Conservation organisation Aussie Ark has announced the release of 50 endangered Eastern Quolls into a protected, wild sanctuary in the Barrington Tops National Park.
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Aussie Ark said the quolls have been returned in preparation for this year's breeding season, in the hopes that the quolls will go on to breed with an existing population of the endangered species released to the sanctuary.
Dean Reid, the operations manager of Aussie Ark, said the release of the quolls was another step in the organisation's plan to build the insurance population of the species.
"Our goal has always been to bolster the Eastern quoll species' population, rewild the Barrington Tops and stop their extinction," Mr Reid said.
"We have released these quolls at the perfect time for them to find mates. Meaning we should be able to get back out here in a couple of months' time and confirm breeding and the presence of joeys."
"By replicating the needed healthy and safe environment, we are confident that we will have joeys being bred into our sanctuary in just a few short months."
The release of quolls is the second undertaken by the Aussie Ark, but the group said this release is "hugely significant" because of the number able to be released, the result of what it said was "years of hard work".
The quolls are part of the organisation's Eastern Quoll breeding program, part of the larger Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program.
Through the program, Aussie Ark said it has successfully bred the vulnerable species in the Barrington Tops and now hold over 150 individuals, a number that grows with every breeding season.
Aussie Ark said its Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary has been managed to remove introduced feral foxes and cats, which are the number one killers of native wildlife in Australia.
The sanctuary also undergoes intense fire management and weed management activities, creating a pristine habitat for species, like quolls, to survive, thrive and breed effectively.
Aussie Ark said the release of the quolls was attended by Aussie Ark partners Volkswagen, who are supporting the organisation's new project for the threatened Spotted-tail Quoll.
The organisation's Eastern Quoll breeding program is supported by Australian Geographic, WIRES and Re:wild.
