Man handed $200 fine over quokka vaping post

Police have fined a man $200 after a picture appearing to show a quokka being force-fed a vape at the tourist hotspot of Rottnest Island circulated online.

The image of the quokka with the vape in its mouth began circulating social media this week, drawing outrage due to the heavy protections in place for the tiny marsupials that call the island home and contributed to Rottnest’s name.

WA Premier Roger Cook on Monday said he was “completely disgusted” by the “unacceptable” scene.

“I think I share everyone’s sense of disgust about that, and I hope that the people involved are held to account, and I know that the police are making inquiries, just as they did on the young people who tried to poison a black swan,” he said.

A WA Police spokesperson said officers had been made aware of the picture, which was believed to have been taken on Monday, November 2.

“Investigators tracked the image to a 29-year-old man, who was subsequently issued with a Rottnest Island Authority Infringement by police,” the spokesperson said.

The man’s fine is believed to have been $200, which is far below the maximum penalty of $10,000 that visitors to the island can face if they are convicted of interfering with the local wildlife – including feeding the iconic species.

“Quokka selfies” were central to a government tourism drive aimed at boosting visitors to the idyllic island, which sits about 20 kilometres off the coast of Perth.

Tennis star Roger Federer and Australian actor Chris Hemsworth are just some of the famous faces who have posed with the ever-“smiling” quokka.

While they are ubiquitous on Rottnest, quokkas are considered vulnerable on the mainland, and largely live in small populations in several islands off Western Australia.

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