna and Devils@Cradle sanctuaries, left Launceston by charter plane on Tuesday.

Trowunna operator Androo Kelly said both sanctuaries had run decade-long quoll breeding programs to develop individuals with “stronger, more vital genetics” to give them maximum advantage in the wild.

Mr Kelly said this week’s quoll delivery had been “the highlight of my involvement in wildlife conservation”.

He said the collaborators, inc lud ing Parks Australia, Rew i ld ing Australia, Australian National University, World Wildlife Fund and the Aboriginal Wreck Bay community, were hopeful the trial would be successful, given Booderee’s track record for fox exclusion.

Wade Anthony, species coordinator from the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program and Devils@Cradle operator, said only the wariest and most timid animals from each litter were selected for the Booderee trial. Such characteristics are considered advantageous for survival in the wild.

“Keeper interaction was kept to an absolute minimum and infra-red cameras were used to monitor their development and behaviour,” Mr Anthony said.

The animals were fitted with radio collars to enable their movements to be tracked in the wild.

Mr Anthony said if the trial was a success, the sanctuaries would send 40 more quolls next year and 40 more in 2020.

It is the first time an extinct carnivore from mainland Australia has been reintroduced.

The small, spotted critters vanished from sight in New South Wales during the 1970s, only surviving in Tasmania.