Video: Platypus emerges into creek after recent rain

The sighting of a platypus in a creek on Brisbane’s outskirts has given one landowner hope the species has survived the drought in her area.

THE sighting of a platypus in a creek on Brisbane’s outskirts has given one landowner hope the species has survived the drought in her area.

Denise Ravenscroft not only saw the shy creature in a waterhole on her property Ravenswood Wildlife Refuge north west of Brisbane after last week’s rain, she managed to capture rare photos and video of it on the surface.

Mrs Ravenscroft said the creek had been dry, except for one waterhole, during what she said was the worst drought she had seen in 34 years.

She went searching the creek after last weekend’s rain.

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“I kept looking and looking and couldn’t find any signs of platypus,” she said.

This platypus has survived the drought at Ravenswood Wildlife Refuge north west of Brisbane. Picture: Denise Ravenscroft

Initially she was upset as it was still “bone dry” upstream of the waterhole despite the rain (the creek only started flowing Sunday morning).

“There were the telltale concentric ripples in the water. Watching from the upper bank, I held my breath in anticipation.

“He swam out to the log that is still high and dry in the centre of the pond, and resting there, scratched and scratched and scratched himself for an absolute age, to clean all those months of old smelly creek water out of his fur.”

Platypus - a rare sighting of an elusive, extraordinary Aussie animal. Excerpt from Wikipedia...

Posted by Rescue Ravenswood on Friday, 10 May 2019

She said it important that creeks be preserved so they still had habitats.

“What is critical is waterholes that have steep bank on both sides,” she said.

“Platypuses make these tunnels, really deep underground. Trampling by cattle can destroy those.

“If you have a gallery of trees in your riparian band that overhangs the creek and gives a good canopy, first of all you’ve got the protection of the shade which protects the water from algal blooms and you’ve got massive tree roots that protect the bank.

“Those tree roots are usually where the platypus would be.”

Steep banks also helped keep predators, such as foxes, at bay.

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“Although we had all that the water had dropped so low the entire banks on both sides were exposed completely,” Mrs Ravenscroft said.

“It’s incredibly rare (to get footage of a platypus in the wild). The footage I got of it scratching on the log is unbelievable.

“Generally you only see them swimming in the water. It’s incredibly rare to see one out of the water doing anything.

“It was an incredible fluke I happened to be there then.”

Mrs Ravenscroft said that apart from damage to the environment, platypuses were at risk from opera-house-style yabby traps, despite changes to the law in 2015 to make them safer.

“Tragically animals are still being found drowned in these traps. Older traps with larger openings are still being used illegally,” she said.

An opera house-style trap found in a north Queensland creek recently. Picture: Peter Carruthers

A Fisheries Queensland spokesman said the 2015 changes were designed to reduce the impact of freshwater fishing traps on non-target species including platypus, turtles and water rats.

The use of funnel traps including opera house traps, round traps and concertina traps, was restricted by trap entrance and geographical use in Queensland.

Solid floats with a minimum dimension of 15cm were introduced to reduce the impact of ghost fishing by lost and abandoned traps.

Open-top pyramid traps were also introduced as an option for recreational fishers to use in all freshwaters of Queensland.

“Since the changes, Fisheries Queensland has received no confirmed reports of platypus deaths in traps that comply with the new rules,” the spokesman said.

For more about Ravenswood Wildlife Refuge (which is not open to the public) see facebook.com/wildliferave/