Cardinia Creek is a self-contained stream system which arises on the slopes of the
Dandenong
Ranges
, and empties directly into
Western
Port
Bay
.
Platypus were once present along this waterway until about 20 years ago, when the infamous 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires incinerated virtually the entire Cardinia Creek catchment.
In April 2004, two young females, Beechy and Beacon, and a young male, Bayley, were collected from
Tarago
River
.
Before being released, they were all micro-chipped so they can be tracked to keep record of how they are adapting to their new home, which is the stream’s upper reaches of Cardinia Creek.
The animals were radio-tracked over the next two months to monitor their movements. The results indicated that all three settled in well to their new home.
Berwick
Veterinary
Hospital
is a proud sponsor of these three platypus.
To help with the on going cost of tracking the three platypus,
Berwick
Veterinary
Hospital
also donates annually to
The Australian Platypus Conservancy.
