The Upper Snowy River and its tributaries was the Victorian stronghold of the Tiger Quoll before recent devastating bush fires. The Tiger Quoll is believed to have lost up to 75% of an estimated population of 1,000 in the area.
Following the devastating effects of recent bush fires The Tiger, or Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) has been reclassified as nationally endangered.
It is feared that the fires will have a lasting effect on the Quolls that remain.
FAME is funding post-fire research to identify the extent of the damage, the exact number of Quolls that remain, and whether those that remain are so isolated that breeding will be inhibited. The research will form the basis of an action plan for the recovery of the species.
The Tiger Quoll is roughly the same size as a domestic cat, and is the largest carnivorous marsupial on the Australian mainland. It plays a very important role in the environment as a scavenger and a predator of old and weak animals.
Quolls have been badly affected by hunting, habitat destruction, competition from introduced carnivores such as foxes and cats, and the effect of diseases introduced by feral species.
< Back to the News page |
