Western Australia Police tracked down and fined a 29-year-old man $200 after an image circulated on social media showing him forcing a protected quokka to inhale an electronic cigarette on Rottnest Island.
Police moved fast. Officers traced the viral picture—believed to have been taken on Monday, November 2—directly to the suspect before serving him with a Rottnest Island Authority Infringement. The island lies 20 kilometres off the coast of Perth and holds the world’s largest surviving population of the vulnerable marsupials.
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook condemned the incident, describing the scene as completely unacceptable. "Any attempt to put quokkas at risk or harm them should be met with consequences," Cook said, noting that state authorities were pursuing inquiries into the event. "Our quokkas are international drawcards for Western Australia and Rottnest Island because of their warm, welcoming nature."
Yet tourist antics have repeatedly tested wildlife safety thresholds on the reserve. Seventeenth-century Dutch sailors mistook the small marsupials for oversized rodents, dubbing the landmass "Rat's Nest"—the root of its current name. Today, the animals anchor state tourism campaigns, with public figures such as tennis champion Roger Federer and actor Chris Hemsworth previously posing for viral quokka selfies to promote regional travel. But wild populations remain fragile. While quokkas proliferate on Rottnest Island, mainland colonies across Western Australia remain classified as vulnerable and isolated.
Police have encountered similar animal harassment nearby this year. Authorities previously charged two teenagers with animal cruelty south of Perth near Mandurah after video footage showed them striking a black swan on the head and forcing it to inhale vape fumes from an inflatable boat. State officials confirmed that monitoring across Rottnest Island will remain tight as visitor numbers climb into the summer travel season.