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Animals

Platypuses found in Penrith's Boundary Creek

Ecologists confirmed three different platypuses in Boundary Creek in 2023.
ABC News Current
Duration: 52 seconds

Sydney Water's plans to fix creek banks will 'wipe out' platypus habitat, conservationists say

A court has ordered Sydney Water to repair eroded banks of a Penrith creek, but a possible fix has alarmed conservationists. 
Updated
A woman holding a platypus by the tail at night

Authorities working to find children potentially exposed to deadly bat-borne virus

The children were seen playing with a flying fox at Queens Park last Saturday.
Updated
Flying fox

Snap of polar bear napping on iceberg wins People's Choice Award

Photographer Nima Sarikhani watched the bear for eight hours in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago before taking the photo.
A polar bear carves out a bed from a small iceberg before drifting off to sleep in the far north, off Norway

Family had 'a few kids' at risk from 2.4-metre croc captured in Queensland backyard

Wildlife officers believe the unwanted visitor had been snacking on the family's geese and posed a risk to children and pets as it was brought within metres of their home by rising waters.
Updated
A crocodile in a grassy enclosure

Speckles the piebald dolphin

Speckles is the first piebald dolphin to be documented in Australia.
A shot showing pink, white and grey skin on the dolphin's back.
Duration: 56 seconds

Big dog Rugar doesn't mind saving lives as long as the treats and pats keep rolling in

With pet blood products in constant short supply, donations from dogs such as Rugar are the difference between life and death at busy veterinary hospitals.
A large dog on a treatment table next to a vet drawing blood.

Outback council considers fencing off Leonora town site to keep out wayward cattle after years of drought

In the dry outback town of Leonora there is a bovine invasion happening! Cattle including rogue bulls are wandering into the Goldfields town looking for a drink and some vegetation to munch on. The problem has become so bad that the town are considering fencing themselves off to keep the beasts out and save local asparagus gardens.
ABC News Current
Duration: 2 minutes 3 seconds

Harassed staff overseeing aerial brumby cull treated 'almost as wanted criminals' online, NSW inquiry hears

Staff based at Jindabyne have been the subject of "escalating social media campaigns", as well as a firebomb threat and the dumping of a decapitated horse head, according to evidence shared during a NSW Upper House inquiry.
three horses walking next to each other in Kosciuszko National Park

Live chicken allegedly thrown to alligators in incident likened to 'David Attenborough documentary'

A man has pleaded not guilty to allegedly removing a live silky bantam chicken, called Betty White, from a wildlife park enclosure and throwing it into a nearby alligator enclosure.
Updated
A white silky bantam chicken.

Why farmers are being urged to make friends with venomous visitors

Usually snakes are unwelcome visitors on farms, but research suggests the benefits of their presence on agricultural land far outweighs the potential costs to farmers and graziers.
An eastern brown snake curled on the ground

WA numbat population yet to recover from prescribed burns

Experts say it's not all bad news for the WA native numbats, with recent monitoring suggesting the ant-eater is doing well in other areas after decades of decline.
Updated
ABC News Current
Duration: 1 minute 56 seconds

Rare birds, snakes and a saltwater croc on show as wildlife wins over aged care residents

As wildlife handlers set up in the common room of a South Australian aged care home, eyes trace the crates and cages with intrigue — and a little apprehension.
an elderly aged care resident looks at a juvenile saltwater crocodile

Wounded eagle rescue restores vet's faith in people after residents rally in lieu of experts

Chris Tippett says he has helped small birds and even pelicans before but a large eagle presented a bigger challenge. With no trained specialists available, he called on people power.
A large bird, with a white head and grey wings sits among mangroves on a lake.

Cow stranded in Daintree Rainforest mangroves after TC Jasper flooding

Wildlife tour operator David White has been feeding the cattle stuck in the Daintree Rainforest's mangroves after TC Jasper hit far north Queensland.
ABC News Current
Duration: 24 seconds

Small 'rabbit huts' may be simple, but the history within is priceless

People power is fighting to save the few that remain along almost 555km of rabbit-proof fence in southern Queensland.
iron shack with chimney

Honshu the macaque successfully recaptured in Scotland after five-day adventure

The escaped snow monkey was in a member of the public's garden when it was caught.
A brown furry monkey with a red face looks sad behind three bits of wood.

Suspected spy pigeon freed from detention after running afoul of police in India

It turns out the pigeon was an open-water racing bird from Taiwan which had escaped and made its way to India.
A close up of a pigeon flying up into the air in front of a man watching on.

Climate change leads to an uptick of little penguins on Phillip Island

Little penguins living on Phillip Island, off Australia's southern coast, are having so much sex there are now over 40,000 of them – and it's all thanks to climate change.
ABC News Current
Duration: 16 seconds

Young family working to secure Clydesdales' future says council dispute could force them out of town

The owners of an award-winning farm helping to preserve the world's dwindling number of Clydesdale horses claim council red tape is jeopardising their Central Victorian business.
Two adults and two children walking with Clydesdale horses

Calls for agriculture minister to resign over returned sheep ship, as department blames exporter for delay

The Australian government says the exporter responsible for a shipment of more than 15,000 Australian sheep and cattle that have been stranded off the WA coast delayed its application to re-export the animals.
Updated
A jetski passes the MV Bahijah

analysis:Queensland declared open season on koalas, killing 600,000 in a year. The backlash was swift — and intense

Koalas are one of the world's most beloved animal species, but Australians haven't always felt this way, writes Ruby Ekkel.
A koala relaxes in the branch of a tree, stretching his claws

Mum wades into snake nightmare as she and son try to save chickens from floodwater

Michelle McKenzie realised she was not alone in the waist-deep water that was rising through her Laidley chook pen, counting 16 snakes trying to escape the water around her home.
A snake on a fence.

This shaggy companion all but disappeared from the world, except for Tasmania

A breed once used to manage livestock at London markets has all but become extinct in the UK but is thriving as a working dog and pet in Tasmania.
a black and white shaggy dog standing on grass

Drivers returning to Cable Beach after closure asked to watch for turtle hatchlings

The two-month vehicle ban on Broome's famous beach is hailed a success with no reports of turtles injured by vehicles and more than 70 nests identified.
A turtle on the beach