A woman’s attempt to rescue a wild platypus left her in excruciating pain and requiring surgery in a rare case of envenomation reported in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The 62-year-old presented to ED with severe pain just two hours after handling the monotreme, according to clinicians from the Royal Hobart Hospital in Tasmania.

She had two deep puncture wounds on her right hand — one on the right hypothenar eminence and another to the dorsum of the hand — accompanied by rapidly spreading oedema and erythema.

Her blood pressure was 181/124mmHg, and her respiratory rate was 18 breaths per minute.