“Saving one animal won’t change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal” 2016 FEBRUARY - Report
Spots Newsletter #3
Newsletter Snapshot
Documentary Update PERMITS permits everywhere Sightings & Surveys Rewilding Report Threatened Species Strategy Projects 2016 Sightings & Surveys Roads VS Quolls ON RANGERS FRONT
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DOCUMENTARY ...
RELEASED
This important documentary about the Spotted Tailed Quoll (STQ) in north QLD was put together by Alberto Vale of the Australian Quoll Conservancy (AQC) and WildCAM Australia. It has now been received by the distributor in the UK and is now being offered to global TV broadcasters. So far the interest generated has seen Discovery Channel Australia and South African Airlines a large carrier with flights destinations ex Perth, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Washington, New York, London, Frankfurt, Munich ... acquiring the documentary, there is also a National broadcaster in Australia that still yet TBC. So please standby as broadcast will soon begin to a TV channel or a flight near you.
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PERMITS
EVERYWHERE PERMITS ... The AQC spent a very large amount of time undertaking the administrative requirements
Animal Ethics Approval. We have obtained
necessary to gain a range of permits to
animal ethics approval from JCU which is for the AQC to undertake survey work. It ensures
enable us to continue our work. The AQC now holds the following permits:
that our survey work is undertaken under strict requirements to ensure the health and
Damage mitigation permit.
safety of the quolls we are surveying.
This enables the AQC to remove quolls from people’s houses across Far North QLD and
Additional to this, the AQC has applied for DGR registration which enables us to receive
relocate them to suitable habitat to ensure their survival. This permit is effective for three
donations from large philanthropic companies. The Dept of Environment has
years;
contacted the AQC and has asked for a few
Scientific purposes permit. This enables the AQC to undertake camera
more things before the application is finally processed. It is to be hoped that this will be
survey work across all national parks in STQ country in far north Queensland. This permit
forthcoming in the next few weeks.
is effective for three years;
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SIGHTINGS & SURVEYS 3" ',i,)0,",
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Public Sightings The AQC has received a range of good sightings in the second half of 2015 from the public. Sightings of STQs were received by the public from the following locations: • Mt Spurgeon • Base of Mt Bartle Frere • Base of Mt Bellenden Ker Northern Quoll sightings came from Bowen, Alligator Creek near Townsville and Gordonvale (we presume this one was a hitchhiker). The AQC also sighted Northern
and a goanna were having an extensive confrontation. Alberto and Luke also saw several northern quolls as previously mentioned, including two on one night at Davies Creek.
AQC Surveys The AQC was awarded a grant from Cairns Regional Council (CRC) to buy motion sensor cameras as part of the AQC Spots Programme. Ten cameras were bought to be used for a study of the presence and
Quolls at Davies Creek, Tinaroo Creek and Emerald Creek. Unfortunately, Alberto from the
population of spotted tailed quolls within the Cairns Regional Council Boundaries.
AQC also found a mother which had been run
Comprehensive surveys were conducted at the following locations:
over at Davies Creek. The mother and all seven young were killed. This highlights the concern the AQC has regarding roads that cut through quoll territory.
AQC Sightings Being out in quoll country frequently means that the AQC is privileged to see quolls from time to time. STQs have been hard to find lately, however Alberto had some quollity time with two STQs at Mt Windsor, with a male of
• Lamb Range – Mt Edith to Davies Creek (Varch Trail), • Lamb Range – Davies Creek to summit of Lambs Head (Kahlphalim Rock), • Lake Morris – full lake area surveyed, • Josephine Falls to Mt Bartle Frere Unfortunately quolls were only found in two locations at Mt Bartle Frere. It is worrying to receive no information from the [4]
SIGHTINGS & SURVEYS CONTINUED Lamb Range or Lake Morris which are areas in the past which had good quoll populations but which may have disappeared in more recent times. The AQC will conduct further studies in these areas to ascertain if quolls still persist as one survey does not provide sufficient proof of the presence or absence of animals. Our surveys did detect a nice range of other animals, including
Mt Bartle Frere Quolls
bandicoots, pademelons, cassowary, dingo, white tailed rat, musky rat kangaroo and a range of birds. The AQC intends to finish the CRC survey in the next few months with a survey of the Barron Gorge National Park, Mt Bellenden Ker and the Goldfields Trail.
quoll at private property base Bellenden Ker
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rewilding
by Robert Brewster
Returning Eastern Quolls to the Wild
Tiger quoll reports from King Island
A proposal to reintroduce eastern quolls to the
Two independent reports of a tiger quoll on King
wild at Booderee National Park (Jervis Bay Territory)
Island has prompted a survey by Tasmania Parks and
is being prepared. The Australian National University's Fenner School of the Environment have
Wildlife Service. Reports of tiger quolls have been trickling in over
been undertaking a long-term ecology monitoring program in the Park for 13 years and there is an
the past 12 months – the first sightings on King Island for over half a century.
ongoing commitment to manage feral predators,
If verified, it would be extraordinary for an animal
making Booderee a potentially suitable site for a trial reintroduction.
believed locally extinct to re-emerge on a small island such as King Island. The Australian Quoll
A reintroduction will help ecologists determine the level of feral predator
Conservancy, Rewilding Australia and the Tasmanian Department of Primary
management that is
Industries, Parks, Water
required for eastern quoll populations to persist.
and Environment (DPIPWE) have supplied
This information will be vital for identifying other
camera survey equipment to assist in
sites that are suitable for
the search.
future reintroductions of eastern quolls.
