12/14/2023 0 Comments Buy platypus petFew Antipodean mammals had, though an echidna called ‘Daydream’ that arrived at London Zoo in 1903 had lived happily for several years. In 1943, no platypus had ever been brought to England alive, nor has one since. The whole operation, though, was to be kept hidden from the public eye until the mammal made it safely to his new quarters at the zoo, in case the worst should happen. This was not purely a publicity stunt: London Zoo officials were genuinely concerned about their ability to keep up with the platypus’s daily earthworm consumption. They were to be asked to send in freshly caught worms to the zoo in jars, “packed in mould or moist tea leaves”. letters: Churchill Archives Centre, Papers of Sir Winston Churchill, CHUR)Ī media campaign was planned to herald Winston’s arrival and galvanise the British public into catering for his voracious appetite. © Illustrations by Sarah Hanson/Début Art (Churchill: Alamy, platypus: Getty Images W.S.C. Keepers at London Zoo exchanged flurries of telegrams with those in Healesville Sanctuary, discussing how to build the ideal platypussary in which to keep Winston: how many tunnels, how much bedding space, where the worms were best dispensed. The considerable efforts of Fleay and others in Australia to successfully catch and prepare Winston for his voyage were matched by the collective excitement at the prospect of his arrival in London. Churchill’s bird was an important diplomatic matter. When one of the black swans went missing in 1954, a Europe- wide search ensued before the bird was retrieved from Holland. Rota the lion, for example, was housed at London Zoo rather than at Churchill’s home, Chartwell House, and featured in the press. The animals themselves were objects of great national interest because of their illustrious owner. © Bert Kaufmann Photography/Gettyĭespite the demands of war, Churchill was invested in the welfare of his animals, corresponding regularly about them with keepers and personal aides. Black swans were part of Churchill's menagerie. Many of these were gifts from individuals or organisations hoping to gain favour or publicity. He already kept a colourful menagerie containing black swans, a lion called Rota, white kangaroos and various other strange beasts. Seeing a live platypus had been a long-term ambition of Churchill's. There was a strict law in place preventing the removal of platypuses from Australia, but, given who was asking, Curtin decided to make an exception, just this once. In March 1943 the British Prime Minister telegrammed Australian Prime Minister, John Curtin, requesting six platypuses be sent to Britain forthwith. The reason for this strange wartime escapade? The whim of Winston’s namesake: Winston Churchill. © Iain Stych/Getty Why was Winston the platypus being brought to England? Two juvenile platypus in captivity in Victoria, Australia. He was ensconced in state-of-the-art accommodation: a portable platypussary built especially to house him as comfortably as possible on the long journey to Liverpool.īefore being loaded onto the heavily armed MV Port Phillip, Winston had been trained lovingly for months by the keeper at Healesville Sanctuary, David Fleay, in the hope of making the journey as smooth as could be.Īn 18-year-old ship’s cadet had also been appointed ‘platypus keeper’, charged with proffering Winston’s daily diet of 700 worms and tending to the animal’s needs. On board was a duck-billed platypus, a beady-eyed young male called Winston. While World War II raged in September 1943, a ship departed from Melbourne docks carrying a most unusual passenger. The curious case of Winston Churchill and Winston.
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