For over eight decades, the fate of Winston Churchill’s platypus remained a mystery. The Australian government had secretly sent a young platypus to the UK prime minister in 1943 as part of an effort to curry favor with England during World War II. However, upon arrival, the platypus died under unclear circumstances.
Recent research by PhD student Harrison Croft and archive researchers has shed new light on the incident. The team found records from the ship’s crew, including a logbook written by the platypus attendant who cared for Churchill’s pet. According to the attendant, there was no explosion or violent blast that killed the platypus.
The key to solving the mystery lay in temperature readings taken during the voyage. With the benefit of hindsight and decades of scientific research, it appears that the prolonged high temperatures on board would have been fatal to the platypus.
Churchill’s enthusiasm for collecting exotic animals was well-documented, but this attempt at platypus diplomacy ultimately failed. The story highlights the challenges of caring for rare species in captivity and the importance of following proper protocols to ensure their survival.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cglzl1ez283o