A platypus was found in a channel joined to Kisses Lagoon, part of the Bega urban wetlands system, on 2 March. Linda Strom and Glenn Ludlow noticed the platypus while walking at the lagoon and took it to the local vet. The platypus was a young female, 25 cm long, weighing 335 grams. It was found to be in good health and was looked after during the day by a local WIRES animal rescue service volunteer, Michelle Bailey.

This discovery comes almost a year after the rescue of a platypus in the surf off TathraBeach, 1km from the Bega River mouth. It highlights the importance of our local wetlands, creeks and rivers as habitat for this unique egg-laying mammal.

The Platypus lives in burrows along the edges of rivers, creeks and associated pools, and feeds mainly at night in the water. Preferred food includes caddis, mayfly and dragonfly larvae, freshwater shrimps, crayfish and earthworms which it locates on stream beds. Studies have shown that an animal can occupy up to 2 kilometers of creek or river and that the young can disperse up to 15 kilometers. Best times to watch for platypus are dawn and dusk. During this time they are active, returning to the surface every 30 to 60 seconds to consume food and to breathe. Appearances at the surface are generally short and last only about 10-30 seconds.

Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) staff are unsure whether platypus are breeding in Kisses Lagoon or whether the platypus found last Friday travelled there during recent heavy rains. Platypuses are known to move out their usual habitat onto floodplains in search of food during high rainfall or flood events.

Chris Allen, who coordinates the Threatened Species Recovery Project (DEC), said they have been gathering information about the distribution of the species in the region and it is clear that the Platypus is still quite widespread, surviving in a number of permanent pools in the Bega, Brogo and Towamba Rivers and associated creeks.

Mr Allen also said that despite their widespread distribution, Platypus numbers now appear to be quite low in the region; far fewer than was here in the early years of European settlement. This is because they have struggled against high levels of sedimentation that have occurred in our rivers and the clearing of vegetation along their banks, both of which degrade their feeding grounds. High levels of water extraction for irrigation have also made survival more difficult in times of drought.

After discussions with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, members of Wires and the Bega River and Wetlands Landcare Group released the platypus into the Brogo River at dusk last Friday. The platypus began foraging for food at the edge of the riverbank as soon as it was released. The Landcare Group will monitor the site over the next few months and report any sightings.

The Threatened Species Recovery Project welcomes any information regarding any sightings of Platypus in the region. They are also planning a workshop in the near future that will aim to inform landholders and the wider community about this icon of our rivers and creeks. Hopefully one of the outcomes of this workshop will be a community-based monitoring program that can assist our understanding about how well the species is faring in our region.

For further information, please contact Chris Allen, Threatened Species Recovery Project. Department of Environment and Conservation, 64955008, chris.allen(at)environment.nsw.gov.au