The other day my next-door neighbor asked if I
saw the deer across the street. No I did not. We have lived in the same home
for 23 years and I have never seen deer. Oddly another neighbor a block away
said that the deer keep eating her roses and knocking over her birdbath. Deer?
What deer? I see dogs, cats, birds, squirrels, the usual neighborhood animals,
but never deer. I really don’t like wild life too close to my home so I don’t
want to see deer!
Friends who have more wooded properties have
seen coyotes and have been inundated with wild turkeys. They also see deer
damage to their roses, if not also seeing the deer themselves on their front
yards. “A doe and 2 little fawns”, they
all exclaim with smiles. Am I the only one cringing!
A few years ago my work sent me to Alaska a few
times a year. I spent most of my time in Anchorage, which is a lovely small
city. The hotel I chose did not have a parking garage but a lot across the
street from the hotel. This I learned is a safety issue and the reason this
hotel was such a bargain.
On the bed in my hotel room were instructions
of what to do if confronted by the local wildlife. I thought it was a joke. I
was familiar with hotel instructions about conserving energy or water and what
to do with your towels or valuables. Never before did I see wild life
instructions on how to get from the parking lot to the hotel if the local
wildlife is cruising the lot.
I wish I had kept the instructions but it read
something like this:
If you see a brown bear, punch it in the nose
If you see a black bear, spray bear spray
repellent
If you see a grizzly bear, get between parked
cars and make yourself small
If you see a moose, do not establish eye
contact or make sudden moves and try to have a car between you
What?? I never punched anyone in the nose
before and certainly not a bear that I am busy identifying it brown or black
while trying to get in between cars and looking over my shoulder for moose and
looking in my purse for my bear repellent! Who really carries bear repellent in
their purse?
I am not a wildlife girl! Have you had any
close encounters with wildlife in an urban setting?
16 comments:
Does a wild and crazy neighor count?
We have tons of wildlife around here. I had a close-encounter with a raccoon just the other night. I love nature, but I'm with you - I'd rather see it on the television or from a distance. I LOVE the whole explanation of how to deal with a bear. My family encountered one in Yosemite once - it was after our trash and my brother and dog were face-to-face with it. Yep, nature is beautiful. And terrifying for this city girl! Great blog.
Besides making me laugh Janie, I think more animal!
Thanks Donna. Raccoons scare me, their sharp teeth and noise! Who would have thought instructions more than "run" was needed when seeing bear?
That's hysterical, Helene! I grew up in the "wilds of Brooklyn," so when my little boy calmly said, "Mom, there's a wolf on ourlwan," I panicked. Animal Control, sounding very exasperated, said, "it's not a wolf, Ma'am, it's a coyote. And we don't come for coyotes. Get used to it." and after 24 years, I finally did.
Living in the National Ocala Forest I'd say wildlife is a norm around here. I am always aware of my surroundings as I have no plans to run into a bear or alligator. I once was out watering flowers and saw something come around the corner. I thought it was a baby bear so took off running as I knew the mother would be close behind. Half way to the house it dawned on me that it was a large raccoon. I started to walk but then common sense kicked in and said "Run Grace, that has to be the biggest racoons in the world!"
Other than the BAT in my HOUSE...read the whole story here: http://stillblondeafteralltheseyears.com/2012/05/russell-athletic-review-keeping-dry-in-a-tough-situation/ I am not a wild animal girl either.
Mindy, I am with you, Coyotes are like little wolves, they will eat bunnies and kitties!
Grace you showed good sense, RUNIING!!
Thanks for commenting.
SB, what a funny bat story. Bats are flying rats so good thing you were dressed and looking great!
My nightmare scenario is being confronted by a bear; it's why I would only hike in groups! Onlyl want to see them at a distance...;-)
I am in your group Carol! I don't want to get closer for a 'better' picture when it comes to bear or any wild life!
Living in NC, I expect to see some form of wildlife. The area is heavily populated with deer so on any given night, if you're driving down the highway, you might come in contact with one and I mean your car will suffer greatly for it!
I've never seen a skunk in the area but I sure SMELL them!
Thanks for commenting Beverly. Deer are a road hazard no doubt about it! Do you remember an old SNL skit when deer were crossing a hwy at a sign of deer crossing?
Skunk smell is wicked bad!
As a child of 12 we went to picnic on a remote beach in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was out in front of the family and stopped dead at a brown bear in the path.
As far as I recall my Dad made lots of noise, holding his hands up high to scare it away. Pretty sure no noses were punched.
I think bears do not want an encounter any more than humans do!
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