Five Endangered Eastern Quolls Return To The Wild

Post-release monitoring has confirmed the Quolls have survived, settled and even begun breeding in the wild!

In a powerful step towards reversing extinction, conservation organisation Aussie Ark has transferred five endangered Eastern Quolls for release into Booderee National Park on the NSW south coast, with post-release monitoring confirming the animals have survived, settled and even begun breeding in the wild.

The release marks another significant milestone in the recovery of a species that vanished from mainland Australia more than half a century ago.

The five quolls – three males and two females – were all born within Aussie Ark’s breeding and rewilding program in the Barrington Tops of NSW. Their release forms part of a long-term collaboration between the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program, Booderee National Parks & Wildlife Service and the Traditional Owners of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community.

After years of specialised breeding, preparation and assessment, the animals were released into the feral-free Booderee Botanical Gardens within the National Park. Monitoring through remote sensor cameras has since confirmed the quolls quickly adapted to their new environment, integrated with the existing population and have already been observed pairing and breeding.

For a species that disappeared from mainland Australia during the 1960s, largely due to feral predators, seeing Eastern Quolls once again thriving On Country is a remarkable conservation achievement.

The result highlights the success of Aussie Ark’s intensive breeding and rewilding model, which is designed to do more than simply breed endangered animals—it prepares them for a life in the wild.

Every Eastern Quoll born within Aussie Ark’s Species Recovery Unit is carefully managed through an extensive genetic database that records bloodlines, ancestry, health and long-term population outcomes. Suitable animals are then released into the 400-hectare feral-proof Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary, where they live independently and develop the skills needed to survive beyond captivity.

This critical "hardening" process allows quolls to learn behaviours essential for life in the wild, including hunting, foraging, selecting shelter, avoiding threats, finding mates and successfully breeding.

Following detailed assessment and selection, the five animals destined for Booderee were identified, health checked and transported in individual crates to begin the next chapter of their journey.

Aussie Ark Chief Conservation Officer Hayley Shute said the outcome was an emotional reminder of what can be achieved when conservation organisations, government agencies and Traditional Owners work together.

“It’s an incredible result for everyone involved – for Aussie Ark, the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program, our partners at Booderee, and most importantly, for the quolls themselves,” Ms Shute said.

“These animals are now back On Country, in landscapes where Eastern Quolls once thrived and where they belong. To see them not only survive but begin breeding is exactly what we hope for. It shows that years of planning, breeding, rewilding and preparation are working. Every quoll we return to the wild is another step away from extinction and another step towards restoring a species that mainland Australia lost decades ago.”

The release echoes Aussie Ark’s inaugural Eastern Quoll release at Booderee, when former Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek personally released two of fifteen quolls bred through the program.

Today, Aussie Ark operates the largest breeding and rewilding program for Eastern Quolls on mainland Australia and continues to play a critical role in securing the species' future.