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Mainland eastern quoll

Dasyurus viverrinus

Eastern quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus) are a known species of carnivorous marsupial. Sadly, eastern quolls are considered to have gone extinct on the mainland of Australia since 1963, now only being common in Tasmania and the Hunter Islands.


Fortunately, in 2016, eastern quolls were reintroduced in the Mulligans flat nature reserve in the Australian Capital Territory, and again on an unnamed forest in southeastern New South Wales. Some cryptozoologists and naturalists, namely Chris Rehberg have pointed out numerous post-1963 eastern quoll sightings that either predate introduction or were seen in areas where none were introduced.


In 2016, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) collected a taxidermied specimen of an eastern quoll that was allegedly killed in the Gloucester region in 1989. In 1999, The NPWS recorded 20 possible eastern quoll sightings throughout New South Wales, mostly around East Kurrajong. The most recent known sighting collected by the NPWS was by Nicole Palmer in 2006. She claimed that while she was in her car, she saw two quolls, smaller than tiger quolls with white-tipped tails. Palmer claimed to have not been aware that she saw anything unusual until she researched eastern quolls. 


When Palmer's account became featured in the local news, an anonymous witness came forwards with their sighting in late 2000 or early 2001. The witness claimed to have encountered an eastern quoll who got into their chicken coop near Colo, only five kilometres from Palmer's sighting. 


Four dead eastern quolls have been found in the Moorabool area of Victoria, two in 2005, the other two in 2008. Some have speculated these eastern quolls have been escaped specimens from the nearby Mt. Rothwell Animal conservation area, which they do have in their care, and not a population who survived extinction.


On March 20th, 2013 a user named Ken W. photographed an eastern quoll at the same area the dead 2005-2008 specimens were found. He posted his photographs on inaturalist, a social networking service based on mapping and sharing wildlife as data for scientific research projects.

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