Get involved in the Spring Quenda Count

Support from the community in this year’s Spring Quenda Count will help the City find out if numbers of the small native marsupials have continued to grow in the past year.
 
Similar in size to rabbits, quendas – or Southern Brown Bandicoot – have brown to yellow-brown fur, a long-pointed nose, short ears and a very short tail.

Listed as a near threatened Priority 5 species by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), quendas play a critical role in the environment by spreading important microbes and fungi spores through their foraging.

Each year, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia and the DBCA runs the Spring Quenda Count to discover current quenda habitats compared with previous surveys and to establish potential changes to their distribution and population.

While the number quendas spotted locally remains low, the City’s conservation efforts have helped the species increase from 71 recorded sightings in 2018 up to 92 in 2019.

The City has worked to protect the local quenda population and help boost its numbers by adding educational signage to several reserves that are home to the furry species of bandicoot.

Other protection measures include the installation of fencing of bushland habitat areas as needed, and fox and feral cat trapping four times each year.

As well as taking part in this year’s count, the community can help our quenda population by not feeding them if sighted. Obesity related health issues can result in quendas developing diseases and can prompt an early death.
 
Last year’s surveys revealed 20 per cent of quendas were obese due to being fed by the public. 

Running until Monday 30 November 2020, this year’s quenda count also hopes to identify whether any diseases are affecting WA’s population of quendas.

City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin said the community may even spot quendas close to home with the native mammals often found in house gardens where established plants offered dense cover.
 
“For everyone taking part in the count, there’s the benefit of knowing they are contributing to important research, and it also provides a great motivator to enjoy the outdoors,” he said.

For more information, head to www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/quenda-qanda