Platypuses Returns To Australian National Park For First Time In 50 Years

May 16, 2023

Platypuses have returned to the Royal National Park in Sydney for the first time since they disappeared 50 years ago.

platypus return
Australian platypus in the wild

No confirmed platypus sightings have been reported in the park since the 1970s. The species is believed to have disappeared from the national park after a major chemical spill on the Princes Highway.

In a joint effort between the University of New South Wales, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, WWF-Australia and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, five female platypus have been reintroduced to the park with a group of males to follow next week.

Conservationists are hopeful the platypuses will multiply and thrive. Each platypus will be tracked for the next two years.

"We're just looking to see if these platypus survive," said Rob Brewster of WWF-Australia. "If they do, then obviously breeding, the establishing of burrows and a next generation is a midterm success indicator. And beyond that we want to see these platypus spreading out."

"(It is) very exciting for us to see platypuses come back into the park, for a thriving population here to establish themselves and for Sydneysiders to come and enjoy this amazing animal," said Gilad Bino, a researcher from UNSW'S Centre for Ecosystem Science.

Watch the video below.