Man Arrested for Taking Wild Platypus on Train Ride and Shopping Spree in Australia

A man in Australia has been charged with stealing a platypus from its natural habitat and taking it on a train trip to show it off to people at a local shopping mall. The platypus was wrapped in a towel and shown to fellow commuters. The animal has not been located and its current condition is unknown. Platypuses are a threatened species facing extinction due to human activity, including land-clearing, dams, drought, bushfires, and climate change. The man has been charged with the "unlawful take and keep of a Platypus from the wild" and could face a maximum penalty of $431,250.