A farmer has caught a rare spotted-tailed quoll after it attacked one of his chickens. Image credit: Michael J Fromholtz, Wikimedia Commons
A farmer in South Australia has caught a rare spotted-tailed quoll after it attacked one of his chickens.
Frank Pao Ling Tsai spotted the animal on his Beachport property earlier in the week, but did not know what it was.
“I expected to find a cat, but I found this endangered animal,” he said.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) were called to the property after Pao was unable to catch the animal.
The spotted quoll has not been officially sighted in South Australia since the 1880s and was believed to have been locally extinct.
Ranger Ross Anderson said it was “amazing” to see the animal turn up in the area.
“There have been some unofficial sightings but nobody’s actually had an animal photographed, or in their hand, for that length of time,” he said.
“We can’t be sure where it’s come from. Is it an animal that still exists as a relic population? Is that something that has escaped from captivity? Or is it just a lone animal that’s [gone] a really long way.”
The spotted-tailed quoll is endangered in mainland Australia and considered vulnerable in Tasmania.
According to the Australian Conservation Foundation, there are around 14,000 left in the wild.
“They’re considered extinct here as a result of loss of habitat, predation and competition with things like cats and foxes,” Anderson said.
The quoll was taken to the vet and treated for mange.
Rangers released the quoll back into the wild at an undisclosed location on Thursday evening.
NPWS will be monitoring the area to see if there are more quolls nearby.
Pao “definitely” believes that there are more in the neighbourhood.
Locals are urged not to set their own traps or interact with the animal, as this puts them at risk.
