Taronga Western Plains Zoo opens its $12.1 million platypus refuge

Taronga Western Plains Zoo has opened its $12.1 million platypus refuge – ‘Platypus Rescue HQ’  - the largest purpose-built platypus conservation centre in the world.

The centre combines a research centre, rescue and rehabilitation facilities and a pre-release area to prepare recovered platypus into the wild.

Native to Australia, platypus have been endangered for decades, with their populations across Australia having seen a 31% decline over the past 30 years.

The huge, state-of-the-art research space which spans an impressive 2,800sqm (equivalent to more than two Olympic swimming pools) is home to 25 dual-chambered earth tubs and fifity 7,000 litre water tanks.

While it’s currently home to only one adult male platypus by the name of Mackenzie, the additional capacity (it could house up to 65 platypus) exists to house creatures in need in the case of drought, bushfire or flood, with Minister for Climate Change and the Environment Penny Sharpe describing the project as about "preparing for the worst while hoping for the best."

As well as providing potential refuge in the case of emergencies, the facility is focused on monitoring playtypus behaviour and preparing them for release into the wild – in the hope of boosting the platypus population, which currently stands at around 300,000.

The Platypus is the animal emblem of Taronga Conservation Society Australia and the state of NSW. It has swum the fresh waters of eastern Australia and Tasmania for thousands of years, but remains a secretive and elusive creature.

The amphibious Platypus is a monotreme and one of the most unusual creatures on Earth. Monotremes are a unique group of mammals that lay soft-shelled eggs. The only other monotremes are the echidnas.

Monotremes are thought to be the most primitive of all mammals. A 122 million-year old fossil from southeastern Australia, shows that in the middle of the dinosaur era, platypuses already existed, and they are specialized mammals, with duckbills and complex adaptations to water life.

Platypus Rescue HQ will not only give guests an intimate experience with this unique species, but also provides a literal window into modern conservation and research, with guests able to look out over the refuge and see conservation in action.

The new centre builds on Taronga’s existing conservation work to support the platypus and will see cutting-edge research delivered in partnership with the University of NSW’s Centre for Ecosystem Science thanks to support from and collaboration with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and WIRES.

Researchers and staff will work to refine the conservation strategy for platypus by filling knowledge gaps across the species’ breeding behaviour, biology and genetics, and developing an evidence-based approach to support future emergency rescue interventions. 

Other facts about Platypus Rescue HQ!

• Platypus Rescue HQ utilises just over half a megalitre of water, including 350,000 litres within the refuge, 16,000 litres in the research facility, 8,000 litres in the exhibit and another 112,500 litres in the refuge plantroom pumps.

• 10,405 litres of water moving around the facility a minute – that’s equivalent to 10 tonnes of water every minute

• Over a kilometre of filtration piping

• No water is wasted. The filtration system losing just 3% of its total water volume per week through backwashes and evaporation. This ‘lost’ water is then directed to the zoo’s waterways including the Savannah Lake

The facility is now open to the public, so if you’re visiting Taronga’s Dubbo zoo, you’ll be able to see Mackenzie splashing and swimming in his new home.

Image top: Mackenzie is a 23 year-old male platypus who lived at Taronga Zoo Sydney for years before making the journey out to Dubbo in January 2024.