This animal had not appeared for decades for decades before being finally photographed again.
With drought, human intervention on its habitat and the introduction of predators, this species sees its population declined. The places in which it was decreased by 22% since 1990, reports the Bbc. The decline of the population could reach 30% over the next 20 years if nothing changes. The species is then classified as “almost threatened” and “in danger”.
The probability of seeing such an animal today has become so rare that WWF-Australia has set up the “Eyes on Country” program. It helps indigenous communities in Australia monitor fauna thanks to their knowledge, but also to advanced technologies such as drones or artificial intelligence. This aims to preserve the country’s unique biodiversity. More than 400,000 images were taken and then analyzed.
On one of them, the Rangers of Djabugay Bulmba finally found this endangered species. Out of four shots taken from rivers north of Kuranda, an ornithorynque appears, briefly rising to the surface. He was surprised swimming under a bouquet of reeds before disappearing underwater. In this region, he had not been seen for sixty years when before it was “the country of the ornithorynque”, as specified Wwf. A feat for the organization that saw this mission as the research “of a needle in a hay boot”.
This semi-aquatic and laying mammal is known for its duck beak, its beaver tail and its otter legs. He finds himself in eastern Australia and Tasmania. This animal which has always intrigued can be poisonous: the male has on its posterior legs of a sting which can release venom strong enough to paralyze a human member.
This observation testifies to the survival of the species, which reassures the inhabitants of the region who then hope that they continue to reproduce. “Everyone was so happy. It was the first time that everyone has seen one around Kuranda,” said Ranger Alfred Hunter to Yahoo News. “It is not only a conservation project. It is also a culture and people project,” said Emma Spencer, coordinator of Eyes on Country in WWF-Australia. These images will, in addition, be able to be used to better recognize ornithorynques in the wild in the future.