Platypus in the Yanco Creek System
Understanding distribution and population status
There are several historical records of platypus within the Billabong and Yanco Creek system (Atlas of Living Australia) however there is no further information about the extent or size of the population. No detailed assessment of the population has ever been conducted. The community and landholders of the Yanco Creek System value the resident platypus population and the iconic species has been used by the community to argue the need to maintain perennial flows (Figure 2). In 2017, an injured platypus was rescued from the Colombo Creek and sent to Taronga Zoo for veterinary care. This rescue re-iterated the vulnerability of platypus in the system and highlighted the lack of knowledge around where, and how many platypuses reside in the creek system. In 2020 the Yanco Creek and Tributaries Advisory Council (YACTAC) highlighted the need to better understand the ecology of platypus in the creek system, including this as a priority objective in the Yanco Creek System Strategic Plan (McNeil and Thompson, 2020).
YACTAC was the major funder of this report: Platypus in the Yanco Creek System