One of Australia’s smallest native predators is making a remarkable comeback, with Adelaide Zoo and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy celebrating the release of 75 Red-tailed Phascogales into protected habitat on the South Australia and New South Wales border.
Timed with Endangered Species Day, the release at Scotia Sanctuary is another milestone in the long-running conservation partnership between Zoos SA and AWC, which has now seen more than 200 of the tiny carnivorous marsupials returned to the wild across Scotia Sanctuary and Mallee Cliffs National Park over the past four years.
The achievement is particularly significant given the Red-tailed Phascogale had previously been declared locally extinct in both areas.
Weighing just 40 to 60 grams, the Red-tailed Phascogale may be tiny, but it plays a vital role in the ecosystem. Closely related to the Tasmanian devil, the energetic marsupials hunt insects, spiders and other invertebrates throughout the night, helping restore natural balance within the mallee environment.
The species is currently listed as Near Threatened in Australia on the IUCN Red List, facing ongoing threats from habitat destruction, fragmentation and introduced predators like cats and foxes.
To help give the species its best shot at survival, four Adelaide Zoo keepers travelled more than six hours to transport the animals to the 8,000-hectare predator-proof sanctuary, where they now join other threatened species, like bilbies and numbats.
“Being able to see the Red-tailed Phascogales released into their environment is an absolute highlight of a zookeeper’s career and something we all dream to achieve,” shared Adelaide Zoo keeper Amelia. “The highlights of the release night were seeing animals capturing their own prey almost immediately, including spiders, and even spotting what may have been a phascogale released in a previous year.”
Despite their small size, Red-tailed Phascogales are known for living life at full speed. Males typically survive for only a single breeding season, living to around one year before dying after mating, while females can live up to three years in the wild and raise up to eight joeys at a time.
“They are incredibly driven animals. Their whole life revolves around breeding and raising the next generation, so every successful release into the wild is incredibly important for the future of the species,” shared Amelia.
The preparation process for release begins months in advance, with keepers working closely alongside AWC ecologists to ensure the animals are healthy, microchipped and ready for life in the wild.
“We work hard to mimic their natural environment as much as possible. That includes encouraging natural behaviours like hunting live insects, climbing and adapting to taller environments, all to help set them up for success once released.”
On release night, teams carefully dispersed the animals across three separate sites within the sanctuary under the cover of darkness, giving the nocturnal predators the best opportunity to settle into their new home.
For Adelaide locals wanting to catch a glimpse of the species a little closer to home, Red-tailed Phascogales can still be seen inside the Nocturnal House at Adelaide Zoo.
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