Australian Platypus Conservancy (Official) in Campbells Creek, Victoria | Non-profit organisation

Australian Platypus Conservancy (Official)

Locality: Campbells Creek, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 5416 1478

Address: PO Box 115 3451 Campbells Creek, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.platypus.asn.au/

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25.01.2022 Pete Walsh continues to get some fascinating footage of platypus in the Hobart Rivulet; see: https://www.facebook.com/hobartrivuletplatypus/videos/229483571852400 Also checkout the above link if you want to help monitor and protect this important platypus population located just a few kilometres from the CBD of the Tasmanian capital.

25.01.2022 Check out this very classy platypus tattoo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGSyan0n8--/

24.01.2022 Our thanks to Amy Bartlett of Wild Scrubs for a recent donation. Wild Scrubs is a small business on the Sunshine Coast that sells hand-made animal-print scrubs, surgical accessories, scrunchies and pet bandanas. All purchases from Wild Scrubs contribute directly every month to a wildlife conservation organisation or project. Check out the great range of Wild Scrubs products at https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/WildScrubsAU or visit https://www.facebook.com/wildscrubsau/ The Australian Platypus Conservancy is a non-profit research and conservation charity that is grateful for the support of Wild Scrubs and other concerned individuals and organisations. If you would like to donate to the APC please email us on [email protected].

22.01.2022 Until now it has been thought that platypus usually defecate in the water; platypus scats are rarely found on dry land. However, a remarkable video by Pete Walsh has captured footage of a platypus deliberately climbing out of the creek and depositing a poo at the top of the bank - see https://www.facebook.com/hobartrivuletplatypus/videos/819770458756290 Pete has also taken photos of lots of platypus scats in the same area, suggesting that it is used as a platypus toilet - something that, as far as we are aware, has never been reported previously.

22.01.2022 Many platypus become entangled in litter, especially in urban waterways see recent photo (courtesy Denise Illing) of a platypus in the Yarra River with a loop caught around its neck. Other species of native wildlife are also killed or injured by litter, barbed wire, fruit netting, and fishing line/tackle. The full extent of this problem is unknown. Entangled Wildlife Australia is a new citizen science project in which wildlife rescuers, environmental groups or members of the general community will be able to record entanglement incidents through the Atlas of Living Australia website or via the BioCollect app. For details see: https://biocollect.ala.org.au//23409a0b-6873-40a1-b291-f7e

17.01.2022 Eight platypus 6 males and 2 females were recorded during a trapping survey along the Coliban River at Malmsbury on Friday night conducted by Australian Platypus Conservancy researchers, assisted by members of Malmsbury Landcare Group. All platypus were in good condition - see photo of young adult male after being released back to the wild. Platypus were encountered at all five of the sites where nets were set at intervals along 3 kilometres of river channel. The results were similar to a 2001 APC survey in the same area and particularly welcome given a recent public statement by a consulting firm that there are no ‘healthy’ populations in the Coliban, based on eDNA sampling in 2019.

16.01.2022 You have to be reasonably lucky to spot a platypus as it emerges from its burrow but Matthew Higgins managed it recently as he caught this image of a platypus whose rear fur appears still to be dry as it glides into the water. Platypus have a double layer of fur which traps air around their body to help keep them warm. The fur is also extremely dense with over 600 fibres per square millimetre - more than a polar bear! Plus the fur is reasonably water repellant - a platypus will normally dry off within a very short time of leaving the water.

14.01.2022 For some great photos of platypus and water-rats/rakali taken by Nicholas Rowlands in one of the Gunbower lagoons yesterday see: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/ Gunbower Creek and its associated lagoons contain one of the most important platypus populations in the Murray River system. We're very grateful to Nicholas for all his help in keeping track of platypus in the area.

