RECONNECTING QUOLL CORRIDORS USING QUOLL PORTABLE LATRINES ALBERTO N. VALE Introduction All four Australian species of Quolls have what is commonly known as communal latrines (animal toilet) sites. These defaecation sites have a variety of locations ranging from open bushland sites to rainforest understory rockeries, forestry roads, trails and even outside human erected restrooms at Jenolan Caves Road, 33° 49.154'S 150° 1.487'E [Fig. 1]. Quolls use these communal latrine sites for marking their territory and for other stereotyped social functions such as identifying gender status and fertility readiness. Latrines of the Spotted-tailed Quoll Dasyurus maculatus are historically sites used during long periods of time where individuals are observed to converge repeatedly to urinate and defecate. The Australian Quoll Conservancy (AQC) field researchers have observed that in areas where a lure or an organic bait has been deposited, for example carrion, Quolls will defaecate in and around the food source. Their defaecation and urination at these sites is thought to have a function in socialisation in the species. Studies of the Spotted-tailed Quoll latrines have provided insights into their distribution, diet, habitat, population structure, and management (Dawson 2005). Visits to these dedicated daefecation sites have been recorded by the AQC to occur throughout the day and night in the tropics of North Queensland, with increase in this behavioral activity during the breeding season. Fig 1 The AQC has for quite some time contemplated a practical purpose of using these natural latrine gatherings, as an innovative way to reconnect existing colonies of Quolls, and to naturally facilitate movement between adjacent lower populated colonies. The Quoll Portable Latrine (QPL) developed by the AQC, is now demonstrating such social communication and individual movement in areas where current outer edge colonies are failing to recruit new members (particularly males), necessary to maintain a healthy colony gene pool.
Application and Design There is evidence that this type of communal latrines are means of communication among individuals occurring in all Australian Quoll species. Northern Spotted-tailed Quolls Dasyurus maculatus gracilis in North Queensland use rainforest understory rockeries, forestry roads and trails for their daefecation. For these animals sharing a toilet, is a form of social networking. As part of the "National Wildlife Corridors Plan", AQC wants to restore the Spotted-tailed Quoll wildlife corridor between the Goldsborough Valley
National Park and the Danbulla National Park in North Queensland. This project will use AQC’s Quoll portable latrines (QPL) to entice individuals inhabiting areas over 17 km apart, to establish communication through scent. This project will be monitored by AQC and has the full cooperation of QPWS, including Dan Fitzpatrick - Ranger in Charge Cairns South QPWS and Roger James - Ranger Lake Tinaroo QPWS, assisting with QPL’s deployment. There is current evidence that northern Spottedtailed Quoll individuals are still using the edge portions of this wildlife corridor but low and discontinuous distribution of colonies is probably
Australian Quoll Conservancy - Reconnecting Quoll Corridors Using Quoll Portable Latrines - © Alberto Vale 2018
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related to lack of overlapping ranges around communal latrines of the species. The restoration of this wildlife corridor is possible using the placement of portable latrines and could facilitate recruitment of new individuals to gaps in the distribution, leading to connectivity between the currently isolated colonies. Fig 4
These portable latrines are constructed from rigid rectangular mesh, measuring 600 mm by 450 mm surface floor, with 300 mm high side walls [Fig.
Fig 5 Fig 5
medium size animals, including rodents, to enter and exit freely and safely [Fig. 5]. A total of 20 QPL's are intended to be deployed at 1 to 1.5 km intervals and set over a 300 meters position from any roadside or walking track.
