Wild animal life has been increasingly expendable at the hands of humans. In my lifetime, we have lost many species through premature extinction, species which took millions of years to evolve. About two thirds of wildlife have disappeared. We have depleted environments so that the biomass of wild non-human animals has plummeted. At the same time, the numbers of unwanted animals are growing, both wildlife and domestic animals. Humans are also usually responsible for the disposal of animals that were produced for their use but are not needed, especially animals in the food and sport industries, but also after they have been used in laboratories or as companion animals. Animals are often viewed as disposable, but not by all. We are devising ways of protecting our animal species, but is it too little, too late?