264,000 euros fine.
This is what the two people arrested risk after being spotted on April 6 in a station north of Brisbane in Australia, a small platypus in their arms.
The man is 26 years old.
Accompanied by a woman, they had been seen on a commuter train.
The wild platypus was wrapped in a bath towel.
The man will appear in court on Saturday for alleged animal welfare offences.
He is accused of removing the animal from its natural habitat, a waterway in northern Queensland, and taking it on a train and then to a shopping centre.
Queensland Police said in a statement that "
the couple were seen showing the animal to people in the mall
."
The animal has since "
been released into the Caboolture River
" but has "
not yet been located by authorities
", casting doubt on its state of health, police said.
Read alsoIn Australia, six unforgettable experiences to live with animals
Endemic to eastern Australia
Queensland conservation legislation prohibits taking platypus from the wild, under penalty of a maximum fine of 430,000 Australian dollars (264,000 euros).
A nocturnal, shy animal, the platypus, one of the few mammals that lays eggs, is endemic to Australia.
Observing one of the most enigmatic mammals there is has to be earned.
It only occurs in some rivers and lakes in Tasmania, eastern Queensland and southern Victoria, such as Great Otway National Park.
It feeds on worms, insects and small crustaceans.
With a short tail like a beaver and a duck's beak, British scientists thought it was a hoax when they first saw it in the late 18th century.
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