They may be three of the smallest animals at Zoos SA, but the Red-tailed Phascogale, Plains-wanderer and Mallee-emu Wren have marked huge milestones for their species this World Wildlife Day.

At Adelaide Zoo, the dedicated keeping team are celebrating a bumper breeding season of the Red-tailed Phascogale, a small marsupial that is locally-extinct in South Australia.

Over the past three breeding seasons, 148 jellybean-sized joeys have been born, but this year the team recorded an incredible 95 joeys in pouch.

In a partnership with Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Zoos SA has been working to save the native species from extinction by breeding an ex-situ population for release into predator-free sanctuaries, such as the 9,570-ha fenced feral-animal-free haven at Mallee Cliffs National Park in the Murray Darling basin.

In total, 54 phascogales have been released into the Mallee Cliffs National Park since 2022.

Assistant Curator of Natives, Michelle Birkett, said now the conservation and keeping team are working with AWC on plans for a next release to a second site.

“All of the joeys are now out of pouch and doing really well. The team are now preparing for the next release, which will be another exciting milestone for this project after such a successful breeding season,” she said.

“Our dedicated team work extremely hard to ensure these little mammals thrive. We want to ensure the species is here well into the future, so that is why programs like this are so critically important.

“Safe havens such as Mallee Cliffs National Park offer protection from invasive cats and foxes for the team at AWC to monitor the phascogales’ transition into their new environment and learn more about their behaviour in the wild.

“This program is just one of Zoos SA’s many conservation initiatives, which are making a huge difference for native Australian species and ecosystems.”

Visitors can now also catch a glimpse of the Red-tailed Phascogales in the Nocturnal House at Adelaide Zoo.

Excitingly, conservation efforts for two tiny but mighty bird species have also taken flight at Monarto Safari Park.

Endangered in the wild, two teeny Plains-wanderer chicks have hatched and, in a first for Monarto Safari Park, been raised and cared for by a feathered foster father.

Meanwhile, the first ever ex-situ population of endangered Mallee-emu Wrens have completed their second breeding season with the flock increasing from 10 to 25 birds. The Mallee Emu-wren is one of Australia’s smallest birds, with adults weighing a tiny four to six grams. The project has been an for Monarto Safari Park, in collaboration with the Threatened Mallee Bird Conservation Action Plan Steering Committee (TMB CAP).

Senior Natives Keeper, Gemma Asser, said the tiny new additions make a big impact to conservation of both species.

“The two Plains Wanderer chicks are doing really well, and what’s been extra exciting is that we’ve used a foster dad for the first time with this species at Monarto Safari Park,” she said.

“The chick’s parents unfortunately have a history of not sitting on eggs – this is where super dad, Neo, came in! He sat beautifully on a nest of dummy eggs, and we were able to swap them out with the viable clutch.

“He dutifully sat for the next 23 days and we’ve had two little ones hatch. He has been taking his parental role very seriously and huddling them under his feather shroud during cooler mornings.

“As for our Mallee-emu Wrens, it’s been incredible to see how well they’ve adapted to life here at Monarto. All five pioneer pairs bred, and our initial 10 birds have now more than doubled.

“What’s exciting is we’ve now also installed cameras, made possible through a generous donor, to be able to monitor the birds’ activity and record key behaviours for future reference.

“They are a cryptic species and little is known about them. As we have the first ex-situ population, these cameras will allow us to understand their behaviour, nesting positions and create the first Conservation Breeding and Care Guidelines for their species.”

World Wildlife Day is celebrated each year on 3 March and recognises the important role of wild animals and plants to our planet.

This World Wildlife Day, Zoos SA would love our supporters to make a commitment to conservation to help us continue our vital work across 24 national and international conservation priorities.

By becoming a Life Member of Zoos SA you are not only jumping on board for the adventure of a lifetime, but also giving a lifeline to species in danger.

For a limited time, we’ve lowered Life Memberships from $3,090.50 to $2,850, with each dollar helping protect amazing species such as the Red-tailed Phascogale, Plains-wanderer and Mallee-emu Wren.

For more information or to make a commitment to lifetime of wildlife this World Wildlife Day, please visit zoossa.com.au/life-membership/.