Charges will be pressed against a 26-year-old man seen holding a platypus whilst boarding a Caboolture-bound train at Morayfield Station.
The platypus was seen wrapped in a towel as the man with his female companion boarded the train on Tuesday morning, 4 April 2023. The police allege the animal was removed from a waterway in Morayfield.
Police charged the man with one count each of taking a protected animal and breaching restrictions on keeping or taking a protected animal. Both charges are considered class 1 offences under Queensland law and if found guilty, the man could face a fine of more than $430,000.
Whilst police are yet to determine the exact whereabouts of the platypus and its condition, they were advised that it was already released into the Caboolture River.
Police on Wednesday urged the pair to take the monotreme to the nearest vet, police station, or RSPCA shelter, as the longer it stays out of its natural habitat, the higher the chances of it becoming sick or dying.
They reportedly showed the platypus to others on the train and allowed people to pat it. Police expressed concern about the risks of diseases being transmitted between people and animals. The police also said that platypuses have a venomous spur that can cause serious injury.
Platypuses are native to rivers east of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland and some western-flowing streams and have a unique diet which includes crustaceans, shrimps, fish eggs, tadpoles, insects and worms. Their body temperature should not exceed 30 degrees Celsius, or it can be fatal to them.
The man is scheduled to appear in the Caboolture Magistrates Court on Saturday 8 April 2023.
Published 6-April-2023
