Camera trap captures Northern Quoll in Cape York sanctuary for the first time in more than eight decades

An endangered Northern Quoll has been photographed at Piccaninny Plains Wildlife Sanctuary on Northern Kaanju Country, Cape York, for the first time in more than eight decades, in a powerful example of how camera trap photography is playing a critical role in modern wildlife conservation.

The image was captured by a remotely triggered motion-sensor camera on the eastern side of the 164,850-hectare sanctuary, which is jointly owned by Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) and The Tony & Lisette Lewis Foundation.

The single frame provides the first confirmed visual record of a Northern Quoll on the property since the 1940s.

Once widespread across northern and eastern Australia, Northern Quoll populations have suffered steep declines due to toxic cane toads, feral predators such as cats, bushfires and habitat loss.

Despite repeated survey efforts since 2008, including targeted camera deployments in 2015, 2021 and 2023, the species had gone undetected at Piccaninny Plains.

That changed in October last year, when Sanctuary Manager Nick Stock, following a hunch about an isolated rocky outcrop spotted from a helicopter, deployed a single camera.

Within days, it captured unmistakable evidence of a quoll — the first sighting of the species on the sanctuary in over 80 years.

“It was a fantastic surprise,” said Helena Stokes, AWC Wildlife Ecologist.

“After years of no sightings, to finally confirm a Northern Quoll on the sanctuary is hugely uplifting for our team. It reinforces the importance of persistence, good science, and managing threats across large landscapes.”

The nearest previous photographic detection had occurred in 2017, when a quoll was recorded on a trail camera in the neighbouring, Indigenous-managed Kaanju Ngaachi Wenlock and Pascoe River IPA by Chuulangun Rangers.

Beyond its documentary value, the sighting will help shape future conservation work. Early analysis suggests the rocky outcrop where the quoll was sighted had remained largely unburnt, likely due to long-term fire management, and no feral cats have appeared on nearby cameras.

The rediscovery also highlights the value of long-term conservation investment on Cape York, where threatened species face growing pressures.

“Every rediscovery matters,” Stock said. “Just when we were close to giving up hope, this little quoll reminds us why we keep searching, and why protecting these landscapes at scale is essential.”