Not waiting for the death knell: a pilot study to examine supplementation and survivorship in a declining population of Tasmanian eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus)
Rowena P. Hamer
A B * , Natasha Robinson C , Rob Brewster D , Molly Barlow D , Morrigan Guinane E , Morgan Humphrey B , Adrian Mifsud E , David G. Hamilton A B and Alex S. Kutt A B F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Hobart, Tas. 7005, Australia.
B School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas. 7005, Australia.
C Fenner School of Environment & Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
D WWF-Australia, PO Box 528, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia.
E Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary, 1892 Mole Creek Road, Mole Creek, Tas. 7304, Australia.
F School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia.
Australian Mammalogy 45(2) 171-180 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM22011
Submitted: 19 March 2022 Accepted: 7 October 2022 Published: 27 October 2022
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Mammal Society.
Abstract
Tasmanian populations of the eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) represent the last wild stronghold of this species after its extirpation from the Australian mainland, but they have experienced declines of more than 50% over the past three decades. We investigated the feasibility of supplementing wild populations with captive-bred individuals in attempts to halt and reverse observed declines in Tasmanian populations. We released 20 captive-bred eastern quolls into an extant wild population in the Tasmanian central plateau, and monitored their short-term survival, dispersal and body condition. We recorded high initial survival and low initial dispersal of captive-bred individuals relative to previous release attempts in unfenced areas of mainland Australia. Further work to determine long-term survival of released individuals, and the genetic and population-level impacts on local populations is ongoing. Our preliminary results support the use of population supplementation as an effective conservation action, which allows for early intervention to address species declines while testing hypotheses about their underlying causes.
Keywords: captive release, conservation translocation, Dasyuridae, eastern quoll, population supplementation, reintroduction, rewilding, threatened species.
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