EVERYDAY I’M PUGGLING…
Rescued Echidna Puggle Laps Milk From Nurse’s Hand at New Zoo Home
The Huffington Post | By Meredith Bennett-Smith
A tiny echidna is receiving some lifesaving tender loving care this week after being rescued from a trail in western Australia.
The puggle, as baby echidnas are called, is being nursed by doctors at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital outside Sydney, Australia.
An almost “illogical mammal,” according to the San Diego Zoo, echidnas (also known as spiny anteaters) have remained unchanged since prehistoric times. They are native to Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea. What really sets the odd looking creatures apart, however, is the fact that they lay eggs, a trait shared with only one other mammal: the duck-billed platypus.
Nicknamed “Beau” by its caregivers, the puggle was about 30 days old when it reached its temporary new home, according to a blog post on Taronga’s website. At that age, Beau should have been nestled safely in its mother’s pouch, according to the San Diego Zoo. After about 50 days, the puggle is placed in a burrow, where it is feed by its mother until it can venture out on its own at 7 months…
(read more and SEE VIDEO: HuffPost) (photos: Toronga Zoo)
