Three platypuses at the center of an emergency evacuation during Australia’s scorching bushfire season have been released back into their natural habitat.
Rescuers transported the animals from Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve near Canberra to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo this past December, while bushfires ran rampant, and their watery habitats came close to dissolving due to the extreme drought, the Australian Broadcasting Company reported.
Dr. Phoebe Meagher with the Taronga Zoo said researchers had to act quickly because the bushfires were predicted to sweep the area in a matter of days.
“With the help of the University of New South Wales, we got out the nets and the tinny — and we managed to save seven platypus from the drying creeks,” she said.
Recent rainfall in the area means it is now safe for the platypuses to return to their habitat at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.
“We’ve had lots of rain, the creeks are full, and there’s lots of food available,” Dr. Meagher said.
A video of conservation workers releasing the platypuses in the wild showed that the animals did not leave the zoo empty-handed.
The returned platypuses have been outfitted with some high-tech trackers to better understand their movements and behaviors of a species that is elusive and going extinct.
Dr. Meagher said a second group of platypuses would be returned to the wild in the coming weeks.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.