I try and avoid branded and plastic toys and instead favour simple toys made from natural materials like timber or bits of nature. 

But I’m suspecting one of Little Eco’s recent toys was taking my preference for natural a little too far.

We unfortunately found a dead Squirrel Glider stuck on one of the barbed wire fences at our little farm.

Barbed wire kills thousands of animals each year

Unfortunately such a death is all too common for this gorgeous threatened species and other wildlife. Barbed wire kills thousands of bats, birds, gliders, kangaroos and wallabies in Australia each year.

These deaths are easy to prevent

We'll be replacing the top strand of barbed wire with regular wire in the forested areas of our property to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

We let Little Eco hold the Squirrel Glider so that she could learn about its bushy prehensile tail, sharp claws that help it grab onto trees, and the membrane between its limbs that helps it glide for up to 50 metres.

She held the glider gently at first....

Then she started playing with it. Just like it was a soft toy. For hours and hours and hours. 

After a night in the fridge, the following day she proceeded to play 'vets' with it.

I've gained new insight into the origin of fluffy soft toys. 

You'll be pleased to know, that  after a vist to preschool to show the other kids, this toy was 'retired'.