Since the world has been a little heavy with bad news recently, here’s something to feel good about: a precious little platypus has been successfully returned to the wild following ten months of expert care.
The young platypus was found underweight, alone and in the middle of the road on a hot summer's day back in February. The good samaritans who found him (while out cycling near Mt Baw Baw) quickly delivered him into the care of vets at Healesville Sanctuary, where his recovery was overseen by platypus specialist Dr Jessica Thomas.
He needed to be rehydrated with fluid and underwent a full physical exam and radiographs. The results determined he had ticks, anemia, a low burden of blood parasites and a leech attached to his eye.
“He was a freshly emerged juvenile who likely became lost on his way to find water,” said Dr Thomas. “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.”
During his stay, Dr Thomas and the sanctuary team were able to teach the youngster basic survival skills and essential behaviours he needed to meet before returning to the wild, including swimming in different currents, diving to various depths, resting in burrows, foraging in tricky spots and searching for food.
Following his recovery, the team called on the expertise of Baw Baw frog researchers to help identify a suitable stream with reliable water flow near where he was originally found. They were finally able to set him free in Christmas Creek – a scenic little spot filled with dragonflies and connected waterways.
“It’s incredibly exciting that we were able to help this platypus and set him up to be successful,” said Dr Thomas. “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.”
Hear hear!
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