Source: UNSW News - November 2, 2023

On the banks of a Snowy Mountains river in the early hours of the morning, two scientists huddle round a fire in near-freezing temperatures.

Platypus experts from UNSW Sydney, Dr Gilad Bino and Dr Tahneal Hawke, are on a mission to select 10 of the animals from the wild – six females and four males – to be the founding members of a new population of platypuses in Royal National Park. The platypus has not been seen there for more than half a century, prompting experts to conclude it has been locally extinct for decades.

Gilad and Tahneal are no strangers to these rugged conditions, having long been involved with conservation programs to protect platypuses against the confounding threats of climate change, vanishing habitats due to human development and disconnected waterways.

But they're part of a larger, equally dedicated team of partner organisations that have joined forces to restore this iconic animal to its rightful place in Royal National Park.

UNSW Sydney, led by Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science Professor Richard Kingsford, has a strong track record in rewilding projects and restoration of Australia's threatened native fauna.

After engaging with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services to ensure the project was a good fit with the park's environmental and conservation goals, the UNSW team partnered with two other organisations with a long history in animal welfare.

Taronga Conservation Society – a not-for-profit organisation affiliated with Sydney and Dubbo's famous zoos – would play a vital role in looking after the welfare of the platypuses selected to be the founding members of a new Royal National Park population.

And WWF-Australia, whose raison d'être is to prevent vast numbers of wild, unique Australian animals from being pushed to the edges of existence, was instrumental in funding this project.

For the UNSW conservation scientists, the platypus project follows three years of careful planning that was almost derailed by the severe flooding events of 2022. But such is their passion to protect this unique animal, not even dangerous weather could dampen their enthusiasm to see the project through. Being wet, uncomfortable and sleep-deprived is all par for the course when you've got one of the best jobs in the world.

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