A species once on the edge of extinction now has a reason for hope.
Researchers in Australia are celebrating the success of their efforts to help propagate the species.
Recently, ecologists at the Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary made a remarkable discovery – they found a litter of tiny, spiky newborns.
These are no ordinary creatures – they are western quolls, a type of marsupial carnivore.
Once widespread across Australia, the species has seen a sharp decline since the arrival of Europeans.
Today, western quolls, also known as chuditchs, are found only in small, isolated groups in the southwestern part of Australia.
This marsupial, about the size of a cat, plays a vital role in the ecosystem by helping control the populations of smaller invertebrates, certain reptiles, and birds.
A New Beginning
Over the past few months, researchers have been working to reintroduce marsupials to the Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary, a place where they had once disappeared.
With the recent discovery of baby marsupials, it’s clear their efforts have paid off. The animals appear to be thriving and are successfully reproducing in their new home.
“Through regular monitoring, we can see the quolls are doing well at the sanctuary and encountering the first pouch young is a positive sign that they have adjusted to the new environment,” said Georgina Anderson, Senior Field Ecologist at AWC.
“One quoll that we’ve named Aang is a regular at camera traps we set up at the release sites. He is one of our largest and most striking quolls with a personality to match – often making rounds of multiple sites to collect the chicken we use as lures and disrupting our bait canisters,” Georgina Anderson continued.
