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City’s Furry Friend Has a Bright Future
The City of Melville’s local marsupial resident, the quenda, played a starring role in a thesis by fourth-year UWA animal science student Jessica Cairnes.
Ms Cairnes, who began studying the quenda population at Piney Lakes Reserve, in Winthrop, at the beginning of the year, presented her thesis to the Friends of Piney Lakes on Friday, 9 November 2007.
The thesis, which focused on the translocation of the quenda, aimed to determine whether the relocation of 12 quenda, from the cleared Beckley Bushland to Piney Lakes in 2005, was successful.
Friends of Piney Lakes Member Margaret Kingsbury said partnering with a university student was a great way to do the project. “The partnership was a great opportunity for the friends group to learn more about the quenda through Jessica's research and to also help Jessica with some resourcing issues for the project,” she said. “The final written report will be of great benefit to future projects.”
The project was supported by the City of Melville and received funding from the Rotary Club of Melville for radio transmitters, traps and batteries to help catch and track the movements of the quenda.
Ms Cairnes said translocation was an important part of conservation for the species in areas where bushland was being cleared. “Quendas were caught and then fitted with a microchip so they could be recognised if retrapped and data could be collected on the sex, weight, reproductive status, size and condition of the animal, before they were released,” she said. “The initial trapping session was very successful and showed that the quenda were in good condition and the population had grown substantially from the original 12.”
A total of 70 quenda – 30 males and 40 females – were observed at Piney Lakes by the end of the study.
The thesis concluded that quendas translocated into an urban area of bushland, which if controlled for foxes, are able to survive and reproduce in that environment. The population at Piney Lakes will also need to be monitored every few years to determine their ongoing health and the long-term survival of the population.
For more information on the Piney Lakes quenda and the quest to preserve them, visit the Quenda Quest page at www.pineylakes.org/quenda_quest.