PREVIEW

An Australian conservation organisation is thrilled to announce the birth of 41 Eastern Quoll joeys.

During Aussie Ark's annual pouch checks of the endangered quolls, keepers discovered an encouraging number of new arrivals.

Aussie Ark is renowned globally for its leadership in breeding and rewilding the species.

Winter marks the breeding season for the cat-sized carnivorous marsupial. Each year, Aussie Ark staff conduct pouch checks to monitor the health of the females and determine the number of new joeys, which is crucial for planning their care, feeding, and eventual release.

During this year’s check, Operations Manager Dean Reid, with the help of wildlife ranger Riley Tydeman, examined eight females. Six of these were born and raised at the Ark, while the other two were brought in from a sanctuary in Victoria.

“It’s always so magical to open a pouch and see the young inside,” Mr. Reid shared. “When they are first born, they are bald, blind, and the size of a grain of rice. Up to thirty are born, but only the first six to secure one of Mum's six teats will survive.”

Most of the females had a full complement of six joeys, which Reid described as “so precious,” reflecting their excellent health.

Once widespread along Australia's Eastern Seaboard, the Eastern Quoll was tragically driven to extinction on the mainland by feral foxes and cats. Today, they survive in the wild only in Tasmania.

Aussie Ark’s breeding and rewilding program, now in its seventh year, is dedicated to preventing the complete extinction of the Eastern Quoll.

As the joeys mature, they will be released into the 400-hectare Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary, where they can live in a feral-free environment, just like their ancestors.