THIS extra cute, unique Australian animal is facing the same sad fate as the Tasmania tiger.

Like the thylacine, the endangered spot-tailed quoll is a meat-eating marsupial. So plans to drop bait from planes over vast tracts of land in Victoria to wipe out wild dogs threaten the little creature's existence.

There are just a few hundred of the cat-sized creatures left.

"A 7kg spot-tailed quoll that picks up bait poisoned at a strength to kill a 40kg dog will go the way of its eastern quoll cousins, which are now extinct on the Australian mainland," said Jill Redwood, spokeswoman for Environment East Gippsland.

Ms Redwood urged the Victorian Government to reconsider baiting.

But Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh said baiting would be carried out.

"We are all too aware of the devastating impact wild dogs are having on livestock in northeast Victoria and east Gippsland," he said.

Ms Redwood said the EEG had called on the Federal Government to override the decision.

"There doesn't seem to to be a huge outcry about the wild dog problem," she said.

"It's a small band of noisy farmers.

"Most appear to have been able to deal with wild dogs with their own measures, including dog-proof electric fencing to protect their livestock as well as bring in livestock guarding animals like alpacas and Maremmas.

"I'm the first person to agree that there is a big problem with wild dogs and livestock but bait poisoning is not the solution with spot-tailed quoll the bigger victims of this tactic."

About 5000ha of inaccessible land is expected to be included in the initial baiting.

Originally published as Plan to poison wild dogs imperils quoll