Veterinarians at Taronga Western Plains Zoo were called on to deal with an unusual wildlife case late last year after a northern Australian marsupial was discovered hiding inside a family’s car more than 2,400 kilometres from home.
Staff at the zoo’s wildlife hospital treated a juvenile Northern Quoll that had inadvertently travelled from far north Queensland to Dubbo inside the luggage compartment of a Toyota Prado.
The Lyons family had driven overnight from a property north of Cooktown to visit relatives when the unexpected passenger was discovered.
“When we got to Dubbo, my daughter went to get her bag out and she said ‘there’s a quoll in here,’” Dan Lyons said.
The family believes the animal may have entered the vehicle while they were packing for the trip, possibly chased into the car by their cattle dog.
Concerned about releasing the threatened species far outside its natural range, the family contacted the zoo for assistance. Attempts to remove the animal initially proved difficult when it disappeared into the lining of the vehicle.
Zoo staff supplied a cage trap and bait, but the small quoll repeatedly escaped until the trap was modified and the animal was finally captured the following morning.
Nicknamed ‘Stowie’ by the family, the juvenile male was admitted to the zoo’s wildlife hospital where he underwent a full veterinary examination.
Senior veterinarian Alisa Wallace said the animal appeared to have coped remarkably well with the unexpected journey.
“I think his journey was probably quite stressful for him, being in a very strange environment with people, but considering all of that he actually held up beautifully,” Wallace said.
Estimated to be four to five months old, the quoll was found to be in good health and quickly resumed feeding after admission. Over six weeks of care the animal doubled its body weight before being cleared for release.
Because northern quolls do not naturally occur in New South Wales, the zoo’s veterinary team worked with the Queensland Department of the Environment Tourism Science and Innovation and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to coordinate the animal’s return.
Following two flights to Cairns and a four-hour road journey, the young marsupial was successfully released back into habitat near where it was likely picked up.
The case was one of 837 wildlife admissions handled by the zoo’s hospital in 2025, although staff say it was among the most unusual.
Northern quolls occur across northern Australia but face multiple threats including habitat loss, predation by feral cats and foxes, and poisoning from invasive cane toad.
Wallace said returning the animal to its native range was critical for the conservation of the threatened species.
“It was really quite special to see a northern quoll down here, but that made it even more important to get him back home,” she said.
“We’re really glad we’ve been able to help him return to where he belongs.”
