An Australian council is under investigation after locals claimed its contractors destroyed an important riverside feature that could have huge ramifications for the town that surrounds it.
Platypus are a major tourist drawcard for Deloraine, which sits on the Meander River, around 50km west of Launceston.
Local woman Anne Gilles describes them as their “pride and joy”, boasting they live right near the centre of the town.
“Without the platypus, we’re just another small town in Tasmania competing for a handful of tourist dollars,” she told Yahoo News.
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Platypus are beloved by locals living in Deloraine
(Joy Kachina Photography)
Gilles has been monitoring platypus for the Tasmanian Platypus Conservation Group and the Australian Platypus Conservancy.
She had documented a burrow on the edge of the river where the Meander Valley Council was about to undertake stabilisation works along the bank.
While she says the council was notified about the burrow’s location, images supplied to Yahoo indicate its reported location was crushed by works this week.
“It’s very disappointing, I really thought the council understood how important the platypus are,” Gilles said.
Council responds to allegations it destroyed the burrow
The state environment department (NRE-Tas) confirmed the matter is under active investigation.
Meander Valley Council appears less than convinced that its works destroyed a burrow.
Mayor Wayne Johnston said in a statement that council has “received allegations regarding possible disturbance of platypus habitat” and that it is “currently reviewing the matter”.
“At this stage council has not reached any conclusions regarding whether a platypus den was present within the works area or whether any disturbance occurred,” he added.
Wildlife photographer furious at council
Local photographer Joy Kachina claims the burrow was located right in the centre of where the works occurred.
The situation has left her “furious”
“The burrow was right there on that riverbank, it’s completely collapsed,” she said.
Platypus are a major drawcard for visitors to Deloraine.
(Getty)Platypus disappearing from Australian rivers
Gilles said she’s searched the area for the platypus, but hasn’t been able to find it.
If a platypus were inside a burrow beneath the earthworks, then it would have been either crushed or died from the vibrations above.
As platypus have multiple burrows, it’s possible it was elsewhere at the time of the works, but because of the disturbance, there’s little chance it will ever return to the site.
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The species is notoriously elusive and hard to count. The current Australian population is estimated to be somewhere between 30,000 and 300,000 individuals.
But what is known is that the species is rapidly disappearing due to habitat disturbance, pollution, extreme weather caused by climate change, and predation from invasive species.
“Platypus are facing a silent extinction,” Gilles said.
“People just wake up one day and go, Oh, we used to have platypus in this river, but we never see them now.”
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