Spot-tailed Quoll Recovery Program
Program conclusion
The Spot-tailed Quoll Recovery Program was completed in June 2026. However, we have elected to keep details about the project live on the website (below) for reference.
In 2024, BioDiversity Legacy and the Rendere Environmental Trust supported the program's lead agency, Wildlife Unlimited, to obtain two-year funding for the project through the Victorian Government's Nature Fund Program. The data, gathered by a consortium of scientists, agencies and Traditional Owners, has successfully laid the groundwork for a recovery program. Contact Wildlife Unlimited for further information.
A decade to rebuild vulnerable populations
In 2024, a network of concerned government and non-government organisations, First Nations communities, ecologists, geneticists and quoll enthusiasts came together to develop a Spot-tailed Quoll Recovery Program. With a Victorian Government Nature Fund grant, the team will identify pathways for Spot-tailed recovery in East Gippsland, the remaining stronghold of the species.
The project will undertake genetic assessment of captive and wild quolls to inform the development of a captive breeding and translocation strategy; two fundamental steps required to repopulate Gippsland with quolls.
A cornerstone of the project is our collaborative approach, creating cross-sector, multi-agency partnerships to foster ongoing relationships for future conservation efforts.
A decade to rebuild vulnerable populations
Why the Spot-tailed Quoll is Endangered
The Spot-tailed Quoll - also known as the Tiger Quoll – is currently listed as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and in Victoria (Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988). To boost the species’ survival, we’re conducting a research and rescue program in the last stronghold of the quoll - East Gippsland.
Spot-tailed Quolls were once widespread in Victoria, but hunting, habitat destruction and feral animal predation have led to the populations declining by 50% since European settlement. The Upper Snowy River region of Gippsland is now the last remaining stronghold of the quoll. But even here, numbers continue to decline.
Climate change is also reducing the area that quolls can call home, with the 2019/20 bushfires extent overlapping 29% of the species’ distribution nationally. Without immediate actions to protect and bolster the remaining population, the quoll is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Learn more ...
Click on the links below to read about our rescue plan and learn about the Spot-tailed Quoll.
How we plan to achieve our recovery goals
In this multi-phased project, we'll be gathering data on the size and health of local populations, develop a preservation strategy and engage stakeholders in activities to protect Gippsland's quolls.
Learn more about the quoll's character, diet and habitat
Secretive, elusive creatures by night and sunbakers by day, quolls are tree-climbing beasts whose scavenging habits help to balance the ecosystem.
Why we need to link our landscapes and expand habitat
Learn how we're engaging landholders and a large network of environmental organisations to expand the quoll's habitat outside of our study zone.
Banner photo top with thanks to Mark Sanders @ EcoSmart Ecology.