With a brushy tail longer than its body, and weighing in at no more than a chicken egg, the Quoll's younger cousin, the Red-tailed Phascogale is a small, tree-dwelling hunter previously found across much of southern Australia’s arid woodland. Sadly, by the 20th century, their population had been decimated to only a small area in Western Australia.
Securing the Red-tailed Phascogale (Kengoor)
In the Gawler Ranges National Park
EPBC:
VulnerableIUCN:
VulnerableThreats:
Project Location:
Gawler Ranges National Park, SA
The Project
In partnership with the South Australian Department of Environment and Water (DEW) and, in an innovative approach, the project will establish captive-bred Red-tailed Phascogales in the unfenced Gawler Ranges National Park habitat.
Why we need to act
The Red-tailed Phascogale is an incredibly agile and elusive creature. Being such a small and carnivorous marsupial, they fill a unique niche in the ecosystem. Establishing a stable population at the Gawler Ranges National Park, will not only help to ensure the survival of the species, but will also aid in increasing the biodiversity of the region.
Threats to the species
The Red-tailed Phascogale has largely succumbed to the rampant feral cat population across Australia. Other threats include predation by foxes, habitat loss and fragmentation. They are additionally suffering from a shortage of suitable nesting hollows.
Solution and approach
The first stage of this project includes captive breeding and animal releases in the southern Gawler Ranges National Park, and extensive post-release monitoring. Key activities will involve:
Securing and transporting animals to the release site.
Radio-tracking.
Trapping.
Providing secure and safe havens through aviaries and nest boxes to give them the best chance of establishing a self-sustaining population.
Project partners and additional information
This project is in partnership with the South Australian Department of Environment and Water and builds onto the important and successful conservation work undertaken in the Flinders Ranges and Gammon Ranges with the Western Quoll and Brush-tail Possum. The overall aim of these projects is to create safe havens for endemic species without fencing.
Photo Credits: Michael J Barritt, Tessa Manning and Department of Environment and Water (DEW)
Follow our cause in saving Australia's endangered wildlife, and receive newsletter updates on the Securing Red-tailed Phascogale and other projects and successes.