We need to live together, literally

 For animal species to survive indefinitely in this ever shrinking natural environment perhaps we need to live together with wildlife, and I mean that literally. Certain vulnerable animal species could well be protected from extinction if we opened our homes and properties to them. Zoos have had some success breeding animals in captivity but just imagine if exotic animals were made available to the general public. For every failure, I have no doubt that there would be several success stories of animals living and breeding in the family home. Captive breeding programs are spread far too thinly and opening our homes and hearts to endangered animal species would ensure not only their survival but expand the gene pool as well. It is not ideal, but animal species are disappearing so rapidly from the face of the earth that we need to consider drastic measures to ensure their continued survival. It has been a long wait but after nearly 30 years Sydney’s Taronga Zoo has announced that three short-beaked echidna puggles were born in captivity. The births are encouraging but we need more of them, and opening our homes to captive breeding programs might just be the answer. Writer Jens Ward took this selfie with a short-beaked echidna he encountered on a walk around North Head, Manly. Echidnas are the oldest surviving mammal on the planet today, and we need to keep it that way.