A precious platypus has peacefully paddled off into the wild after receiving expert care for 10-months at Healesville Sanctuary.
A dedicated team of animal experts travelled to Mt Baw Baw in Victoria’s east to ensure he returned to a habitat where he could thrive in the wild.
They searched for the perfect home for the platypus, passing Hope Creek and Faith Creek before joyfully settling on Christmas Creek, with its abundance of dragonflies and connection to other waterways.
The young platypus was underweight, alone, and nowhere near a waterway, when a couple of cyclists found him in the middle of the road on a hot day in February this year. He wouldn’t have survived much longer on his own.
He was lethargic and in poor condition, with vets initially suspecting an eye injury.
However, it was later discovered that a leech had attached to his tiny eyeball.
Healesville Sanctuary platypus specialist Dr Jessica Thomas said the youngster was only a couple of months old as he still had his juvenile spur sheaths.
“He was a freshly emerged juvenile who likely became lost on his way to find water,” Dr Thomas said.
“My current research and prior experience suggest that fresh juveniles may still need their mother, so we took care of him until he reached the age of one when he would normally disperse on his own.”
This platypus needed to learn basic survival skills, so Dr Thomas created a detailed checklist of essential behaviours and milestones he needed to meet, including swimming in different currents, diving to various depths, resting in burrows, foraging in tricky spots, searching for food, grooming, and staying aware of predators.
He was put through its paces and so were the Sanctuary team who needed to call on the expertise of Baw Baw Frog researchers who could identify a suitable stream with reliable water flow near where he was originally found, and finally last week, the little platypus was returned home.
“It’s incredibly exciting that we were able to help this platypus and set him up to be successful,” Dr Thomas said.
“This is why we do this job. To the people who took the time to bring him to us, that kind act has given this young platypus a chance he would not have had otherwise.”
Sanctuary veterinarian Dr Lee Peacock said to reach this moment is an absolute joy after this sick platypus came in for care after hours.
The platypus was rehydrated with fluid, had ticks removed, underwent radiographs and a thorough physical examination.
Blood test revealed anaemia (low haematocrit or blood count) and a low burden of blood parasites.
“Many emotions are involved throughout this journey,” Dr Peacock said.
“Ultimately it boils down to seeing this platypus swim away back to his life, and I feel lucky to be a part of a team that helped this happen.
“These successes are what we strive for. So much accumulated knowledge and collaboration has contributed to this outcome.”
Platypus are listed as Vulnerable in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
Threats to their survival include litter and fishing line entanglement, loss of habitat from drought and altered flow regimes.
