A new batch of 30 young phascogales, the feisty carnivorous marsupial on the brink
of extinction, have been released into the Gawler Ranges ahead of breeding season.
It is hoped red-tailed phascogales will further strengthen the population by pairing up
over the next few months.
More than 100 phascogales have been reintroduced to the Gawler Ranges in the
past year and more releases are planned over the next 12 months.
In a positive sign that the small, tree-living marsupial is bouncing back, 30 wild-born
young were recorded for the first time last year, Red-tailed phascogales were only found in the wild in
the southwest woodlands of Western Australia and had not been recorded in SA’s wild for many years.
The program is a partnership between the Department for Environment and Water
(DEW) and the Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species (FAME).
Securing the future of the red-tailed phascogale is one of 11 projects DEW and
FAME are undertaking over three years to recover threatened and iconic species,
reverse extinctions and reduce predators threatening native animals and plants.