00:02In the dead of night, researchers check traps for the elusive and rare northern quoll.
00:09Spotted and cute, they're also ferocious.
00:12Quolls are the second largest mammalian predator after the dingo in Australia,
00:16so their job is to bring balance to the ecosystem and to do that you need sharp teeth.
00:21The animals are being moved to a fenced predator free refuge near Townsville.
00:25Within that 950 hectares we've removed all feral cats, pigs,
00:30there are none of those key threats within the landscape.
00:33The once abundant northern quoll's population has been decimated
00:37by poisonous pests like the cane toad.
00:40In Australia we've caused so much damage to the environment in the last 100, 150 years.
00:45The loss of these small to medium sized mammals is the thing that's happened right across the continent.
00:50It's hoped by 2050 the animals will have bred successfully
00:54and repopulated the Seaview range between Ingham and Townsville.
00:59We aim to get a thriving population going in the safe haven
01:02and then the quolls will naturally disperse over the fence into the landscape.
01:07Quolls are being captured from four sites across far north and north Queensland.
01:11The aim is to ensure genetic diversity and the best chance of survival and adaptability.
01:16In the refuge the quoll will live alongside the northern bettong,
01:20which has thrived in the wild after its own reintroduction.
01:24At the end of the day when I have northern quolls popping down to the homestead
01:28and sniffing around our chook pen that'll be a sign that this has been successful to me.
01:38So let's see back in the next couple of weeks.
01:39Do we know the source of the
