Elusive quoll caught on desert camera

A far-flung threatened northern quoll has caught the eye of rangers after being sighted more than 150km from the last recorded capture in Karlamilyi National Park.

A single quoll was captured accidentally on remote camera at Durba Hills in the western desert, when Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa Martu indigenous rangers and Parks and Wildlife Service staff were undertaking feral animal monitoring.

Pilbara regional conservation officer Alicia Whittington said Durba Hills was an important site for threatened species in the western desert.

“This is the first time that a northern quoll has been detected on the remote cameras, which have been in place since 2013,” she said.

“Although we always thought the habitat was suitable for northern quolls, it is more than 150km from the last recorded capture 50 years ago in Karlamilyi National Park.

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions was also using the remote camera-based monitoring system for the black-flanked rock wallaby, which was reintroduced at Durba Hills in 2013.