Rewilding Australia director Rob Brewster
Rewilding Australia is supporting efforts to
said spotted-tailed quolls were "cryptic
return the eastern quoll
creatures" which were
to the mainland. Please consider giving to this
adept at hiding from humans. "It's incredible
important project. All donors will be provided
if it can be verified, because it means that
with a complimentary wildlife spotlighting night-walk
these quolls have been able to avoid detection for the
(with catering) in the Park, to say thank you. A series of dates through 2016/17 will be provided to donors
better part of 70 years," he said. “It might also indicate, that if we could get cats under control on
to select from. http://www.rewildingaustralia.com.au/donate/
the island, that there is still suitable habitat to allow a more robust quoll population to persist�
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Threatened Species Strategy Action Plan 2015-16 20 mammals by 2020
The Federal government has released its strategy which focuses on actions to protect 20 mammal species across the country from extinction. It’s great news to hear that two quolls are on this list, the Eastern Quoll and the Western Quoll. This means more money for conservation and breeding programmes for these animals to safe guard them where they are currently found as well as through reintroduction programmes underway across the country.
programmes to reestablish Western and Eastern Quoll across the country. Whilst we applaud the intentions of the strategy to save these two quolls species and other important mammal and bird species, we feel somewhat disappointed that the rarest of all quolls in Australia, i.e. the sub species of STQs in nth QLD (population
To view the list of 20, please open the following
less than 500 compared to 6,000+ Western Quolls and
link. https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/ threatened/publications/factsheet-threatened-speciesstrategy-action-plan-2015-16-20-mammals-by-2020
10,000+ Eastern Quolls), seems to have been overlooked. Thankfully the AQC is here to make sure that this animal is being monitored and we will do our utmost to protect these animals, including on our own
Please view the FAME, Mt Rothwell and Rewilding
if we have to. To help our local species, you can
Australia websites for more information about
donate to the AQC at www.quolls.org.au
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PROJECTS 2016 The AQC will be very busy again in 2016 undertaking a range of surveys to determine the distribu>on of quolls in far north Qld as part of our Spots Programme. This will hopefully include surveys of:
•
Misty Mountains (Wooroonooran Na>onal Park),
•
Barron Gorge Na>onal Park,
•
Wooroonooran Na>onal Park (Bellenden Ker, Goldlfields Trail sec>ons),
•
Mt Lewis,
•
Lamb Range,
•
Mt Windsor,
•
Thorntons Peak,
•
Paluma Na>onal Park, and
•
Daintree Na>onal Park.
If you would like to donate to assist the AQC with the cost of undertaking these surveys, please go to our website at www.quolls.org.au . The AQC will also advise members of poten>al opportuni>es to join in conduc>ng surveys.
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ROADS VS QUOLLS Tinaroo Creek Road
and the Lamb Range population has become effectively severed. This results in blocking genetic dispersal between populations and such fragmentation results in isolated populations which may no longer be able to be self-sustaining due to low numbers. Equally, many northern quolls are killed every year on roads. The AQC found a dead mother and seven babies on the road to Davies Creek. The Impact of Roads on Quolls. One of the most critical threatening processes which
The AQC has the view that some roads in some areas should be shut for a trial period to see what effect this has on quoll populations. Whilst in other areas speed limits, traffic calming and signage should be used. In
affects the long term survival of many animal species is the impact of roads when they slice through core wildlife habitat. The AQC is particularly concerned about this
some instances road closures altogether need to be
issue in several areas. There are many places where roads cut through core habitat of both species of quolls
considered if we are to help protect not just quolls, but a range of other species that call the important forest of the
in nth QLD moreover in many other locations across the
wet tropics home.
country for other quoll species. In Tasmania this is a particular problem and in Northern NSW. As quolls tend to be confined to national park areas, the increasing human population and in turn increased recreational demand by people upon national parks could be having an increasing adverse and deadly affect on some quoll populations. Quoll populations in the Lamb Range seem to be disappearing. This may be from a range of factors, including the increasing impact of more vehicles using the Gillies highway as well as the roads in the national park. STQs have been found dead on the Gillies Highway in the past and there is a concern now that this important link between the Bartle Frere/Bellenden Ker population Davies Creek Road
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RANGERS ABOUT Pictured: Miki Bradley ATHERTON QPWS & Road Crew Daintree, Mt Windsor, Mt Lewis, Dinden, Davies Creek, Girringun and Wooroonooran National Parks, have all helped us on numerous occasions. So the AQC would like to extend our thanks to these rangers, you're a great bunch of people, thanks for your support and we look forward to continue working with QPWS. Alberto Vale from the AQC had the privilege to access Mount Windsor during the late stages of the significant road works and causeway repairs. The AQC would like to extend our deepest thanks to the local rangers in our region that support our important work. We have developed very close working relationships with several rangers.
During a two stage visit Alberto was visited by a male and breeding female on his camp and again this quoll whisperer gorged himself with hordes of unique footage interactions. We would like to thank Brendan Malone, David Sherwell
Their energy, interest, passion and support for our cause is remarkable. We often call them and ask them for things and at the drop of a hat, they help us. This support is critical to our operations. The work on the ground doing the surveys and receiving assistance from the rangers in terms of sightings is one of the key parts of our conservancy. The rangers are always willing and happily help. They are great people who have a genuine interest in the future of this animal. We know that without their support, what we do would be much harder. Rangers across the region from Innisfail, to Mossman, Atherton and Cairns representing parks including
NEWSLETTER sponsored by WildCAM Australia速 www.wildcamaustralia.com
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and Miki Bradley for their extended support.