Endangered predator interrupts lunch break of park staff in Australia. See it
Staff at a national park in Australia stopped for a lunch break and were “surprised” when an endangered predator emerged from the forest. A video of the rare encounter shows the “confident” creature sniffing around, seemingly interested in their meal.
Ross Peacock, the manager of a fire evaluation unit, and Eric Claussen, a retired park ranger, were eating lunch at Werrikimbe National Park in mid-July when a spotted-tailed quoll approached them, a spokesperson for the New South Wales (NSW) National Parks and Wildlife Service told McClatchy News.
Spotted-tailed quolls are an endangered species of carnivorous marsupial native to Australia, per the Australia Museum. They are roughly the size of housecats with a distinctive pattern of white spots.
Peacock recorded the encounter, and park officials shared it on Facebook on Aug. 8. The video shows “the inquisitive little beauty” walking directly toward the cameraperson and sniffing around.
Normally, spotted-tailed quolls are solitary, rarely seen animals that hunt at night and hide during the day, the Australia Museum said.
Claussen and Peacock “were surprised the (quoll) was comfortable to emerge from the forest, near the campground, while they were there,” the park spokesperson said via email on Aug. 18.
“The quoll was presumably attracted by the smell of their lunch which included ham and chicken sandwiches,” the spokesperson told McClatchy News. “It paced up and down cautiously and remained in the area for approximately 15 minutes but never turned its back on the two people as it searched for crumbs on the ground.”
“This is only the second time Ross (Peacock) has seen a quoll in the wild in 30 years while working in NSW,” the spokesperson said.
“While this confident behaviour is not uncommon in quolls, it’s important to never feed native wildlife or leave behind any food or rubbish,” park officials said on Facebook. “Feeding native animals can affect their ability to forage and exercise, make them aggressive, and might make them very sick as they can’t digest human food.”
Werrikimbe National Park is on the southeastern coast of Australia and a roughly 280-mile drive northeast from Sydney.
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Endangered predator interrupts lunch break of park staff in Australia. See it."
