Recently, ecologists at Australia’s Mount Gibson Wildlife Reserve made a surprising discovery while conducting routine research. Because it was discovered by the first baby western quoll on the reserve. This discovery delighted environmentalists.
The western quoll is a marsupial mammal that grows to about the size of a domestic cat. These fur-bearing animals play a key role in regulating populations of small invertebrates, including some reptiles and birds. According to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), western quolls existed in numerous habitats across a wide area of mainland Australia. But these days their numbers are dwindling, so the discovery of the western quoll was a joy for conservationists.
“The Western Quoll has experienced a dramatic decline in its range since its establishment in Europe,” the AWC wrote in a press release. “It is currently only found in the southwest region [of Western Australia], and even within that region its distribution is patchy. »
In recent months, AWC conservationists have been working to re-introduce western quoll populations to the previously extinct Mount Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary. Finding baby quolls is a positive sign that reintroduction is working.
“Regular monitoring shows that quolls are doing well in the reserve, and meeting their first fowl is a positive sign that they have adapted to their new environment,” AWC senior field ecologist Georgina Anderson said. in a press release.
A group of quolls have been transported across the country as part of ongoing efforts to help them thrive more widely. So far, their efforts appear to be worth it.
“We are very pleased to see an established population of western quolls on Mount Gibson,” Anderson said in a news release. “The discovery of the cubs is a positive sign that this animal is breeding successfully and can further increase its population in the future.”
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