The endangered eastern quolls are functionally extinct in the wild on the Australian mainland, but wild populations still survive in Tasmania.In fox-free Tasmania, predation by cats is likely a driver of wild population decline.Released captive-bred eastern quolls in Tasmania are now demonstrating successful interbreeding with wild populations.Meanwhile, work to rewild eastern quolls on the mainland has seen captive-bred quolls released into predator-proof conservation reserves, with plans to scale up over the coming years.
SYDNEY — The endangered eastern quoll, one of Australia’s species of quoll, is a nocturnal carnivorous marsupial that is small in stature with a ferret-like pointed face and a bushy tail. The mammal has two primary color variants: Light fawn and blackish-brown, with white spots on the body.
Once so widespread along the eastern coastal fringe of Australia, the eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) was described as being in “plague abundance” and was occasionally kept as a pet and prized by farmers for its skills in hunting rodents. It was even called a native cat in the 1800s due to its resemblance in both size and hunting behavior to the domestic feline, brought by settlers from Europe.
