A small but ferocious micro-predator related to the Tasmanian Devil has been reintroduced to Sturt National Park, more than a century after being declared extinct in NSW.
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Nineteen crest-tailed mulgara have been translocated from a remote site in South Australia to a 2000-hectare feral-free area in Sturt National Park near Tibooburra in the far north west of the state.
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"As a micro-predator, the mulgara plays a critical ecological role," NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean said.
"This project is not just about saving the mulgara, it is also about helping to restore the health of the desert ecosystems in Sturt National Park."
The University of NSW's Wild Deserts and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service collaborated in moving the mulgara back into NSW.
Seven mammal species are to be reintroduced to Sturt National Park including the greater bilby, burrowing bettong, western quoll and western barred bandicoot.
Mr Keen said Australia had the "worst mammal extinction rate in the world".
"..small marsupials like the crest-tailed mulgara have borne the brunt of feral cat predation, which wipes out 1.4 billion native animals every year across Australia," he said.
The Mulgara are still listed as extinct in NSW under its Biodiversity Conservation Act.
