Eastern Quoll Rewilding Health Check
Sydney Zoo released the four Eastern quolls joeys at Bannockburn Rewilding Sanctuary, building on a successful release at the site last year, as part of a long-term effort to restore the once-lost species.
The project is delivered in partnership with the Invasive Species Council’s Rewilding Australia program and forms part of a broader national push to re-establish Eastern quolls beyond their last remaining stronghold in Tasmania.
Eastern quolls were once widespread across south-eastern Australia but disappeared from the mainland around a century ago following the introduction of foxes and feral cats. Today, they survive naturally only in Tasmania, making mainland reintroductions both ambitious and ecologically significant.
The four newly released joeys will join five quolls released at Bannockburn in 2025, helping to strengthen genetic diversity and support the development of a self-sustaining population. Early signs have been encouraging, with three of the previously released quolls having since produced joeys of their own.
Bannockburn Rewilding Sanctuary spans 68 hectares and is fully fenced to exclude foxes and feral cats, providing a secure environment for vulnerable native species to re-establish in semi-wild conditions. The site plays a key role in testing how species like Eastern quolls can recover when major threats are removed.
Researchers from the University of Sydney are monitoring the quolls using tracking technology to assess their movements, survival and ecological impact. The data will help inform future rewilding projects and explore whether Eastern quolls could one day persist outside predator-free fenced environments.
Eastern quolls play an important ecological role by controlling insect and small animal populations and improving soil health through digging and foraging. According to Sydney Zoo’s Community and Conservation Manager Liz Gerber, their return is a meaningful step toward restoring ecological balance.
“Eastern quolls play an important role in healthy ecosystems and bringing them back helps restore balance that has been missing for decades,” Ms Gerber said. “Building on last year’s successful release shows what can be achieved when conservation is guided by science and strong partnerships.”
Sydney Zoo Natives Animal Care Manager Kelly Davis said seeing the joeys transition into the wild was a significant moment for the team involved.
“To be part of bringing back a species from extinction in this area is incredibly special,” Ms Davis said. “These quolls were raised with the goal of release, and seeing them settle into their natural environment is exactly what we hoped for.”
With Eastern quolls now beginning to re-establish in protected mainland habitats, conservationists say projects like Bannockburn offer renewed hope that the species could one day reclaim a broader part of its former range.
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