The first eastern quolls in 50 years have been born in the wild on the Australian mainland, with the rice grain-sized pups offering hope to a species of marsupial devastated by foxes.

Eastern quolls -- a furry carnivore that grows to about the size of a domestic cat -- disappeared from the mainland in the 1960s but clung on in the island state of Tasmania.

Twenty of them were returned to their native environment in the Booderee National Park, south of Sydney, in March to see if they could survive and thrive.

It is the first time in Australia that a carnivore extinct on the mainland has been re-introduced to the wild and followed a 15-year project to bring feral predators in the area under control.

Booderee National Park Natural Resource Manager Nick Dexter said on Monday babies had been confirmed in three of the females' pouches.

"There remains challenges ahead to establish a sustainable population, but to have 30 percent of the female quolls produce pouch young from this pilot project is a move in the right direction," he said.

Quoll babies stay sheltered in the pouch for around three months while they gain weight and grow fur.

"We've been tracking every animal in this project with a GPS collar, and unlike other translocation projects we've been able to quickly discover and manage threats," Dexter added.

Eastern quolls, which primarily eat insects, were present on the mainland for thousands of years. But large numbers were killed in the early 1900s by a mysterious epidemic, and their population was then devastated as foxes spread across south-eastern Australia.

They were last regularly seen on the mainland in the 1960s in the Sydney region.

Australian National University researcher Natasha Robinson said the new colony had demonstrated several vital points needed for a successful long-term future.

"We've proven the quolls can find food, shelter and breed. We've also shown a capacity to make changes to improve the quolls survival rate," she said.

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Shortage of vets spells misery for Karachi zoo animals
Karachi (AFP) July 4, 2018
A white African lioness stares blankly at the spectators crowded outside her small, steel-barred cage, her extraordinary coat dotted with numerous spots, the result of a fungal skin disease that has marred her once pristine fur. The ailment is curable - or, rather, it should be. But at the Karachi Zoological Garden there are not enough vets to give proper treatment to its more than 850 animals, many held in cages built over a century ago. "Here we have a mere two veterinaries and three paramedi ... read more