I was looking through zoo maps and other information for where all of the platypus exhibits in the zoo world are. I came up with: Healesville Sanctuary Melbourne Zoo Taronga Zoo Wildlife Sydney Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary David Fleay Wildlife Park Are there any other zoos with platypus exhibits?
That is more than I expected. I thought there were only one or two. Has anyone successfully bred them?
Australian Reptile Park David Fleay Wildlife Park Healesville Sanctuary Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Melbourne Zoo Platypus House (at Beauty Point in Tasmania) Taronga Zoo Walkabout Creek Wildlife Park WILDLIFE Sydney Zoo
I think just those two. They were bred for the first time by David Fleay at Healesville back in the 1940s. Taronga was much more recently (initially 2002 I think). There was an unsuccessful breeding at David Fleay's in the 1970s (young found dead). The Warrawong Sanctuary also has bred them, but they live more or less wild there in artifical water systems.
During the Healesville "Tales of Platypus Creek" presentation the keeper mentioned that most of the breeding there has happened in the past decade. It seems that they have made some advances in platypus husbandry.
It would be interesting to know if anyone has visited all of these collections. I take platypus for granted but looking at the list, I've only visited four and actually seen the platypus at three (I think they moved from Sydney Aquarium to Wildlife Sydney and I saw them at the aquarium a few years ago).
I've seen platypus at Taronga Zoo, Melbourne Zoo, Healesville and either or possibly both of Sydney Wild Life Zoo and Sydney Aquarium (all back in 2007). I also visited Warrawong the same year but did not see any platypus there and Sydney Aquarium is now a dreaded Sea Life and does not even have platypus these days.
Yes that is correct. It was almost brand-new and called Sydney Wildlife World when I visited in May of 2007 (and I loved the place) and the aquarium definitely had platypuses next door and was simply named Sydney Aquarium. I just cannot recall if Sydney Wildlife World had platypuses as well but my guess is probably not. Merlin bought both places in 2011, changing their names to Wild Life Sydney Zoo and Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. I know that the aquarium has a couple of Dugongs, almost unheard of in captivity anywhere.
It's funny, but this actually hasn't happened to me - platypus are one of the only species where each time I see them I am as enchanted as I was the first time. In fact I can hardly think of any other animal where this is the case. The handful of times I've seen platypus in the wild are among my most cherished wildlife memories. As for the list of institutions, I've seen them at five of them. It is ludicrous to me that Adelaide and Perth do not have platypus, considering their appeal.
Wow there are a lot more playpuses (platypi?) than I thought. So now the question for us Americans is will they ever send a pair to San Diego (the only USA facility I think that would even have a shot)?
I've been to Healesville Sanctuary, Melbourne Zoo, Taronga Zoo, and WILDLIFE Sydney Zoo. I didn't manage to see the platypus at Taronga (or the short-beaked echidnas, so I had to leave the zoo having seen only one species of monotreme, which was the long-beaked echidna). WILDLIFE Sydney didn't yet have the platypus at that time either - the ones they have now did indeed come from the Sydney Aquarium, which is where I did see them (so same animals, different collection).
Does anybody know the numbers for each collection? I wonder if the Healesville breeding continues (and if other collections could start breeding too) whether we may see a tipping point where Adelaide and Perth might take on individuals. Surely a big drawcard for both zoos.
I think the keeper at Healesville said that they currently have 8 individuals and have had 10 babies born in their program. Lone Pine had two individuals on exhibit. That's all I know.
*Australian Reptile Park has two males *David Fleay Wildlife Park has one male *Healesville Sanctuary has two males and six females *Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has two males *Melbourne Zoo has one male *Platypus House has five which I'm not sure on (they don't have much info out there) but they seem to be mostly females *Taronga Zoo has four males and two females *Walkabout Creek Wildlife Park has two males *WILDLIFE Sydney Zoo has two females (these are the ones which used to be at the Sydney Aquarium)
