#platypus — Public Fediverse posts

Death trap: Killing Australian wildlife with everyday items

"Flying foxes make up two-thirds of all entanglement cases in NSW"

"But it’s not just flying foxes – entanglements affect hundreds of different species, mostly mammals and birds, including kangaroos, platypus, raptors and gliders....Hungry animals, especially flying foxes, birds and possums, are attracted to flowers and fruits, and get easily caught in “large-aperture” nets, where the mesh size is greater than 5mm. The rule of thumb is that if you can poke a finger through it, it’s not safe for wildlife."

"Aquatic debris makes up about 10% of entanglement cases, according to NSW wildlife rescue data. Fishing line is probably the most difficult type of litter for platypus to cope with, and causes horrendous injuries – it basically just cuts through the skin.” >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/11/everyday-items-catching-killing-native-animals-how-to-help-tangled-wildlife
#biodiversity #wildlife #bats #birds #platypus #traps #entanglement #fencing #netting #FishingGear #Plastic #garbage #BarbedWire #fences #Hairties #fruit #food #gardens
Image: Grey-headed flying foxes mosaic, Bellingen

I haven't drawn my platypus character, Beckett, in quite a while so I decided to change that!

#furry #furries #furryfandom #fursona #furryart #animalart #anthroart #art #artwork #drawing #fullbody #platypus #personalart #MastoArt

Safeguarding Bellingen rivers and coast
https://bellingenshirenews.com.au/2025/12/04/new-plan-to-safeguard-bellingen-rivers/

Explore the responsible visitor tips:
"Watch your pooch when it poops: One 10 cent-sized piece of dog waste contains 23 million faecal coliform bacteria – rain washes it into rivers and harms wildlife. Bag it, bin it, keep our waterways clean."
https://www.visitbellingenshire.com.au/Plan/Tips-on-how-to-explore-with-care

The Gleniffer Valley is a beautiful place, but..
http://www.bellingennow.com/about/index.html
#water #rivers #Bellingen #BellingenShire #BellingerRiverSnappingTurtle #shorebirds #platypus #biodiversity #wildlife #ecosystems #PromisedLands #Gleniffer #dogs #pets #waste

Platypus floor rugs

"The bush and its inhabitants were to be conquered and subjugated and the turning of wild and 'exotic' native animals into rugs was symbolic of that conquest. The fact that the rug was intended for use as a bed covering further emphasised the 'domestication' of this 'savage' land...Platypus skin rugs are commonly made from 70 or 80 skins and a single rug therefore represents considerable slaughter of the local population." >>
https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/343335

Auction: An early Australian Platypus rug of 56 pelts, the animals taken from the Namoi River at Manilla, Northern New South Wales, circa 1900. The Baldwin family represent a classic example of the white colonialists ... >>
https://auctions.leski.com.au/lot-details/index/catalog/48/lot/31803/An-early-Australian-Platypus-rug-of-56-pelts-the-animals-taken-from-the-Namoi-River-at-Manilla-Northern-New-South-Wales-circa-19
#platypus #textiles #wildlife #AnimalCommodification #biodiversity #FishingGear

NSW platypuses are accumulating the “forever chemical” perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in very high concentrations.

"The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic monotreme that occupies a high trophic position in the freshwater ecosystems of eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania. Platypuses are continuously exposed to anthropogenic contaminants including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). This study examined PFOS concentrations in the livers of deceased platypuses (eight wild; one captive) that were opportunistically collected across NSW over a two- and a half-year period. There was a large variation in PFOS concentrations, ranging from < 1 µg/kg to 1200 µg/kg. This study presents the first report of PFOS contamination in platypuses, revealing their PFOS levels are broadly similar to those found in river otters (Lutra canadensis) and lower than those in American mink (Mustela vison), both which occupy similar ecological niches in freshwater systems. This study raises concerns about the impact of PFOS on platypus health."

"Platypuses are vulnerable to many impacts associated with human activity including hydrological changes, decline in water quality, increase in litter and discarded fishing line, illegal opera house nets (yabby traps) and water contamination...There are no guidelines on what constitutes safe concentrations of PFOS in wildlife."

>>
Warwick, K.G., Wright, I.A., Whinfield, J. et al. First report of accumulation of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in platypuses (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) in New South Wales, Australia. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 51037–51042 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-34704-w
#pollution #water #rivers #contamination #NSW #Wildlife #platypus #platypuses #penguins #PFOS #PFAS #ForeverChemicals #Gleniffer #bellingen #NeverNever #bellinger #catchment #AquaticInvertebrates #DrinkingWater #FoodChain #SyntheticChemicals

Unchecked tourism at Bellingen's Never Never River
Indigenous custodians embrace chance to curb tourism at 'trashed' swimming spot

"Occasional closure part of Indigenous Protected Area plan for troubled Never Never River's Promised Lands. The spot has now been declared part of an 81,000-hectare Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in the Bellingen Valley."

