24 October 2021
Wildlife Queensland’s Quoll Seekers Network and Noosa & District Landcare were buoyed by the fabulous ‘full house’ response to the Quoll Discovery Day at Pomona on Saturday 23 October.
Enthusiastic quoll seekers were enthralled by presentations from Amanda Hancock from Carnarvon Canines, Romane Cristescu from the University of Sunshine Detection Dogs for Conservation team, and our two esteemed quoll experts Dr Sean FitzGibbon and Dr Scott Burnett, while enjoying a delicious spread of fresh pastries, sushi, frittatas and brownies from Pomona Village Kitchen.
Attendees were also treated to a demonstration of just how these canny canines sniff out quolls (and why they love tennis balls so much!), followed by a humorous but informative ‘scat show’ to help them tell quoll poop from the (many!) other kinds of animal droppings.
Dogs Rule the Day
Best of all, plenty of landholders came forward, all eager to have their land assessed and surveyed by conservation dog detection teams to search for traces of endangered spotted-tailed quolls (Dasyurus maculatus) or northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus).
Quoll Seekers Network hopes this excellent example of community cooperation will turn up firm evidence of quolls in the Mary River Valley Catchment.
Detection dogs are adept at sniffing out the communal latrine sites of quolls, which are usually placed on flat rocks in rugged areas that can be hard for humans to access. A dog’s ability to follow its nose and find spotted-tailed or northern quoll scats is far superior to that of even an expert human surveyor, with accuracy studies revealing dog detection rates of 98.4% to 100%.
Those who missed out on tickets to the sold-out event will take precedence at any future events on the Sunshine Coast or in the Mary River Valley Catchment area, but are advised to watch the page, check out the information below and join the Quoll Seekers Network for more information.
Species profiles
Quoll Seeker information resources:
- Dr Scott Burnett’s presentation about quolls.
- Spotted-tailed quolls: Queensland – a great spot for quolls. Email for a free copy– QSN members only
- Quolls in North Queensland … the best spot for Quolls. Email for a free copy– QSN members only
- Quolls in the Mary River headwaters. Email for a free copy – QSN members only
The event was made possible by the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action Grant program. Quoll Seekers Network extends special thanks to all of our presenters, dog handlers and contributors who generously donate their time to help conserve quolls, and to Ilana Kelly and Leigh Findlay from Noosa & District Landcare for assisting with the set-up and smooth running of the event.
Thanks also to wildlife vet Amber Gillett for bringing along her gorgeous fauna-themed artwork, which was happily snapped up along with Quoll Seekers merchandise.
Congratulations to Dee, winner of the raffled Blueberry Leopard quoll print and a $1000 Wompoo Farm environmental consultancy voucher generously donated by Amanda Hancock.
GET INVOLVED
- Join us: QSN welcomes wildlife enthusiasts who want to join the network. Membership is free. Email us if you would like to join and we will just ask you to fill out a membership form for our records. You’ll get merchandise discounts, as well as prior notification of workshops and volunteer opportunities.
- Report your sightings: If you have seen a quoll, we’d like to know. Email us with a description of the sighting, the postcode of the sighting and your contact details.
- Share your pictures: Like us on Facebook and post your best quoll photos to our wall to give us permission to share.
- Support us:
- You can support the work of Quoll Seekers Network through our adopt-a-quoll program or buy some of our great Quoll Seekers merchandise, including quoll plush toys, posters, and info kit. Available online or contact us.