Police arrested 26-year-old man who stole platypus from Morayfield
A platypus is still missing as police arrested a man who allegedly took it onto a train and into a shopping centre.
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A platypus is still missing as police arrested a man who allegedly took it on to a train and into a shopping centre.
Police allege around 12.30pm on Tuesday a 26-year-old man took a platypus from a Morayfield waterway and hopped on to a train accompanied by a woman.
The couple took the train from Morayfield to Caboolture.
Police allege the pair were showing the animal to people walking past on the train and in the shopping centre.
On Thursday police found the 26-year-old man on a train in Caboolture around 12.30pm.
He was charged with one count each of taking protected animal class one offence and restriction on keeping or using taken protected animal class one offence.
He was due to appear at Caloundra Magistrates Court on April 8.
Police said they were told the animal - whose condition was unknown - was released into the Caboolture river but had not been located by authorities.
They said a woman had spoken with police and investigations were ongoing.
On Thursday David Fleay Wildlife Park ranger Claudette Merrick said platypus had a venomous spike on their back legs, which in extreme cases can be fatal. In all cases the venom is painful.
Ms Merrick said the animal was quite territorial so it was not as simple as just releasing it into another waterway.
Police advised anyone who was “lucky” enough to see a platypus in the wild to keep their distance.
“Taking a platypus from the wild is not only illegal but it can be dangerous for both the displaced animal and the person involved,” a police statement said.
“Never pat, hold or take an animal from the wild.”
The fine for keeping a platypus take from its natural habitat can be up to $350,000.
Police on the hunt to find men who stole platypus
Wildlife rescuers and police have renewed calls for a platypus to be handed in after the native animal was taken from its native habitat.
Two men were seen on the train at Morayfieldm an hour and a half from the Gold Coast on Tuesday afternoon with the platypus.
Gold Coast police Acting Superintendent Scott Knowles said the pair were showing passengers the animal and letting them pat it.
“We do have the identity of those people but we don’t know the whereabouts of them or the platypus,” he said.
“Some of the information we have received from a member of the community was (the pair) indicated they’d located it on an actual roadway and took it with the intention of releasing it.”
The pair got off the train at Caboolture with the platypus.
Acting Supt Knowles said concern was high for the platypus.
“Also the wellbeing of people because these animals do present a danger to the community,” he said.
Acting Supt Knowles made the appeal at David Fleay Wildlife Park in Burleigh in the platypus enclosure which housed another platypus named Wally who is 10-years-old.
Wally was hand-raised in captivity after being washed away from his mother during a flooding event on the Gold Coast as a baby.
Male platypus have a venomous spike on its back legs which in extreme cases can be fatal. In all cases the venom is painful.
It is unknown if the missing platypus is male or female.
Ranger Claudette Merrick said platypus are high maintenance creatures when not in their natural environment.
“Underwater they will forage for 12 to 13 hours,” she said.
“Also their body temperature needs to be a certain degrees.
“It their body temperature does get over 30 degrees this can be quite fatal to the platypus.”
She said it was not known how long a platypus could survive outside its natural habitat without specialist care as they had never been in a similar situation.
Ms Merrick said the animal was quite territorial so it was not as simple as just releasing it into another waterway.
She had a message for the pair with the platypus.
“Please contact the RSPCA … contact someone,” she said.
“The platypus needs to go back into its natural habitat.
“It does need to be checked over.
“It does need to come in with the next day or two or it be very malnourished.”
The fine for keeping a platypus take from its natural habitat can be up to $350,000.
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