Healesville Sanctuary staff are enjoying another world first breeding success with baby platypus Ember.By Monique Ebrington
HEALESVILLE Sanctuary staff are enjoying another world-first breeding success with a baby platypus named after her unique sense of timing.
Ember was born early December, however, it wasn’t until just after the Victorian bushfires that she emerged from her burrow.
It is now the second year in a row that the keeping team have successfully bred platypus, with twins produced in 2008.
Although the platypus is not a threatened species, breeding them in captivity is a rare event and Healesville Sanctuary is only one of two institutions to have recorded breeding success.
Healesville Sanctuary’s director John Gibbons said he was pleased by the success of the breeding program and the knowledge it provided the keepers.
“We created history last year with twin platypus from the same breeding pair as this season but are equally thrilled to have successfully bred two years in a row,” Mr Gibbons said.
“The conservation value of the captive breeding of platypus gives us exclusive knowledge if we ever needed an insurance population for the future survival of this unique species.”
Ember will be housed in the purpose built BHP Billiton Platypusary, officially opened in 2005 to assist in this captive breeding program.
