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| One of 50 endangered eastern quolls released at the 400-hectare Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary in Aussie Ark in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales. |
Ten quolls were released into a New South Wales nature reserve at a 'globally momentous moment' that gives an endangered species a second lease of survival.
These animals were released into the 400-hectare Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary on Aussie Ark in the Upper Hunter region of the state, helping to thrive the insurance population of quolls.
The Eastern Quoll was declared extinct in mainland Australia in 1963.
The Barrington population is the largest on the mainland and was established through the Tasmanian Quoll program where marsupials are still found in the wild.
"This is a globally significant moment.
“We will release healthy, happy animals into the Australian bush. ."
Cat-sized carnivores, they are primarily nocturnal and solitary animals. They used to thrive on the mainland, but their populations have been decimated by stray cats and foxes.
The Aussie Ark hopes to eventually establish a colony of quolls in the Barrington Reserve. This represents what quolls commonly would have experienced in the wild were it not for the threat of invasive predators in the wild.
A unique fence keeps out cats, foxes, and pigs.
"Whenever we do a release like this, we're rewinding time. This exquisite seed has suffered so much. This is the second chance it deserves," Faulkner said.
In November, Aussie Ark announced a spring "baby boom" of 63 quolls born at Barrington Sanctuary.
“The model aims to achieve measurable results, from identifying endangered species to building insurance populations, to return them to the wild. It's an area of expertise," Faulkner said.
Other species successfully released into the Upper Hunter Reserve by non-profit organizations include the Tasmanian devil, long-nosed portaloo, Rufus Betton, and brushtail rock wallaby.
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