"The Return of the Platypuses"

"Rescued from Australia's fires, a small fleet of wild platypuses is launched back into their wetland home and into an uncertain future."

"The platypus, liberated from the pillowcase in which it had been traveling, headed straight for water.

Sarah May, watching, marveled at its glossy coat and the smoothness of its movement. It was like a Slinky, she said: “It almost poured over the ground.” The platypus reached the still pond, slid in, and was gone. Dr. May had been anticipating this moment for months, but now that it had arrived, she found herself surprised at just how deeply moved she felt.

The glossy platypus, along with two others, arrived at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, a 45-minute drive from the Australian capital of Canberra, on April 30. They had been away for four months, sheltering at a zoo in Sydney. The cold, wet and windy day of their release could not have been more different from the day in late December when they had left the reserve."

The New York Times had the story with photographs by David Maurice Smith and text by Brooke Jarvis June 16, 2020.

Source: NYTimes, 06/17/2020