Wild Animals

Wild Animals? Oh, Christine you have unleashed a monster. Don't you know that I live in the Wild West, hike, and love to travel?

Christine has given us the theme of "Wild Animals" for this week's header challenge. Well may the others in our little cadre of competitors come up with some great critters, but they probably will not have come from as far flung as mine. You can find their choices from the links in my sidebar.

Just to the left of the tree to the left of the redhead--there--do you see them?
ELEPHANTS

No?

Well, those little lumps on the ridge are elephants--a delightful treat on a cruise on Lake Periyar in Periyar National park and Tiger Reserve in India. Ah well, we did not see any tigers--I've only seen tigers in the zoo and featured one when we did "Boxes" a few weeks ago.

I've been to zoos in, let's see, four countries, and national parks in seven. I did say I travel, right? Or at least I have in the past been privileged to do so.

The mama monkey and her baby were at a Hindu temple we visited.

Back at home we have spent much time in our closest National Park, Mt. Rainier, where this marmot was curious about who we might be. These guys come out of hibernation skinny in the spring and eat, eat, eat, and then eat some more so that they will be nice and fat for their next winter's nap.

 On one hike about five years ago we rounded a bend and encountered this young chap. What a delight. We hadn't seen one in the park for nearly 30 years. We've seen lots since.

 This American White Pelican we saw at Pelican Bay when we cabinned at Crescent Lake in Idaho. We have a flock of them that summer here in the Yakima Valley, and it is a wonder to watch them as they fly in formation.

Are Scottish frogs friendlier than those in other locations? 

In Denali National Park this Grizzly was on his way away. That was fine with me.

 I was less concerned about these Dall Sheep, though I wouldn't want to get in the way of those horns.

 

Or this moose.    Of course all three were photographed from the bus.

Our whale watching tour out of Juneau gave us sights of some of the largest of wild critters.

 Alas the tallest and my favorites I've seen only at zoos--in fact I had the chance to feed one a few years ago at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. It was a birthday present.


Oh, yes, my camera! it's not one of the fanciest, but I fancy the awesome zoom lens that is one of its features.

Would I come so close to these wild critters otherwise?



The giraffe and the gorilla were in San Francisco.

 

 
 
These guys were all in Phoenix. (Love the Meer cats!)

I chose this Alaska Brown Bear from the Alaska Wildlife Center for the header. That he is rescued and rehabilitated does not make him any less wild.

 

And so, for now, I'll go, good bye.