About Pepper

Here is the story of an amazingly handsome little Eastern Quoll named Pepper. He was found in Longley, beside his Mum who had been killed by a car, by a caring lady who took the time to do a pouch check. He was only 71 grams (see picture below), very frightened, extremely cold and shivering. He arrived to me that afternoon. On checking him over l found he had many very nasty little parasites under his skin called “uropsylla”and several tiny ticks which had to be removed after he was warmed up and rehydrated. Due to his being so cold, for l don’t know how long, he had to be watched carefully for any signs of pneumonia. Fortunately that didn’t occur.

After hiding away in his pouch for several days, (except for having a bottle every six hours) he began to explore his surroundings, a really good sign . After many weeks of health ups and downs and the removal of more uropsylla larvae, (which could have made him anemic) he was beginning to be interested in solid food, his confidence grew, he began beating up his various toys in the enclosure. After a wonderful weight gain and also gaining an excellent Quoll attitude, he was moved into his outdoor enclosure where every blade of grass, rocks , wood and toys were thoroughly checked. He loved being outside, was eating everything he was given, extremely active and alert and l could have happily stayed out and watch him for hours. Such joy of life. I had the absolute privilege of his company for seven months. I had a pre release enclosure on a friends property at the back of Mountain River which is where he was released. He was still being seen on the property with three other Quolls two months later.

This is Pepper’s story, the will to live his life as he was meant to.       

Photographs and back story by wildlife carer Jude Lennox.

Quolls are small to medium-sized carnivorous marsupials. They are primarily nocturnal and spend most of the day in a den. Quolls are known for their distinctive spotted fur and long, pointed snouts.

There are four species of quolls found in Australia: the Northern Quoll, the Western Quoll, the Eastern Quoll, and the Spotted Quoll, also known as the Tiger Quoll. Unfortunately, all four species are listed as threatened or endangered due to habitat loss, introduced predators, and disease.

The Quoll is listed as endangered and is protected by law.