Global Courant 2023-05-14 04:45:00
SYDNEY – The platypus, a species unique to Australia, was reintroduced Friday to the country’s oldest national park just south of Sydney in a landmark conservation project after disappearing from the area more than half a century ago.
Known for its beak, webbed feet and venomous spurs, the platypus is one of only two egg-laying mammals in the world and spends most of its time in the water at night.
Due to its reclusive nature and very specific habitat needs, most Australians have never seen one in the wild.
The move is a collaboration between the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Taronga Conservation Society Australia, World Wild Fund for Nature Australia and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Four females were released Friday into the Royal National Park, which was established in 1879 and is the second oldest national park in the world.
No confirmed platypus sightings have been reported since the 1970s in the park, located about 35 km or an hour’s drive south of Sydney.
The move comes at a time when the platypus is under increasing threat from habitat destruction, river encroachment, feral predators and extreme weather events such as drought and wildfires.
Estimates of the current population vary widely, from 30,000 to about 300,000.
“(It’s) very exciting for us to see platypuses coming back to the park, for a thriving population here to settle down and for Sydneysiders to come and enjoy this amazing animal,” said Dr Gilad Bino, a researcher from UNSW’s Center for Ecosystem Science.
The platypuses, which live along Australia’s east coast and in Tasmania, were collected from several locations in the southeastern state of New South Wales and subjected to various tests before being moved.
Each platypus will be tracked for the next two years to better understand how to intervene and relocate the species in the event of drought, wildfires or floods, researchers said. REUTERS
