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ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Eddie the echidna released after surviving swim from Bribie Island to the mainland
A juvenile echidna which is believed to have completed an epic one-kilometre swim in waters off Queensland's Sunshine Coast has been released back into the wild. The female echidna, nicknamed Eddie, was returned to bushland on Wednesday afternoon after spending weeks in care. Eddie captured the imagination of residents after she was found in an exhausted state on a rock wall at Golden Beach last month. The echidna was believed to be the same one spotted a few weeks earlier stranded on the battered tip of Bribie Island where the ocean has broken through in three places since 2022. Eddie was released at Lighthouse Reach, about 5km south of the breakthroughs, with the location selected to give the native animal the best chance of survival. The release was coordinated by Pumicestone Passage Catchment Management Board (PPCMB) spokesperson Jen Kettleton-Butler and licensed wildlife carer Sybelle Foxcroft, with support from the Caloundra Coast Guard. "The last time I saw her, she was on her last legs. She is [now] looking fit as a fiddle," Ms Kettleton-Butler said. Caloundra resident Dave Cairns found the echidna lying on its back against a rock wall on May 24. He contacted Ms Kettleton-Butler, who had previously filmed what appeared to be the same echidna during erosion inspections on Bribie Island. The animal was taken to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, where she was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia — a condition linked to water inhalation. Eddie required round-the-clock care in the hospital's intensive care unit, with a spokesperson saying she had "quickly stolen the hearts of everyone here". While it's a rare sight, echidnas are able to swim by using their back feet to paddle and steer themselves and using their tiny snouts like a snorkel. Wildlife experts believe the animal may have been swept off the island by rising tides, or could have entered the water in search of food. Before the rescue, Ms Kettleton-Butler and Ms Foxcroft had conducted dusk searches along the isolated northern spit, concerned for the echidna's safety as the land continued to erode. The echidna was not located at the time, but other wildlife, including reptiles and small marsupials, were observed on the ever-shrinking tip, which is now approximately 400 metres long and 20 metres wide. Coastal scientists monitoring the site have warned the entire tip could be lost over time, along with the reptiles and small marsupials that still inhabit it. "Eddie is our ray of hope," Ms Kettleton-Butler said. The state government recently allocated $20 million for urgent repair works to the island, which also acts as a natural barrier against storm surges for low-lying communities on the mainland. The works will involve pumping approximately 100,000 cubic metres of sand to infill the two most recent breakthroughs triggered by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred earlier this year. An inner sandbank will also be constructed inside the first breakthrough, caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth in 2022. The sandbank is aimed at reducing the wave energy entering the Pumicestone Passage. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said Caloundra residents had been "rightly concerned about community impacts". "We are taking swift action to ensure they are protected," Mr Bleijie said. Ms Kettleton-Butler said it was a "bandaid" ahead of the next storm season. "These are just sacrificial sand dunes. If we get hit by a storm, there's no doubt they'll get washed away," she said. "But the whole idea is that these are the temporary measures that they can implement right now while we design the long-term solution, [which] is going to take a lot of planning, a lot of community consultation, and also a fair bit to get through the approval process."
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
'Stranded' Eddie the echidna thought to have swum from Bribie Island's broken tip
An echidna found washed up on the Caloundra foreshore may have swam more than a kilometre from the isolated northern tip of Bribie Island. Locals and wildlife carers believe the animal may have been swept away overnight during a high tide and say it could be "Eddie", a solitary echidna first spotted several weeks ago on the eroding spit of land. Sunshine Coast resident Dave Cairns discovered the echidna at the base of a rock wall near Golden Beach and said it was alive but appeared to be exhausted. "I think it floated across overnight," he said. "It was about a kilometre from where wildlife's been trapped [on the spit]. "With the tide and swell, it could've easily been swept off." Mr Cairns said in all his years living near the passage he had never seen an echidna in that part of Golden Beach. "Never — not once in 30 years," he said. "It's why I reckon it came from the tip [of Bribie]." The echidna is now receiving veterinary care at Australia Zoo's animal hospital, being treated for exposure to salt water. Licensed wildlife carer Sybelle Foxcroft took the creature in and said the echidna was in a humidicrib receiving oxygen. She has previously taken part in a search of the island's tip to locate any animals that were isolated. Ms Foxcroft said she believed it was the same echidna they had been tracking for several weeks. "Looking at footage, his size and condition, it matches what I'd expect if he'd gone without proper food," she said. Where the echidna was found is a densely populated area with apartment buildings and foreshore infrastructure, with little suitable ground for echidnas to burrow or shelter. Dr Kate Dutton-Regester, a wildlife conservationist and lecturer at the University of Queensland, said echidnas were capable swimmers, though it was not often seen. While typically found around freshwater sources, she said echidnas could plausibly travel some distance in salt water, particularly if assisted by currents. Dr Dutton-Regester said the symptoms described were consistent with salt water exposure. She said the echidna could have been swept off the island or may have entered the water voluntarily, but she could not confirm whether it came from the tip of Bribie Island. "We're at the beginning of echidna breeding season," Dr Dutton-Regester said. "If it's a male they often roam more widely in search of a mate." Dr Javier Leon, a coastal erosion expert from the University of the Sunshine Coast, said recent conditions may have already displaced some animals. "We have had a large swell from the east the last two days that might have contributed to further erosion and, potentially, the wash-over of wildlife," he said. He said the area had already been severely damaged following ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in February and warned it would become uninhabitable for animals. Jen Kettleton-Butler from the Pumicestone Passage Catchment Management Body (PPCMB) also travelled to the tip with a wildlife carer at sunset last week in an effort to locate Eddie, but they were unable to find the animal. Animals including goannas, lizards, snakes and small marsupials have recently been observed on the isolated section. Ms Kettleton-Butler said the spit, cut off by two tidal breakthroughs, now measured about 30-40 metres wide and 300-400 metres long and appeared to be shrinking with every high tide. When first contacted the Department of Environment said it had not seen any evidence of worsening impacts on wildlife at the northern tip of Bribie Island that would justify intervention. The statement said the animals in the area were considered to be adapted to rapidly changing coastal conditions. The department has been approached for further comment following the discovery of the echidna at Golden Beach. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie previously said he would request expert coastal engineers to urgently investigate the erosion and assess potential risks to wildlife.
