Injured Echidna puggle recovering at Sydney zoo hospital

An echidna puggle who was found with suspected bird injuries has been treated at a Sydney zoo hospital. The short-beaked puggle was found by members of the public on the Central Coast north of Sydney last month, after it fell four metres from a tree onto their balcony, Taronga Zoo Senior Keeper Sarah Male said.

Male said the residents looked up into the tree where the puggle fell from and saw a raven and a magpie squabbling above. The residents contacted an animal rescue organization which transported him to the Taronga Wildlife Hospital at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, Male said.

The puggle had scratches and bird peck marks on his back. He was assessed and treated at the hospital by specialist carers, the zoo said. Male said the puggle was recovering and gaining weight, and growing fur on his body. The zoo said more than 1,400 native wildlife animals treated by specialist vets and vet nurses across Taronga zoos hospitals in Sydney and Dubbo each year.