David Fleay

David Howells Fleay

He died on 7 August 1993 aged 86.[2]

Early life

Fleay was born in

Fleay's interest in the natural world coincided with the awakening of scientific interest in endangered species, and the realisation by the public that Australian animals were worthy of attention other than as a source of food.^[citation needed]

He realised the importance of endangered species early in his career when, in 1933, he was the last person to photograph a captive thylacine or Tasmanian tiger at the Hobart Zoo. In the process he was bitten on the buttocks, the scar from the injury carried proudly throughout his life.^[4]

In 1934, Fleay was asked to design and establish the Australian animal section at Melbourne Zoo, and worked there for four years. During this time he had several scientific achievements, including the first breeding in captivity of the emu, several bird species including the tawny frogmouth, and marsupials including the koala. He also commenced research into the breeding habits of the platypus. His next public education efforts were nature talks on a Melbourne radio station, in 1937. Later that year, disagreements with the zoo's management came to a head and Fleay was dismissed, principally because of his belief that native birds and animals should be fed what they would eat in the wild.^{[citation needed]}

In 1962 Fleay co-founded the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland with Judith Wright, Brian Clouston and Kathleen McArthur.^{[citation needed]}

Healesville Sanctuary

Coincidentally, the

His greatest achievement at Healesville was in 1943, when he bred the first platypus in captivity. His platypusary (platypus enclosure) incorporated features of their native streams. On about 5 November 1943, "Corrie" was born. No-one other than Fleay successfully bred and reared a platypus until 1998 when Healseville Sanctuary again had success. Since then, breeding has occurred only twice more: at Healesville and Taronga Zoo (twins).^{[citation needed]}

Between 1945–1947, Fleay led an expedition to Tasmania in an attempt to capture a breeding pair of thylacines; however, he returned empty handed.^[5]

In 1947, he took three platypuses to New York for the Bronx Zoo where they occupied a platypusary built to his specifications. He studied animal husbandry at various zoos and wildlife sanctuaries across the US, returning to Healesville in October to discover that the Board had dismissed him for supposed unauthorised donations of animals to various foreign zoos. While untrue, this caused considerable hurt: He was demoted and remained at Healesville as a consultant.^{[citation needed]}

He was also keeping a private collection of animals, but in 1951 the Government of Victoria legislated to prevent private individuals from charging fees for the public to see animal collections. This caused him to decide to move the collection.^{[citation needed]}

Burleigh, Queensland

After extensive research, the Tallebudgera Estuary in the hinterland behind

The animals were fed partly from donations from local bakers and butchers, with local residents donating dead animals to feed the owls (or the goannas if no longer fresh); mice and rats were collected frequently from the McKerras Research Institute behind the hospital; worms were collected fresh daily for the platypuses; eels, pigeons and flying foxes were also killed to provide food for the owls, snakes and crocodiles.^[citation needed]

Injured or sick animals from as far away as New Guinea and Central Queensland were accommodated at the sanctuary. Those that lived were kept for research or breeding; native animals, when recovered, were released into the wild; deceased animals were fed to the survivors.^{[citation needed]}

In 1982, 37 acres (150,000 m²) of the land owned by David and Sigrid Fleay was sold to the Queensland Government and became a Conservation Park. The following year, the 20 acre (81,000 m²) main Fauna Reserve with its animal enclosures was also sold to the Government. The remainder of the site 7.5 acres (30,000 m²) was transferred in 1985. Under the terms of this arrangement, David and Sigrid Fleay continued to live and work at the park: In 1983 it closed for five years for redevelopment and re-opened in 1988. The government retains the property as the David Fleay Wildlife Park.^{[citation needed]}

Achievements

• First captive breeding of the platypus (1943),
  crested hawk (1975), wedge-tailed eagle Aquila audax (1977), and fluffy glider Petaurus australis (1988).^{[citation needed}
  ]
• Extensive snake venom production, including
  The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.^{[citation needed}
  ]

• Australian Natural History Medallion for 1940, inaugural awardee
• elected as a Corresponding Member of the Zoological Society of London in 1945
• elected as a Corresponding Member (Life) of the
  New York Zoological Society
  in 1947
• Appointed
  Member of the Order of the British Empire
  (MBE) in 1960
• Associate of the Queensland Museum in 1978
• Fellow of the
  Explorers Club
  in New York in 1979
• Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1980
• Advance Australia Award in 1980
• honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Queensland in 1984
• appointed a
  Paul Harris
  Fellow in 1984

Animals bearing his name

• Fleay's barred frog (Mixophyes fleayi)
• the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle (Aquala audax fleayii), a separate sub-species identified by Fleay

Publications

• We Breed the Platypus (1944)
• Gliders of the gum trees: the most beautiful and enchanting Australian marsupials (1947)
• Talking of Animals (1956, reprinted 1960)
• Living with Animals (1960)
• Nightwatchmen of Bush and Plain (1968)
• Paradoxical Platypus (1980)
• Looking at Animals (1981)
• photographs featured in E. Byrne's The Unique Animals of Australia (1961)
• Extensive writing as a newspaper columnist on natural history topics
• Scientific papers including in The Victorian Naturalist, The Australian Zoologist, Walkabout and Wild Life

References

External links

David Fleay Wildlife Park

• David Fleay Wildlife Park
• David Fleay's 1945–46 Tasmanian Tiger Expedition Archived 6 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine