Locals have been urged not to try and trap more quolls after one made an appearance at Beachport last week.
Beachport trout farmer Pao Ling Tsai set a trap to catch a predator he initially thought to have been a feral cat or fox that had been killing his chickens.
Instead, he was surprised to find a spotted-tailed quoll, also known as a tiger quoll, in his makeshift trap.
The discovery has caught the attention of many, making a popular talking point across the state, as the species had been considered extinct in the region.
Limestone Coast district ranger Ross Anderson said National Parks and Wildlife Service was blown away by the animal’s re-emergence in the state after 130 years.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, really,” he said.
“The last official records of spotted-tailed quolls are from the 1880s.
“There’s been no official documented or photographic evidence of them here for over 100 years.”
The species was last recorded in the Mount Burr Forest and near Robe.
“Part of the reason they’re thought to have become extinct here in the South East is due to a loss of habitat, but they can survive anywhere from forests to more open country,” Mr Anderson said.
The species is considered extinct in South Australia and endangered on the mainland.
The closest known populations are in south-eastern Australia and into Queensland, while Tasmania is home to larger populations.
Mr Tsai said when he went to check his trap at the chookyard last Tuesday, he had no idea what the creature was looking back at him.
“I expected to find a cat, but I found this little animal instead,” he said.
“It was incredible. I had no idea what it was at first.”
The original quoll escaped the cage Mr Tsai put it in.
Following his incredible discovery, Mr Tsai laid pieces of fish around his farm and set up a video camera the following evening to see if he could get footage of other quolls.
“I definitely think there are more,” he said, adding that when he went out Thursday morning to check, all the food he had laid out was taken.
Another trap set by the National Parks and Wildlife on Wednesday had success in also catching a quoll.
In the meantime, Mr Anderson said the animal was re-released at an undisclosed location after being genetically tested, microchipped and treated for skin disease known as mange.
He said night vision cameras would be set up to determine if there are more quolls at that farm or in the Beachport area.
The hype surrounding the rare event has National Parks and Wildlife urging people not to attempt trapping the animals.
“We would not recommend people try to trap them or interact with them themselves. The traps that we have set will not harm an animal,” Mr Anderson said.
“It really is amazing. These are special animals and they deserve protection.
“Trail cameras are a really good way of recording and monitoring any suspected quoll populations or activity in the local area.”
While the spotted-tailed quoll is considered extinct in South Australia, it’s listed as threatened in other parts of Australia.
They are mainland Australia’s largest marsupial predator, a stealthy, elusive nocturnal hunter and scavenger that preys on small wildlife, birds, reptiles, frogs and invertebrates, and now backyard chooks can be added to their diet.
