Crested-tailed mulgara confirmed extinct on IUCN Red List

The extinction of five Australian marsupials, including the crested-tailed mulgara, has been confirmed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. The mulgara, a small carnivorous marsupial once found across much of arid Australia and Western Australia, faced several documented threats including habitat loss from mining and development, changes in habitat condition, and predation by feral cats and foxes.

Critics argue that these extinctions result from decades of missed opportunities by government bodies to implement proactive conservation. In the case of the crested-tailed mulgara, despite being recognized as a distinct species in 2005, it remained only “near threatened” on certain lists and was removed from the Commonwealth threatened species list by the environment minister in 2019. Concerns were also raised regarding the adequacy of translocation and trapping efforts related to the Fortescue Metals Group railway line.