The ferny paradise was chosen, not because Christmas is coming up, but because it had a year-round water flow and plenty of dragon-fly larvae and other prey.
Before release, the platypus had had to “pass” tests in areas such as diving, catching prey, foraging in crevices and digging a burrow.
Goodbye my friends: the platypus surfaces before heading out along Christmas Creek.Credit: Jo Howell, Zoos Victoria
Thomas didn’t name the animal in order to stay detached.
However, “before I let him go, I said, ‘good luck mate’,” she said.
After release, the animal surfaced briefly, metres away, then disappeared.
“To see him swim off and be so confident in the flowing water, it was so exciting,” Thomas said.
Platypus paradise: Christmas Creek from above.Credit: Jo Howell, Zoos Victoria
“He looked like he was where he was meant to be.”
Thomas said the platypus’s mother could have died, or he may have become disoriented after weaning.
“We took care of him until he reached one year old, when he would normally disperse on his own.”
Thomas believes the animal now has a good chance of survival.
Saying goodbye: The moment the platypus was released.Credit: Jo Howell, Zoos Victoria
She praised the good samaritan cyclists. “Their kind act [taking him to Healesville Sanctuary] has given this young platypus a chance he would not have had otherwise.”
Platypuses are listed as Vulnerable in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
In early 2025, Healesville Sanctuary will open its first platypus intensive care unit, thanks to gifts of $1 million from the Zoos Victoria bushfire fund and private donors.
Thomas pointed out that “platypus don’t lie in a bed with an IV hooked up to their little flippers”.
Instead, after medical checks, recovering platypuses will be monitored by infra-red cameras, have free movement to swim in temperature-controlled, clean water and can snuggle in dry burrows made from timber, nesting material and PVC piping.
A pre-release section includes water rapids, a dive area and earthen banks for burrowing in.
Thomas said platypuses are a difficult species to look after because they’ve got specific requirements and so need a purpose-built facility.
She said the unit would “absolutely” benefit injured platypuses in future.
