Key points
- A camera has been trained on Grange Burn, a creek in Hamilton in western Victoria, to help people spot platypuses from the comfort of their homes.
- There have been several sightings since the live feed began this week.
- Ten of the rarely seen semi-aquatic animals are believed to live in a three-kilometre stretch of the creek.
If you’re weary of watching the human dramas on reality TV, a live video feed focusing on one of Australia’s quirkiest native animals could be just the antidote.
Thousands of people are watching Platycam, a new 24-hour live stream of the wild habitat of the platypus, which was recently declared a threatened species in Victoria.
The camera beside Grange Burn, a creek that flows through Hamilton.Credit:Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority
Devotees have been rewarded with four sightings of the semi-aquatic mammals paddling down Grange Burn, the creek in Hamilton in western Victoria on which a camera has been trained.
The first platypus was spotted at 7pm on Monday, six hours after the camera was set up.
The fourth sighting came as Dr Adam Bester, chief executive of the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority that runs the project, was interviewed by 3AW breakfast hosts Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft on Wednesday.
Bester said the response from radio listeners was so strong that the Platycam website briefly crashed.
He said Platycam was “a crazy idea” that had exceeded expectations.
“I think it’s that it’s something a little bit different,” Bester said. “One person commented that there wasn’t much on Netflix, so they jumped online.”
The state government has funded the Platycam project to the tune of $75,000.
The project followed news in January 2021 that the platypus had been added to Victoria’s threatened species list for the first time and was classified as “vulnerable”.
The platypus was recently added to Victoria’s threatened species list.Credit:Peter Menkhorst
Bester said the Grange Burn creek was chosen because it had some of the most regular platypus sightings in Victoria, with about 10 of the animals believed to live in a three-kilometre stretch of water. He said platypus numbers in Australia had declined due to factors such as climate change affecting water flows, erosion, pollution and predation from species such as foxes.
The camera is perched up a three-metre pole, within one kilometre of Hamilton’s centre. It has infra-red vision to film at night.
There have been 3290 views of the live stream and 6217 views of excerpts on the Platycam website showing platypus sightings.
Bester hopes the live feed, which will continue indefinitely, will inspire viewers to “do their bit” and help protect platypuses in their local waterways. It could also draw visitors to Hamilton.
He said the project was more about engaging the the public than collecting data. Platypuses in the wild were “kind of elusive” and often most active at dawn and dusk.
“I know a lot of people have gone their whole lives without seeing a platypus,” Bester said. “So with the camera, hopefully, people can see them online and create that interest. We’re trying to connect people to nature and get more appreciation for the platypus. If we can get more people seeing a platypus online and have that connection to it, they’re more likely to look after it and do something about it.”
The Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority is running the project with support from the Southern Grampians Shire Council and the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research.
Bester said his office was now considering setting up a camera for wild eastern barred bandicoots in the area.
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