The mystery of Winston Churchill's dead platypus was unsolved - until now
3 days ago Share Save Tiffanie Turnbull BBC News, Sydney Share Save
Australian Museum Before koalas became Australia's animal ambassadors, the country tried platypus diplomacy
In 1943, a camouflaged ship set off from Australia to England carrying top secret cargo - a single young platypus. Named after his would-be owner, UK prime minister Winston Churchill, the rare monotreme was an unprecedented gift from a country desperately trying to curry favour as World War Two expanded into the Pacific and arrived on its doorstep. But days out from Winston's arrival, as war raged in the seas around him, the puggle was found dead in the water of his specially made "platypusary". Fearing a potential diplomatic incident, Winston's death – along with his very existence – was swept under the rug. He was preserved, stuffed and quietly shelved inside his name-sake's office, with rumours that he died of Nazi-submarine-induced shell-shock gently whispered into the ether. The mystery of who, or what, really killed him has eluded the world since - until now.
Two Winstons and a war
The world has always been fascinated by the platypus. An egg-laying mammal with the face and feet of a duck, an otter-shaped body and a beaver-inspired tail, many thought the creature was an elaborate hoax; a taxidermy trick. For Churchill, an avid collector of rare and exotic animals, the platypus's intrigue only made him more desperate to have one – or six – for his menagerie. And in 1943 he said as much to the Australian foreign minister, H.V. 'Doc' Evatt. In the eyes of Evatt, the fact that his country had banned the export of the creatures - or that they were notoriously difficult to transport and none had ever survived a journey that long - were merely challenges to overcome. Australia had increasingly felt abandoned by the motherland as the Japanese drew closer and closer – and if a posse of platypuses would help Churchill respond more favourably to Canberra's requests for support, then so be it. Conservationist David Fleay – who was asked to help with the mission – was less amenable. "Imagine any man carrying the responsibilities Churchill did, with humanity on the rack in Europe and Asia, finding time to even think about, let alone want, half-a-dozen duckbilled platypuses," he wrote in his 1980 book Paradoxical Platypus.
Getty Images Among Churchill's animals were lions, a leopard, and a flock of black swans
On Mr Fleay's account, he managed to talk the politicians down from six platypuses to one, and young Winston was captured from a river near Melbourne shortly after. An elaborate platypusary – complete with hay-lined burrows and fresh Australian creek water – was constructed for him; a menu of 50,000 worms – and duck egg custard as a treat – was prepared; and an attendant was hired to wait on his every need throughout the 45-day voyage. Across the Pacific, through Panama Canal and into the Atlantic Ocean Winston went - before tragedy struck. In a letter to Evatt, Churchill said he was "grieved" to report that the platypus "kindly" sent to him had died in the final stretch of the journey. "Its loss is a great disappointment to me," he said. The mission's failure was kept secret for years, to avoid any public outcry. But eventually, reports about Winston's demise would begin popping up in newspapers. The ship had encountered a German U-boat, they claimed, and the platypus had been shaken to death amid a barrage of blasts.
Australian Museum David Fleay is known as the "Father of Conservation" in Australia
"A small animal equipped with a nerve-packed, super sensitive bill, able to detect even the delicate movements of a mosquito wriggler on stream bottoms in the dark of night, cannot hope to cope with man-made enormities such as violent explosions," Mr Fleay wrote, decades later. "It was so obvious that, but for the misfortunes of war, a fine, thriving, healthy little platypus would have created history in being number one of its kind to take up residence in England."
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