Devil Ark Quoll Joeys

THIS morning the Devil Ark confirmed the birth of the first Eastern Quoll joeys successfully bred at the Barrington Tops breeding facility.

The Eastern Quoll is extinct on the Australian mainland and has not bred in this region for over 100 years.

Endangered Eastern Quoll Joeys at Devil Ark in the Barrington Tops. Photograph supplied by Devil Ark.

In 2016 Devil Ark opened its doors to the Eastern Quoll with assistance of Australian Geographic to help the species come back from the brink of extinction and today Devil Ark staff conducted pouch check on two of the female quolls and confirmed 12 joeys.

This number is expected to climb to 30 with final pouch checks of the remaining females to be completed in the coming weeks. of the first Eastern quoll joeys born at the Barrington Tops breeding facility.

Devil Ark’s plan is to secure the species with an insurance population, then return them to wild when the species is at stable numbers.

The Eastern Quoll is classified as endangered and is a medium-sized carnivorous marsupial native to Australia.

It was once found throughout Australia but they have now been declared extinct on the mainland due to introduced feral predators and now only exist and thrive in Tasmania.

Devil Ark president, Tim Faulkner, is excited about the births.

“The health check was great – the joeys are in perfect condition and all the mums are doing great as well. One can’t describe the feeling you get when you breed an animal in an area it is now extinct in. It really gives you hope for the future of the species,” Tim Faulkner said.

“As a registered charity, Devil Ark largely relies on external support from project partners like Australian Geographic and the general public to maintain the facility for both the Eastern quolls and Tasmanian devils. I am proud to say, in the quolls case, this significant milestone would not have been possible without Australian Geographic.

The Eastern Quoll. Photograph supplied by Devil Ark.

“Australia has the worst mammal extinction rate in the world and we don’t want to see these species go the same way as the infamous Tasmanian tiger.

“Tasmanian devil populations have reduced by 90% due to disease, now scientists are seeing the same trend of population decline happening to Eastern quolls in their last remaining stronghold, Tasmania.

“This is because devils control the feral animals, and without the devils, feral animals are becoming more prominent. Our facilities are committed to Australian Wildlife and are well on the way to restabilising quoll numbers for reintroduction to the wild.

Watch the Devil Ark Eastern Quoll video here.