I didn’t know creature was rare, says tribesman who liked it well done

Fears that one of the world’s rarest creatures had been driven to extinction have been allayed by a tribesman who told conservationists he had recently eaten one.

Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, a little-known, primitive mammal that lays eggs, lives in Papua New Guinea. Only one specimen, found in 1961, has ever been seen by scientists.

But fresh evidence that proves the echidna, which was named in honour of the naturalist Sir David Attenborough, is still alive has been found during an expedition by zoologists. Seven people told the scientists that they had seen the spiny creature, which is a relative of the platypus.



One of the villagers said that he had trapped one in a snare and eaten it in the jungle, being unaware of how rare and sought-after the echidna was. “It was delicious”, he said.

Further proof of the echidna’s survival was found in the form of holes in the ground which showed where the creature had been hunting for worms to eat. The holes were from the animal’s distinctive beak and in some places it had pressed so far into the soft mud that it had left impressions of its head in the ground. Burrows were also found, but none was occupied.

Sir David Attenborough was delighted to learn that a creature was still alive. “That is good news,” he enthused. “Of course, I’m delighted. I would like to meet it.”