Two people are being hunted by police on suspicion of kidnapping a wild platypus and boarding it on a Brisbane train.
Officials have warned that the animal urgently needs to be returned to its natural environment.
The two suspects were spotted boarding the train at Morayfield on Tuesday with a platypus wrapped in a towel, Queensland police said.
The pair were patting the animal and showing it to fellow commuters, and investigators believe they were on their way to Caboolture, roughly 20 minutes away.
Queensland police have issued a joint appeal with the Department of Environment and Science calling for the animal to be returned to a police station or vet immediately.
The platypus is at risk of becoming sick, diseased or dying the longer it is out of its habitat, police say.
It should not be fed or introduced to any new environments.
Platypuses also have venomous spurs that can injure pets and people.
Taking a platypus from the wild is an offence under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act and a maximum penalty of more than AU$430,000 applies.
