Platypuses found tangled in hair ties, plastic rings and even hospital wrist bands

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-04-20 00:01

Australia; VIC

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Aussies are being encouraged to cut through loops or rings of any size before disposing of them in their rubbish after a new study found that platypuses in Victoria have become tangled in all sorts of items discarded by people. Items recovered from dead or rescued animals included elastic hair-ties, fishing line, a hospital identification wristband, an engine gasket and a plastic ring seal from a food jar; all of these items had cut through skin and (in most cases) deeply into underlying tissue. The researchers estimate that up to 1.5 per cent of the platypus residing in the greater Melbourne area and 0.5 per cent of those living in regional Victoria are estimated to be at risk of entanglement-related injuries or death at any point in time.