If you’re ever going to find an echidna getting up to mischief that might end up putting them in the wrong place at the wrong time it’ll be during August.
As the breeding season commences echidnas, especially males, are known to go walkabout in search of females. If there is only one female in an area, and all roads lead to Rome/a, she can end up with a procession of suitors all vying for the opportunity to mate. I’ve seen a mating procession of four of these spiky little ant eaters with the obvious female, not keen to stand around, at the head of the line.
On a cool August evening while doing a nocturnal airport survey, it didn’t surprise me to come across this little guy. Wandering around on the airfield was not the best place for him to be. If he ventured onto the runway, he would present a serious hazard to aircraft.
After a bit of a tickle on the tummy, he curled up into a ball and I carefully transported him to a suitable area of vegetation well off the airport.
The obvious signs that an echidna may have come under your fence is a neat gap up to 30cm across where the dirt has been pushed aside and not thrown up and spread out. If you are looking at relocating one, they are not aggressive but can be tricky to pick up as they hold on firmly to the ground and are covered in sharp spikes. Thick gloves recommended.
As a wildlife biologist this might not the primary focus when you’re surveying wildlife, but it is a nice distraction. I’ll add Eric to the growing list of animals on aerodromes that I’ve either rescued or relocated out of harm’s way including: many echidnas, lace monitors, carpet pythons, kangaroos, wallabies, possums, owls, flying foxes, turtles, eels, and even pelagic (ocean dwelling) seabirds after a storm.
Credit goes to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s Wildlife Hospital for providing care for those in need, along with Wildcare who have cared for injured flying foxes. Everything else we return to surrounding bush land.
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