Three Platypuses return to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Four more platypuses from Tidbinbilla remain at Taronga Zoo.

The newly-returned platypuses are fitted with tracking devices and will be researched in a joint effort by Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, UNSW and Taronga Zoo.

"Findings are anticipated to improve understanding of platypus habitat requirements not only specifically for Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve but also for the management of wild populations of platypus," UNSW researcher Dr Gilad Bino said.

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve Senior Wildlife Officer Dr Jennifer Pearson says that the logistics of moving wild animals is complex.

"This is something we haven't often tried in the past, evacuating animals from wild situations and housing them captivity for a few months," she said.

"So we wanted to bring them back in two different groups, and we are monitoring this group right now."

"We are planing on bringing the next group back in a week or so."

Wildlife Conservation Officer at Taronga Zoo Dr Pheobe Meagher, said that staff nurtured the platypuses while ensuring they didn't become reliant on humans.

"We kept them in enclosures that were representative of how they were living in the wild," she said.

"Instead of hand-feeding non-live food, they typically fed the platypuses live yabbies."

"[The platypuses] were in Taronga for four months and in that time most of them almost doubled in weight."

'[That] means that when they do go back now they have those reserves. They will need those reserves to try and acclimatise to wild conditions."

Taronga Zoo aims to increase their bandwidth to assist in future bushfire related wildlife evacuations.

ACT Environment and Heritage Minister Mick Gentleman says he is confident that a successful evacuation of wildlife during a bushfire season could be done again.

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"[ACT Emergency Services Agency] were well prepared for the bushfire season and did an amazing job in keeping us all safe as well as assisting moving some these animals at the same time," he said

"We have our bushfire plan in place for this year and hopefully it won't be as bad as what the last one was."

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve remains closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions.