Puggle

This is Aruba, an adult Echidna

I love animals. Chances are, everyone reading this knows that already, but I thought I'd put it out there anyway. And let's face it, animals, especially mammals, are easy to like.

Take this little puggle for example. I don't know how anyone could see him and not melt. I met him for the first time while he was still in his carry cage, and he did not want to be in there. He wanted to be outside playing with everyone. And he was pretty close to getting out by himself too. Adult echidnas need a stronger cage than a cat carrier, they can get out of those pretty easily. And you don't want a loose echidna. It's not that they bite or anything, they don't have teeth, it's just that they will hide and dig in, and you won't be able to get them out; or they'll rip through things to get out and you won't be able to keep them in. I've even heard stories of echidnas being loose in cars and having to get a mechanic to solve the problem (echidna hiding under seat + echidna being spikey + echidna being strong = mechanic to remove car seat to try to get him out).

Anyway, eventually we put Puggle in a little area to wander around in, which he was much happier about. The second I was in there with him though, he started coming up to me, and for some reason sniffing my shoes. Maybe my shoes smelt like ants, but he was fascinated by them and was forever sniffing, trying to open them with his claws, and licking them. It was adorable to see his little tongue going all over the place, I think there are a few moments in the video where you can see it. At the moment his tongue is only about 5cm long, but it will grow up to 18cm or so by the time he's an adult.

My favourite part of playing with Puggle was getting to pick him up. You have to pick echidnas up by running your hands down their sides from the front until you can feel their tummies and then lifting them carefully. The first part is easy, holding a baby echidna while he's trying to move and explore is a little harder. He was trying to tunnel under my arms, dig and lick through my hands, and in general just being squirmy. Which is adorable. And totally worth a few sore fingers.

If you run across an echidna in the wild, usually the best thing to do is have a bit of a look (because they are pretty cool), and then leave them alone to get back to whatever they were doing. If you think that it might be hurt, or in danger in some way (like you have seen a dog or a fox around) there is usually a number you can call for advice. In Western Australia, the Wildcare Helpline (08 9474 9055) is open 24/7, and the volunteers that staff it can tell you what to do if you find sick, injured or orphaned native wildlife. Kanyana is also a good place to call for advice (08 9291 3900 7 days, 8:30-6:30), and I'm sure that other states/countries all have somewhere that you can call.

Until next time, take a moment to notice the animals around you. Seriously. There are more than you think. : )