why only one platypus outside australia

[gerome]

I read that the San Diego Zoo is the only place outside Australia that currently has a platypus, and that the Bronx Zoo was the only other facility to have kept one in the past. Given how charismatic this animal is, why is it so rare in zoos outside Australia?

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

Platypus are very easily stressed and are very difficult to keep in captivity. They are also immensely difficult to transport, as the shock and stress can kill them. Even in Australia there's only a handful of places that keep them in captivity. The fact that they are nocturnal makes them a bit more hard to keep as well, and the San Diego Safari Park switches night and day inside the Platypus house to keep them living as if they would live in the wild.

 

[Jambo]

Platypus are very easily stressed and are very difficult to keep in captivity. They are also immensely difficult to transport, as the shock and stress can kill them. Even in Australia there's only a handful of places that keep them in captivity. The fact that they are nocturnal makes them a bit more hard to keep as well, and the San Diego Safari Park switches night and day inside the Platypus house to keep them living as if they would live in the wild.

Right...but that isn't necessarily the reason.

It pretty much comes down to the captive Platypus breeding program within Australia not being as established as you would hope.

There's only been a few facilities that have bred Platypus in Australia in recent decades, and by all means this hasn't even been as successful as you would hope. Therefore there's little justification for sending them overseas with majority of the individuals bred having application to the breeding program or surplus display elsewhere in Australia (a lot of zoos display them for conservation purposes, but don't breed).

 

[Great Argus]

It pretty much comes down to the captive Platypus breeding program within Australia not being as established as you would hope.

This combined with the fact they're considered very expensive to feed. If the population in Australia was a bit more robust it's possible a few bigger zoos might be interested. San Diego's case happens to be that they are capable of devoting time and resources and had a strong connection to Aussie zoos to facilitate the transfer.

 

[gerome]

This combined with the fact they're considered very expensive to feed. If the population in Australia was a bit more robust it's possible a few bigger zoos might be interested. San Diego's case happens to be that they are capable of devoting time and resources and had a strong connection to Aussie zoos to facilitate the transfer.

are the more expensive to feed then a lion?

I keep reading that but i can't imgaine that are that much more expensive then like pgym hippo

 

[Jambo]

This combined with the fact they're considered very expensive to feed. If the population in Australia was a bit more robust it's possible a few bigger zoos might be interested. San Diego's case happens to be that they are capable of devoting time and resources and had a strong connection to Aussie zoos to facilitate the transfer.

I remember the keeper talk at Healseville mentioning it costs roughly 13 k to feed them every year. They eat about 20% of their body weight everyday so combine that with the sort of food they eat (yabbies, worms, shrimp ect.) it does come to a hefty amount.

San Diego got lucky with their connection to both Taronga and Melbourne which helped them orchestrate the transfer.

Taronga has recently built a designated breeding facility at their open range site, so if there's success there it may open avenues for potential export overseas for any big zoos willing to hold them.