Shoalhaven residents are lucky to share our backyards with Quolls
Published on 07 July 2022
Shoalhaven residents are lucky to share our backyards with amazing wildlife such as the endangered Spotted-tail quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), also known as the Tiger quoll.
Breeding occurs during winter, where males can have a home range of up to a few thousand hectares to roam to find a potential female. This elusive species has been seen lately in backyard suburbia within the Illawarra and Shoalhaven region.
Predation by quolls on domestic poultry and scavenging of road-killed carcasses exposes the species to direct killing and road trauma.
Shoalhaven residents are encouraged to protect their chickens from predators using the handy tips in predator-proofing your hen house.
The introduced Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) are surplus killers known to predate on an entire chicken coup without consuming them.
Quolls prefer a more selective and natural diet consisting of native medium-sized mammals, but will consume European rabbits and animal remains. However, they will potentially hunt chickens if natural foraging is compromised.
Drivers are encouraged to be aware of roadkill for potential quolls to become secondary roadkill from scavenging on animal remains.
Remember quolls are protected, and even further, they have a high conservation status due to their abundance significantly declining over recent decades. This means that there are significant penalties associated with trapping or attempting to harm this species.
More information, visit the Spotted-tail Quoll webpage.
Image credit: WWF @Craig-stock.adobe.com