General Northern Quoll.
© Brad Leue.jpg
An endangered Northern Quoll has been detected at Piccaninny Plains Wildlife Sanctuary, on Northern Kaanju Country, for the first time in more than eight decades, a powerful sign that targeted, science-led conservation is helping keep one of Australia’s most threatened marsupials hanging on.
The quoll was captured on a motion-sensor camera on the eastern side of the 164,850-hectare sanctuary, jointly owned by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) and The Tony & Lisette Lewis Foundation. Once widespread across northern and eastern Australia, Northern Quoll populations have collapsed due to toxic cane toads, feral predators including cats, inappropriate fire regimes and habitat loss. The nearest detection of the species was in 2017, when a Quoll was captured on a trail camera on the neighbouring Indigenous managed Kaanju Ngaachi Wenlock and Pascoe River IPA by Chuulangun Rangers.
For nearly two decades, ecologists feared the species had vanished from Piccaninny Plains. Surveys since 2008, including targeted camera deployments in 2015, 2021 and 2023, failed to detect the elusive marsupial.
That changed late last year, when Sanctuary Manager Nick Stock, following a hunch about an isolated rocky outcrop spotted from a helicopter, deployed a single camera. Within days, it captured unmistakable evidence of a quoll.
“It was a fantastic surprise!” Dr Helena Stokes, AWC Wildlife Ecologist said. “After years of no sightings, to finally confirm a Northern Quoll on the sanctuary is hugely uplifting for our team. It reinforces the importance of persistence, good science, and managing threats across large landscapes.”
The rediscovery provides a crucial foothold for understanding how the species may be surviving on Cape York. Early indications suggest the outcrop has remained largely unburnt, a result of AWC’s long-term fire management, and so far, shows no evidence of feral cats on surveillance cameras.
“This record gives us a roadmap,” Dr Stokes said. “We now have a clear starting point for future surveys and research. It’s possible this quoll, and hopefully others, have adapted their behaviour in response to the presence of cane toads. Understanding that resilience could be vital for the species’ long-term survival.”
The find also highlights the value of AWC and The Tony & Lisette Lewis Foundation’s long-term investment in conservation on Cape York, where threatened species are under increasing pressure.
“Every rediscovery matters,” said Nick Stock. “Just when we were close to giving up hope, this little quoll reminds us why we keep searching, and why protecting these landscapes at scale is essential.”
AWC hopes to expand survey efforts across Piccaninny Plains this year, to determine the extent of the population and inform next steps for recovery.
For more information on AWC’s work with Northern Quolls,?click here, and to learn more about Piccaninny Plains Wildlife Sanctuary, which lies on Wik and Wik Way, Central West Wik and Northern Kaanju Country,?click here.
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is a pragmatic, on-ground global conservation leader, conserving landscapes and providing hope for Australian wildlife. Informed by science, we deliver measurable conservation impact at scale to secure the future of our most endangered species and their habitats, including restoring degraded landscapes where necessary.
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