"There have been concerns about pollution in the Never Never River at a popular swimming spot known as the Promised Lands, near the town of Bellingen...In January 2023, water quality at the river showed concerning levels of faecal matter, with human and dog excrement the suspected source."

"It was once regarded as something of a secret spot, but coverage on social media has seen it become an increasingly popular swimming site. But as the site is not recognised as a tourist area by Forestry Corporation NSW, which manages the Crown Land, there are no public toilets or rubbish bins, and minimal parking."

"Rather than it being a free-for-all, driving up and down from sacred places, we need to give it a rest sometimes during the year."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-10/never-never-river-bellingen-indigenous-protected-area/103993356
#PromisedLand #NeverNever #rivers #Bellingen #TheDrive #ExcessiveTourism #tourism #NSW #pollution #dogs #SaveTuckersNob #GumbaynggirrCountry #GoBeforeYouGo #swimming #toilets #MidNorthCoast #platypus

Pets, pesticides and polluted rivers

"Fipronil and imidacloprid are widely used in flea treatments, which are typically applied to the back of the pet’s neck once a month.These two chemicals are extremely potent neurotoxic insecticides and it is deeply concerning that they are routinely found on the hands of dog owners through ongoing contact with their pet. Pet owners will also be upset to learn that they are accidentally polluting our rivers by using these products.”

"The insecticides used in the flea products flow down household drains when pet owners wash their hands after applying the treatment. Wastewater from sewage treatment works is a leading source of fipronil and imidacloprid pollution in rivers, with concentrations exceeding safe limits for wildlife."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/01/vets-pesticide-flea-treatments-river-pollution-pet-owners-toxic-insecticides-hands
#pesticide #pets #dogs #cats #wildlife #rivers #pollution #OneHealth #neonicotinoids #neurotoxins #fipronil #Bellinger #platypus #BellingerRiverSnappingTurtle

Multi-drug resistant bacteria in dog poo and aquatic wildlife habitats?

Pet dogs "might be carrying antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, according to international researchers who tested E. coli found in the poo of pet dogs. They found evidence that the bacteria had developed some forms of antimicrobial resistance. The team suggest that efforts should be taken to prevent the transmission of E. coli between humans and their pets as this may pose a threat to human health."

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/mans-best-friend-might-be-carrying-antimicrobial-resistant-bacteria
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0298053
#dogs #pets #water #rivers #NeverNever #wildlife #platypus #MDR #pathogens #EColi #Gleniffer #PromisedLand #pollution

Gleniffer Reserves and waterways management

There will be a review of the 5 year management plan of the Gleniffer Reserves. A meeting will be held at the Gleniffer Hall on Tuesday 23rd January from 9.30am to 12 noon.

Once residents and visitors have frequented the local watering holes in Bellingen, the swimming holes at Gleniffer are the main thing to do on a hot day. The mass tourism is funneled via ' the tourist drive'. The scenic country road has just been reconstructed into a highway-like infrastructure. Motorists are now enticed to race from the watering hole to the swimming hole. Cars park as close as possible to the small creeks and unload dogs and gear. The unwanted waste is commonly left behind for the local wildlife and the next load of visitors.

The reserves have a lot of car parking infrastructure and educational signage about settler explorers now.

A "Go before you go” campaign urges visitors to go to a public toilet before leaving the township. Many motorists/swimmers forget and the dogs can't read.

The 'upgrade' of Gleniffer road channeled the flow of visitors into local waterways that have no toilets.

#tourism #toilets #waste #rivers #cars #wildlife #platypus #waterways #GumbaynggirrCountry #GlenifferRoad #Gleniffer #PromisedLand #TheDrive #NeverNever #Bellingen #OverTourism #roads #MobilityDesign

Many now flock to natural places for the best selfie background

"Trampling plants, damaging rock art, risking your life: taking selfies in nature has a cost."

"Someone goes swimming, puts it on social media and suddenly there’s 100 people a day coming to go wild swimming where the platypus and the glow-worms live. And in a wet year, suddenly all the vegetation around the rock pool is trampled, it turns into a muddy mess."

https://theconversation.com/trampling-plants-damaging-rock-art-risking-your-life-taking-selfies-in-nature-has-a-cost-211901
#Gumbaynggirr #Bellingen #PromisedLand #NeverNeverRiver #tourism #OverTourism #locals #selfie #nature #wildlife #platypus #NoGeotags #travel