Fig 2
Fig 3
In our previous studies the prototype QPL’s were also frequented by other species displaying defaecation within the QPL, [List 1,1b], indicating that the presence of scented defaecation by a predator, does not deter prey such as, Bush Rats, Giant White-tailed Rats and Long-nosed Bandicoots from entering and using the portable latrines. Discussion The new portable scented latrines have promising
2-3]. They are fully collapsible and once erected they have a strong inner and outer cover and black plastic lining. Internal plastic lining walls are tied down to the mesh side walls to ensure contents will remain dry and secured from any weather conditions. A sterilized training pad [Fig. 4] (commonly used to train sub-adults dogs and cats as toilet training area) will be laid with existing baked self adhesive tape, along with a motion sensor camera and a lure canister to record visitors to this communal latrine. The method of attracting any roaming Quolls closer to the area and enticing them to search further afield for other members of their species, will be aided also by inserting small quantity of Quoll scats collected from the extremities of this corridor. The apparatus has an unobstructed fixed entry and exit opening of 300 mm high by 150 mm wide to allow any small to
Fig 6
potential to facilitate social communication among individuals of this normally solitary living northern Spotted-tailed Quoll species. The collected still
Australian Quoll Conservancy - Reconnecting Quoll Corridors Using Quoll Portable Latrines - Š Alberto Vale 2018
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images and footage over eight consecutive months at our study area [Table 1 & Fig. 6-7], demonstrated several defaecation interactions rarely observed previously, indicating that these portable latrines could play a major role in facilitating social interaction, especially between males, and connecting isolated colonies within the currently disjunct distribution in the area.
Fig 7
Acknowledgments Funding for this research was provided by the Australian Quoll Conservancy Fund. Project planing, design and construction by Alberto Vale. My sincere gratitude to Emmaline Hardy and Hayden Vale with the project fieldwork assistance. This work was carried out under and according to AQC Scientific and Animal Ethics Committee Approval, QPWS WITK16516115 and (DAF) Animal Ethics Committee Approval No. CA 2017/10/1121
Table 1 Latitude/ Longitude 17° 5.658'S 145° 34.848'E 17° 5.626'S 145° 34.903'E 17° 5.592'S 145° 34.945'E 17° 5.568'S 145° 35.000'E 17° 5.552'S 145° 35.036'E 17° 5.679'S 145° 35.099'E 17° 5.728'S 145° 35.021'E 17° 5.772'S 145° 34.959'E
Area Kauri Ck Rd Kauri Ck Rd Kauri Ck Rd Kauri Ck Rd Kauri Ck Rd Kauri Ck Rd Kauri Ck Rd Kauri Ck Rd
Elevation
Survey Month
No of Camera Days No of STQ’s Cameras (images) 1 30 12
1153
July 2017
1157
August 2017
1
30
5
1161
September 2017
1
30
7
1155
October 2017
1
30
6
1153
November 2017
1
30
4
1124
December 2017
1
30
4
1117
January 2018
1
30
6
1119
February
1
30
7
List 1 Species
No of QPL Deployed
Kauri Ck Rd
List 1b
Mammals Spotted-tailed Quoll, Dasyurus maculatus gracilis
6
Antechinus sp. Long-nosed Bandicoot, Parameles nasuta
Giant White-tailed Rat, Urumys caudmaculatus
Bush Rat Rattus fuscipes
3
4
60
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References Belcher, C. A. (1995). Diet of the tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) in East Gippsland, Victoria. Wildlife Research 22, 341–357. Burnett, S. (2001). The ecology and conservation status of the northern Spot-tailed Quoll Dasyurus maculatus with reference to the future of Australia's marsupial carnivores. Ph.D. Thesis. Townsville, Queensland: James Cook University. Dawson, J. P. (2005). Impact of wildfire on the spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus in Kosciuszko National Park. M.Sc. Thesis, University of New South Wales, ADFA, Canberra. Jones, M.E., R.K. Rose & S. Burnett (2001). Dasyurus maculatus. Mammalian Species. 676:1-9. American Society of Mammalogists. Kruuk, H. & P.J. Jarman (1995). Latrine use by the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus: Dasyuridae, Marsupialia) in its natural habitat. Journal of Zoology. 236:345-349. Jenolan Caves Rd Toilet scat images [Fig 1] Luke Jackson 2016 Connecting Quoll Colonies example https:// w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / q u o l l s . o rg . a u / v i d e o s / 1738612232851379/ © Alberto Vale 2018 This work is copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 permits fair dealing for study, research, information or educational purposes. Selected text, diagrams or images may be reproduced for such purposes provided acknowledgement of the source is included. Major extracts of the entire document are not be reproduced by any medium or process. This document should be cited as: Vale A. (2018) Reconnecting Quoll Corridors Using Quoll Portable Latrines. Australian Quoll Conservancy publication, Cairns, Australia.
Australian Quoll Conservancy - Reconnecting Quoll Corridors Using Quoll Portable Latrines - © Alberto Vale 2018
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