![\"rare](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773353778_769_scale;webp=auto;jpeg_quality=60.jpg\")
AWC<\/p>\nIn the mallee woodlands of New South Wales, Australia, pint-sized marsupials called red-tailed phascogales once thrived.<\/p>\n
Sadly, over the years, new predators were introduced to the area, decimating the unique species until they completely disappeared.<\/p>\n
For over a century, local animal researchers failed to locate any red-tailed phascogales. Until recently, when they photographed a whopping 22 of them on hidden motion-sensor cameras.<\/p>\n
AWC<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were stoked,\u201d Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) ecologist Dr. Rachel Ladd said in a press release. \u201cWe weren\u2019t expecting to see so many so soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sightings weren\u2019t just a lucky coincidence; they were the result of years of hard work. About a decade ago, AWC researchers began releasing the animals into predator-free areas within Mt Gibson Wildlife Sanctuary<\/a> and Mallee Cliffs National Park<\/a>. In May of last year, they continued their work at Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary<\/a>, where they released 94 red-tailed phascogales in hopes the animals would thrive.<\/p>\n Phascogales typically build their nests in tree hollows, and they help the environment by acting as a form of pest control, feeding on “a wide range of insects and spiders,” according to AWC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Researchers knew that capturing the tricky animals on film wouldn\u2019t be easy, so they set up 47 motion-sensor cameras across three survey zones.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite their agility and distinctive tail, phascogales are notoriously difficult to detect,\u201d AWC wrote in the press release.<\/p>\n According to AWC, phascogales are small and lightweight, and they rarely linger anywhere for very long.<\/p>\n \u201cEven in fenced sanctuaries, they are considered one of the hardest species to monitor after release, making these early detections a valuable indication that individuals are adapting and surviving post\u2011reintroduction,\u201d AWC wrote.<\/p>\n Seeing so many red-tailed phascogales is thrilling for the research team, confirming that their tireless work is paying off.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing the phascogales take those first steps toward re\u2011establishing a wild population is incredibly encouraging for everyone involved,\u201d AWC senior ecologist Dr. Jennifer Anson said in the press release. \u201cThis type of significant wildlife conservation work is only possible because of long\u2011term planning and strong partnerships on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n To help other animals like phascogales,\u00a0you can donate to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy<\/a>.![\"man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773353779_332_scale;webp=auto;jpeg_quality=60.jpg\")
Hannah Nichols<\/p>\n![\"rare](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773353779_831_scale;webp=auto;jpeg_quality=60.jpg\")
Audrey Beard<\/p>\n![\"\u2018Mystical\u2019](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773353780_444_flatten;crop;webp=auto;jpeg_quality=60.jpg\")
<\/a>\u2018Mystical\u2019 Kitten With Enormous Eyes Is Not AI \u2014 She\u2019s A Rare SurvivorShe\u2019s a real tough cookie.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the mallee woodlands of New South Wales, Australia, pint-sized marsupials called red-tailed phascogales once thrived. Sadly, over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":532337,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[6587,2840,49,48,6586,295,6585,66,2225,6584,323],"class_list":{"0":"post-532336","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-animal-encounters","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-daily-dodo","13":"tag-environment","14":"tag-maeve-dunigan","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-standard","17":"tag-the-dodo","18":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}