Lucky, the Luckiest Eastern Quoll Alive

After exemplary care and emergency vet intervention, Lucky is now well and thriving!

Conservation organisation Aussie Ark is thrilled to introduce to the world Lucky, the luckiest Eastern Quoll joey alive!

Lucky had a tragic start to life. When she was just a tiny infant, her mother was injured and unable to return to the nest box to feed and care for her and her tiny brother. Aussie Ark team members found the family and rescued the two joeys, but sadly, neither Lucky’s brother nor the mother could be saved.

When Lucky was first rescued, she was just two months old, eyes barely open, weighing just 70 grams. At this vulnerable stage of life, she was entirely reliant on a mother’s protection and milk to survive. When first found, she was very cold, dehydrated and weak. Aussie Ark Wildlife Ranger Laura Chapman jumped into action as the first person on the scene and tried to revive her by tucking her inside clothing, soothing Lucky with her heartbeat and body warmth.

Operations Manager Dean Reid then took over as Lucky’s surrogate ‘mother’, monitoring and feeding her over the first critical 24 hours. Lucky survived that first step, which earned her the name. But over the following days, she struggled transitioning from mother’s milk to formula and remained weak and underweight. Mr Reid said it was ‘touch and go’ for a while. Lucky needed specialist veterinary care. When she was stable, Mr Reid drove down the mountain to the Somersby Animal Hospital on the Central Coast of NSW so that Head Vet Dr Robin Crisman could assess and help the fragile joey.

“Because Lucky was basically an infant when discovered, we were concerned about her kidney and liver function, and especially her heart, just from the stress of being orphaned in such a young condition,” Dr Crisman said. “I was very concerned about her survivability. At that age, she basically wouldn’t have been born if she were a human infant, so it was a very critical time in her life and development.”

With Aussie Ark and the Somersby Animal Hospital working side by side, Lucky literally bounced back from near-death! She’s now five months old and the picture of health.

To confirm this, Dr Crisman conducted a full health check of the joey. Under sedation, Lucky was x-rayed, and bloods were drawn for testing. Dr Crisman was delighted to confirm that Lucky’s bone density, growth plates, kidney and liver function were all normal, her heart was the size expected, and her little lungs were clear. Dr Crisman concluded Lucky is a “totally different quoll to when we first found her” and credits the excellent care of Mr Reid.
Mr Reid said the results made him feel “tearful”.

“We’ve all grown to love Lucky so much, and it’s a huge achievement to save her,” Mr Reid said. “She has a bright future. Her mother was from the wilds of Tasmania, so Lucky’s genetics are very valuable. She will go on to birth many more beautiful quoll joeys in her lifetime, making up for the loss of her family. That’s pretty special.”