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How a rescued platypus called Matilda in honour of World Cup stars lived up to the meaning of her name by winning her fight for life
- Puggle was found in dire straits aged four months
- Four months later she is out of danger and doing well
- WATCH: ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ – Episode 1 – Mail Sport’s brand new football show
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A rescued female Platypus being cared for at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo has been named Matilda after Australia’s fourth-place finishing team at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The puggle was around four months old when she was admitted to Taronga’s Wildlife Hospital in April. She was in poor condition and weighed only 280 grams.
Matilda had been found under a bush on the NSW Central Coast and was weak, severely malnourished and covered in ticks, which compromised her waterproofing making it difficult for her to swim and survive on her own.
Thanks to around-the-clock care from Taronga’s Platypus team she now weighs in at 694 grams and is eating and foraging on her own.
Matilda – also known as ‘Tilly’ – even impressed NSW Premier Chris Minns as she fought back from being found severely malnourished and covered in ticks
The name ‘Matilda’ roughly translates from German as ‘mighty in battle’ – making it a fitting handle for Sam Kerr and her teammates, and the little Aussie animal
Staff at the zoo fed her by hand six times a day for two months – and now, aged approximately eight months, she’s out of danger.
The name Matilda comes from the German word ‘Mahthildis’, which means ‘mighty in battle’ – a fitting handle for both the football team and the tough little Aussie animal.
‘Tilly would have weighed a tiny 1.5 grams when she hatched from an egg the size of a marble. She then spent four months drinking her mother’s milk in the safety of the nesting burrow,’ explained Taronga Wildlife Hospital vet Dr Jess Whinfield.
‘After emerging, she has very quickly learned to swim and find her food – not by using sight, sound or smell, but by using her bill to detect the tiny amounts of electricity her invertebrate prey produces.’
Even NSW Premier Chris Minns was impressed by Tilly’s fight for life.
The little platypus has displayed the same sort of spirit that propelled the Matildas during their incredible World Cup run
‘We are incredibly proud of the Matildas and the spirit they have shown throughout the Women’s World Cup and Tilly is emblematic of that perseverance,’ he said.
‘We know their legacy will be remembered for generations and, now one of our most iconic native animals shares the same name.’
Last month the animal rescue group WIRES started a partnership with the zoo to protect the species.
“The care required for platypus rehabilitation is complex and specialised. The need for this type of facility cannot be understated and will really support our work post rescue,’ said WIRES CEO Leanne Taylor.
