Just Accepted
This article has been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. It is in production and has not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.
Translocation of a rehabilitated juvenile platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
Abstract
The success of rehabilitated juvenile animals after release is poorly studied. This study monitored the behaviour and habitat use of a juvenile male platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) found in poor body condition on a driveway and rehabilitated, before undergoing an inter-catchment translocation. Radio telemetry tracked his movements and resting locations for 18 days during which he used more vegetation for shelter than burrows. After 8 days in the creek near the release site, he travelled through drains into a swamp, potentially displaced by resident platypuses, where the signal was lost. The results demonstrate significant challenges in post-release survival, including burrow creation. This case highlights the importance of monitoring animals after release.
AM24040 Accepted 17 January 2025
© CSIRO 2025
