The eastern quoll, a small furry marsupial, had been considered extinct on mainland Australia for almost 50 years. In a conservation success story, 20 of the cute critters have been returned to their natural habitat.
Image: Imago/blickwinkel
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Eastern quolls have been reintroduced to the wild in mainland Australia almost half a century after a combination of a mysterious epidemic and foxes devastated the population, the World Wildlife Fund Australia said on Thursday.
The small marsupial disappeared from the Australian mainland in the 1960s but could still be found on the island state of Tasmania in the country's southeast.
"This is the first time in Australia that a carnivore extinct on the mainland has been re-introduced to the wild," said Darren Grover, head of living ecosystems at WWF-Australia.
"Most of the carnivores lost from the mainland are gone forever, it's not possible to bring them back, so this is a rare opportunity," Glover added.
The eastern quoll is about 37 centimeters (14.5 inches) long (excluding the tail) and weighs about 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs). They feed on insects, small mammals, birds and reptiles.
The eastern quolls are the third native species to be reintroduced to Booderee National Park on the New South Wales south coast following the release of long-nosed potoroos in 2014 and southern brown bandicoots in 2016.
"For thousands of years eastern quolls played a part in the ecosystem as primarily insect-eaters. It will be fascinating to see what happens when they return to that role at Booderee."
Mysterious disappearance
An unknown epidemic in the 1900s killed off much of the eastern quoll population, which was then further devastated as foxes spread across south eastern Australia.
The eastern quolls were brought back to the mainland wild through a project from Rewilding Australia, partnered with Australian National University (ANU) researchers, Booderee National Park staff and traditional owners.
Rewilding Australia, with support from WWF-Australia, the Taronga Conservation Society and Shoalhaven Landcare then worked with Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program captive breeding centres to increase the quoll population to support a wild reintroduction.
ANU researcher Dr Natasha Robinson said the quolls had been fitted with GPS collars to ensure their progress could be closely monitored.
"Foxes, both outside and entering the park will also be monitored and managed with the aim of ensuring fox incursion to the park is very limited," Robinson said.
"This will help us understand how resilient the eastern quolls can be to very low densities of feral predators in the landscape," she added.
Australia's animal research: the good, the bad and the ugly animals
Is animal research blind? No. Australia dedicates far more of its scientific time, money and effort to "good" animals (and to the invasive ones) than to the "ugly" natives that are quietly going extinct.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Wild Life Sydney Zoo
Bramble Cay melomys
Ever heard of this rat? Neither have most Australians. But rodents and bats made up nearly half of the 331 species examined in a new meta-study on how animal research is done Down Under. The problem: Rats are "ugly." Not much time and effort is spent studying these native rodents, like the endangered Bramble Cay melomys, which lives on a single, tiny island.
Image: Queensland Government
Ghost bat
The ghost bat is another under-researched Australian native. It has eerily thin wing membranes, white or pale fur, and the lack of a tail. Its genetics, however, remain a mystery. The recent disappearance of the species in known habitats has also been left unexplained, though some suspect climate change as the cause. In general, "ugly" bats are not a popular area of research in Australia.
Image: Imago/UIG
Red fox
Under the "bad" category is Europe's red fox, which was brought to Australia in the 1800s. Together with the feral cat, the invasive animal has permanently killed off 25 mammal species and subspecies. It also costs the government 270 million Australian dollars (182 million euros) per year...
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Arco Images
Feral cat
...which is why most Australian studies of foxes and feral cats (pictured above) are about where these animals live, how they reproduce and - often - the best way to kill them or limit their impact. Such research is "valuable" because it can potentially save the country millions. Primary research on the animals for the sake of pure science, however, is relatively rare.
Image: Imago//UIG
European rabbit
They're cute, and bad. They cost a lot of money: A$ 70 million per year. They're accused of ruining trees by "ringbarking," (eating the bark) and stealing food from farm animals. Scientists have documented their ecology and breeding Habits, but it's a mix of scientific research and agricultural politics. The native possum is similarly considered a pest for climbing and eating the leaves of trees.
Another European import is the house mouse. "Eruptions" of these animals tend to follow a drought. The hordes of mice then endanger local animals - especially true on the country's ecologically sensitive 8,000 islands. Today, in northern Australia, animals introduced to the continent have more biomass than the native ones do.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Marks
Koalas
And finally the "good" animals: they're the ones trotted out when a politician of note pays a visit. Koalas, for example, have been studied all the way down to their DNA. Australian researchers have detailed their gut and intestinal microbes, have found they can only tolerate so many human interactions per day and have discovered why they hug trees. All good things, right?
Image: picture-alliance/EPA/A. Taylor
Wallaby
The problem is marsupials are studied disproportionately. Of the 14,000 research publications analyzed in the meta-study, a whopping 10,000 were devoted to marsupials, such as wallabys (above), koalas, kangaroos and wombats. And that, say the authors of "The good, the bad, and the ugly: which Australian terrestrial mammal species attract most research," is evidence of bias.
