Endangered spotted tail quoll found in inner city, sign of habitat loss

An endangered spotted tail quoll has been rescued from mangroves along the Brisbane River in New Farm overnight. It took rescuers over 8 hours to capture the quoll, and many attempts with a range of wildlife rescue volunteers. It comes as the state’s peak environmental advocacy group releases a report that identifies areas that should be no go zones for developers in order to protect animals and plants like quolls. 

A team of rescuers were called to a location in New Farm to collect the quoll as it was sitting amongst the mangroves next to the river. Once a common sight in rainforest and bushland throughout the south-east, the spotted tail quoll is now listed as endangered and their range is restricted to small pockets on the urban fringe. 

Spotted tail quolls are the largest carnivorous marsupial on mainland Australia and can travel up to 19km in just one week, they need a home range of up to 4,000ha. They are short lived marsupials, only living for 3-4 years, deforestation can quickly impact a whole population if they don’t have the space to thrive or time to recover. 

Queensland Conservation Council Nature Campaigner Natalie Frost said:

“It’s great to see that a concerned couple raised the alarm and this incredible endangered species was rescued in time. This is an incredibly rare find and the team of rescuers did a fantastic job at ensuring this animal has the greatest chance of survival. 

“For too long our environment has been put last and endangered species like this spotted tail quoll have been pushed to the brink of extinction. It’s incredibly important to ensure that we retain the remaining areas of forest and bushland that are critical to the survival of this species. 

Wildlife Ambulance Magan-djin Volunteer Linda Rose said:

“When I took the call from Brisbane Area Rescue Network I really didn’t believe the animal would actually be a Quoll. We think he was an unintended passenger in a car or boat.

“He was so out of place there by the river with people and dogs just metres away and must have been terrified.

“What this rescue really highlighted to me is how little the general public know about these unique animals. Everyone needs to get on board to save this endangered species.”

The endangered spotted tail quoll found in mangroves adjacent to the boardwalk at New Farm - Image credit Linda Rose

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