Platypus Month 2024
Every August is Platypus Month!
Late Winter is the best time of year to go Platypus spotting, as these normally nocturnal animals are active during the day in the leadup to the breeding season.
If you decide to go Platypus spotting this month, you should report any sightings to your local waterwatch or conservation groups! These shy animals are hard to track and any sightings help keep tabs on where they're living and how well populations are doing. If you're in the ACT and you spot a Platypus this month please record the sighting via the ACT Waterwatch website!
Another thing you should keep an eye out for is illegal traps. In the ACT, yabby traps are illegal in every public waterway, and with good reason. Sadly, a lot of Platypus and Native Water Rats, or Rakali, are killed when they get entangled in traps or abandoned fishing equipment. Here is ACT Waterwatch's list of signs that there may be an illegal yabby trap in the water:
- A rope or string tied close to the bank and going into the waterway
- A plastic bottle bobbing in a fixed position in the stream
- A lonely fishing float or a small plastic ball not moving with the current
If you do spot a yabby trap in ACT waters you should report it to Crime Stoppers or Access Canberra.
Good luck to any Platty spotters and Happy Platypus month!
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