San Diego Zoo Joins International Project to Save the Platypus
The San Diego Zoo is embarking on a new international project with partners to help save a unique and rare species — the platypus.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is actually the only zoo outside of Australia where guests can see a platypus. Now, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is teaming up with other conservation organizations to help ensure the species’ survival.
Interestingly, not much is currently known about the platypus, the San Diego Zoo said. The animals, obviously, have a beaver-like tail, a flat bill, and webbed feet. Although mammals, they lay eggs. And, according to research, their numbers are only going to continue to decline.
Research shows that the geographic range for the platypus has declined 21%, and that number will likely to reach 40% in 50 years. Because of that, there is an urgent need to study the animals and better understand climate change impacts and triggers.
To do so, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is teaming up with the Taronga Conservation Society Australia, which maintains a platypus conservation facility with the capacity to house up to 65 platypuses, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
Along with actually breeding platypuses, the researchers behind the program hope to use the facility to develop emergency response strategies to help platypus in the future. This could include a genome resource bank and related databases to better understand and protect wild platypus populations.
If you’d like to see a platypus for yourself, check out our complete guide to the Safari Park.
Media credit: Image licensed from Adobe
Mike Peterson is a writer, editor, and strategist based in San Diego. When he’s not writing and editing the La Jolla news, you can often find him practicing yoga, rock climbing, or exploring the outdoors with his wife and dog.