13.01.2022 Many thanks to Yarra Ranges Council and especially Jen Ellison for hosting Saturday’s webinar on platypus conservation and monitoring. A big thanks also to Mike Smith and his staff at Optus Business Centre Bendigo for installing the APC’s new Mobile Broadband connection on Friday, just in time for Saturday’s webinar. The new system seems to have finally solved the internet problems related to our NBN connection and hopefully opens up the way for many future webinars and similar on-line events about platypus and rakali.

12.01.2022 The current edition of Platypus News & Views (no. 82, November 2020) can now be viewed in the Newsletter section of the APC website www.platypus.asn.au. In this edition you can read about: * Results of a recent APC survey at Malmsbury which confirmed a healthy platypus population in the lower Coliban River. * Some hypotheses about the meaning of new research showing that platypus 'glow' in UV light. * The platypus 'hotspots' from 2020 APMN (Australian Platypus Monito...ring Network) results. * Platypus mating behaviour filmed in Melbourne's suburbs. * Fascinating video of a platypus having a poo on land! * New Platypus Services Alliance provides a "one stop shop" for platypus technical advice. * APC offers platypus and rakali webinar services. You are welcome to reproduce any of the material from PN&V for non-profit, educational purposes, subject to acknowledgement of the APC as the source.

11.01.2022 Is the platypus extinct on the mainland of South Australia? There are occasional credible reports of animals in the upper section of the Murray River in SA and in a short stretch of the lower Glenelg River that loops into Victoria. Apart from that, reports are somewhat sketchy and, in most cases, probably a misidentification of the native water-rat/rakali. However, this weekend we received details of a platypus sighting in the Torrens River at Paradise in Adelaide’s outer e...astern suburbs which was more convincing than usual. The person reporting, Chris Hogben, is familiar with water-rats/rakali and has previously seen platypus in the wild. He first thought the animal was a water-rat but became 100% convinced that it was a platypus after getting a good view of bill and tail. He was only 5-6 metres from the animal i.e. at a distance where positive identification should be feasible and estimates that he and his wife were able to observe it for at least 2 minutes. On the other hand, the animal’s behaviour as described swimming into shallow reeds and being harassed by waterfowls is certainly more typical of rakali and, unfortunately, Mr Hogben didn’t have a phone/camera with him. Accordingly, the report doesn't meet the high standard required to register it as a definite sighting on the Atlas of Living Australia for a waterway where the species has been presumed extinct for some decades. Nevertheless, this report certainly opens the intriguing possibility that the platypus may still occur in parts of mainland South Australia. We urge anyone who thinks they have seen a platypus to contact us on [email protected] to discuss the details of their sighting. And please remember that you can also report any sightings of platypus and water-rats/rakali on the APC website www.platypus.asn.au (PS Kangaroo Island is the only part of South Australia that has a substantial platypus population, which became established there after animals were translocated from Healesville in Victoria in the 1940s. How the KI population is faring after last summer’s bushfires is currently unknown.) See more

09.01.2022 Rivendell Bicycle Works in California has produced a great platypus T-shirt and is very generously donating $6 to the Conservancy for each one sold. For details go to: https://www.rivbike.com//platypus-pride-o-the-cosmos-short Rivendell will also be launching an exciting new bike named The Platypus in a few weeks time. Our thanks to Rivendell for supporting platypus conservation.

01.01.2022 Don't miss this great new Facebook page about the important platypus population in the Hobart Rivulet, only a few kilometres from the centre of Tasmania's capital: https://www.facebook.com/hobartrivuletplatypus

01.01.2022 Eleven platypus were spotted last week in a 2 kilometre section of the Goulburn River near Alexandra by local trout expert Ian Gibb. Finding such good numbers is very pleasing at a time when the platypus is being considered for listing as 'Vulnerable' in Victoria. Ian is one of a number of keen anglers who regularly report their platypus and water-rat/rakali sightings to the APC (which, in turn, passes on all validated sightings to the Atlas of Living Australia). Anglers are often in a great position to spot these species, especially in the more remote locations where other potential observers are sparse. So we encourage all anglers to report all sightings via the APC website (www.platypus.asn.au) or by email to [email protected]