SYDNEY, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Australia's unique platypus is making a strong return to the wild, as scientists expand a pioneering reintroduction project in Royal National Park near Sydney.
With new funding and early breeding success, conservationists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) were hopeful that the park will soon host a robust, self-sustaining population of this iconic species, according to a release from UNSW Sydney on Friday.
The egg-laying mammal native to eastern Australia is one of the world's most extraordinary animals, with a duck-like bill, webbed feet, and the ability to detect prey using electroreception.
Building on a successful initial release in 2023, researchers have now introduced three additional platypuses to the park's Hacking River, with plans to reintroduce a total of 10 over the next three years, the release said.
The initiative, led by the Platypus Conservation Initiative at UNSW Sydney, aimed to bolster genetic diversity and secure a stable, self-sustaining population, it said.
Early results were promising, with nine of the original ten platypuses surviving their first year and confirmed breeding indicating a thriving wild population, said UNSW conservationists.
"It's not just a scientific success -- it's a restoration of what was lost," said Gilad Bino, lead researcher at UNSW's Center for Ecosystem Science.
A recent injection of 630,000 Australian dollars from Peabody's Metropolitan Mine, one of the country's top coal producers, will fund the next stage of the project, supporting further platypus releases, comprehensive monitoring, and adaptive management over the next few years, the release said.
Researchers are using advanced tracking and remote monitoring to study platypus movements and behavior, providing valuable insights that will inform future conservation strategies across Australia. ■
