Animal Encounters Of Various Kinds
The poor dog looks so forlorn that I fear he might be dying. He lies in a shallow pit on the beach, which he’s presumably dug himself, wilting in the sun but too exhausted to seek shade, his eyes heavy with sadness.
“He looks like he’s on his last legs”, I say, not sure if I should pet him or not.
“I think he’s just desperate for a drink”, responds Michaela, who knows a lot more about dogs than I do.
I put her theory to the test, grab a discarded coconut shell and fill it from our water bottle. The pooch is unbelievably grateful, laps his way through the whole lot, so much so that I refill the coconut shell twice more and he guzzles the lot. With instant recovery, he’s up out of his pit and trotting off across the beach with, I swear, a smile creeping across his grateful face. I feel a disproportionate amount of pride and satisfaction as he heads off across the sands, clearly happy now.
And if that doesn’t convince anyone that Michaela and I are a pair of old softies, how about the tiny kittens in Fes, Morocco. In the tight, dark alleyways outside the front door of our riad, a small cat, surely young enough to be only just able to conceive, is battling the odds with a litter of three tiny, spiky haired kittens, so tiny that back in England they wouldn’t yet have been out to see the light of day.
At first, they are terrified, hiding behind piles of garbage as we approach. If we try and pet them, they cower behind Mum, who herself has a look of terror in her eyes – that, and the steely strength of infant protection. But we slowly win them over, patiently win trust bit by bit, day by day, until eventually one kitten hovers by my feet, then tentatively, slowly lets me tickle her soft fur. By day three we have, between us, won them all over, bar one. Mum and two kittens now recognise our footsteps as we come through the alleys, and run out to meet us for cuddles – the other, a tiny, jet black male kitten, still runs for cover and still cowers behind terrified eyes.
And there was this little fellow out in the Sahara, who, hilariously, just wouldn’t take no for an answer….
But of course animal encounters when travelling aren’t limited to domesticated creatures. Sharing our bedroom with a lizard or gecko never fazes us – after all, they won’t harm us, but by the same token, they may well eat something that might cause harm. Falling asleep with a bat circling the room, in Cahuita, was definitely a bit offbeat though, but, if a bat has chosen your bedroom as his hunting spot for the night, what can you do!
And then there are those natural encounters – Costa Rica, where wonderful sights greet you several times every day, still tops that particular list – which bring surprises and thrills to hikes in any kind of terrain. And how about that amazing feeling when you get astonishing glimpses of the mysteries of the underwater world. Among our other absolute highlights have been spending several hours in an ethical elephant sanctuary in northern Thailand, spotting lions and others on a Tanzania safari, magnificent frigate birds in Panama, a young bear roaming in Yosemite, whale watching off the California coast.
The natural world in all its forms is one of the absolute joys of travel: unexpectedly stumbling upon exotic wildlife doubly so. Such things never cease to thrill, no matter how many times you get lucky.
Elephants, big cats, crocodiles, whales….fabulous sights, great experiences. Yet, you know, we often find ourselves thinking of that little dog on the beach in Tarrafal, we are still so pleased to have made his day.
29 Comments
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Fantastic set of photos; I especially enjoyed seeing the kitten who decided to adopt you!
I have many wonderful memories of animals I’ve met on my travels, too. Great post. 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Ah thank you – I wanted to take that kitten home in my backpack…
normareadtalktalknet
Awwww such a privilege to see all these wonderful animals in their natural habitat. Love the cat and dog stories of course but my absolute favourite is the sloth .. I remember in one of your blogs seeing one smiling at you.. magical
Phil & Michaela
Sloths are so lovely, definitely something special about them
Alison
Very cute Phil. I can cope with many creatures but not bats! Too freaky. I do love a stray dog though but prefer spiders to be behind glass
Phil & Michaela
Depends on the size of the spider…..😀
Monkey's Tale
Great pics and stories. As many wild animals as we have seen around the world there are 2 kittens that still have my heart. One in Borneo and one in Kyrgyzstan. 😊
Phil & Michaela
I know the feeling!
Toonsarah
A wonderful round up of animal encounters! We especially enjoy befriending cats on our travels and have many great memories of those that we’ve met. As to the wild animals here, I especially love the elephants (sounds very like the place we went to in Laos, which was run by a Thai), humpback, sloth and lion. We too are happy to share our room with lizards etc but the bat sounds a bit disconcerting – I like them, but I’m not sure I’d want one flying around as I tried to sleep!
Phil & Michaela
Ha ha well there’s not much we could do about the bat…and at least you know it’s not going to collide with you during your sleep 😂
Toonsarah
🤣
WanderingCanadians
Beautiful set of pictures, especially with ones with you and the elephants. You’ve certainly had many animal encounters!
Phil & Michaela
We have indeed!
Helen Devries
You’ve had some lovely encounters…..there’s one I like to avoid, so shake my shoes out every morning for fear that a scorpion has been having a kip in one.
Phil & Michaela
Ah yes, we woke up to find a scorpion in the middle of the bedroom floor once. They told us it was harmless but it didn’t look it….checking shoes became essential!
Miriam
Great pics and stories. Yes, there’s something infinitely special when we bond with creatures of nature. I’ve no doubt that hydrating that poor thirsty dog has stayed fondly in your memories.
Phil & Michaela
Really is one of the joys of travel isn’t it
Miriam
It sure is.
Travels Through My Lens
Forget the zoo; you’ve seen them all in your travels! Great collection of photos.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you x
grandmisadventures
What a great group of animals from every corner of the world. If I had to pick a favorite it would either be the whale or the elephants 🙂
Phil & Michaela
And it’s hard not to love sloths!
grandmisadventures
So true!
leightontravels
What a feel-good post. Love the dog story and the needy kitten. The days I have spent hanging out with elephants meanwhile were some of the happiest of my life. You have a lot of beasts here that I would love to see up close one day, with giraffes and sloths quite possibly top of the list. Great stuff.
Phil & Michaela
Elephants….sloths….just loveable huh. Glad we gave you some feelgood….
rkrontheroad
Lovely gallery of the creatures you met along the way. The bat flying around the bedroom would unnerve me.
Phil & Michaela
What can you do ??!
wetanddustyroads
I’ve always liked people who like animals too … now I understand why I like your blog so much! Ah, what a great video of the determined cat in the Sahara. And the photos of Michaela (yes, and you 🙂) among the elephants are just as special. Great photos!
Phil & Michaela
Thank you!