Australia's platypus

Description: Episode of Series “Wild Life”. A young schoolboy visits Healesville Sanctuary and joins its director (and noted Australian naturalist), Mr David Fleay, on a field trip to capture a platypus for a Western Australian sanctuary. During the excursion, details of the mammal’s physical characteristics, feeding habits, and reproduction are explained. David Fleay returns to Healesville and introduces Corrie, the first platypus bred in captivity, and his father Jack. The film shows their freshwater pool, the earthen bank where Corrie’s mother Jill built her nest in late 1943, and the wooded tunnels filled with grass hay where the platypus prefers to sleep. Also provides information on the origins of the platypus, its place in the wildlife of the Australian continent, and measures for its conservation. Recommends the following books: ‘The Platypus’ by Harry Burrel, ‘Furred Animals of Australia’ by Ellis Troughton, and ‘We Breed the Platypus’ by David Fleay. Commentary by David Low. Photography by Harry Malcolm. Sound recording by J. A. Bruce. Editing by Stanley Moore.