This is why we need our “wild” spaces…
A few years ago, I had a wonderful opportunity to tour South Australia and Victoria with my partner, his friend and my sister. We flew into Adelaide, hired a 4WD and spent the next two weeks travelling through to Melbourne, stopping in at Kangaroo Island, Warrnambool, Werribee and Melbourne city itself. Photography is one of my interests and my favourite subjects are wildlife and landscapes, which South Australia and Victoria both have in spades. It was a very memorable trip and one that I will always remember fondly.
Environmental issues are a central focus of my study with wildlife and ecology being my specialties. With the exception of the sealions which were photographed in the wild, all the other animals you see in this post were photographed within conservation parks such as Monarto and Werribee - both of which are open plains zoos. Seeing the animals in large open spaces like they would be in the wild was such a thrill for me.
But conservation parks and zoos cannot replace the real thing. For these animals to survive in the wild, they need somewhere to live. Habitat fragmentation is a real issue, particularly in Australia, which threatens survival of endangered and vulnerable species. Some people might wonder what the value of wildlife is…..but how do you place a dollar sign on these animals? To me, wildlife and the places they inhabit have intrinsic value that is beyond reasonable estimation. For purely existing and enriching our world, surely we do not need to put a price tag on conserving our world as we know it for future generations.
These kind of furry (and not so furry) kids need our protection just as much as the ones we share our homes with. The next time you drive through a wildlife habitat, ease off the throttle and take a moment to immerse yourself in their world.
