The platypus population in Royal National Park, south of Sydney, has grown to at least 20 animals, ABC News reports. Platypuses disappeared from the park more than 50 years ago following an oil spill.
Researchers from UNSW released 10 platypuses in 2023, three more in 2025 and another four this May, with three more planned for next year. Surveys have now found four juveniles born in the park, confirming at least two successful breeding seasons. The first, a puggle named Gilli, meaning flame in the Dharawal language, was born in 2024.
Dr Gilad Bino, who leads the project, said 17 animals had been released and the tally is now 20. For a shy, hard-to-count species under pressure across much of its range, a population that is growing on its own is exactly what scientists hoped to see.
Source: ABC News (Australia)