just because taking 4 minutes to watch this might make you smile all day. (sound up!)
Sep12
Category Archives: animals
Aug17
bear with me.
National Park Service Notice –
READ: Please don’t run from bears or push your slower friends down in attempts of saving yourself.
As a follow-up to a previous post, if you come upon a stationary bear, move away slowly and sideways; this allows you to keep an eye on the bear and avoid tripping. Moving sideways is also non-threatening to bears. Do NOT run, but if the bear follows, stop and hold your ground. Like dogs, they will chase fleeing animals. Do NOT climb a tree. Both grizzlies and black bears can climb trees. Do NOT push down a slower friend (even if you think the friendship has run its course).
Stay calm and remember that most bears do not want to attack you; they usually just want to be left alone. Don’t we all? Identify yourself by making noise so the bear knows you are a human and not a prey animal. Help the bear recognize you as a human. We recommend using your voice. (Waving and showing off your opposable thumb means nothing to the bear) The bear may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. A standing bear is usually curious, not threatening.
P.S. We apologize to any “friends” who were brought on a hike as the “bait” or were sacrificed to save the group. You will be missed.
#FindYourPark #RecreateResponsibly
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/index.htm
—
“i’d rather write about polar bears than people”
-mary oliver
—
image credit: Bear resting on a log thinking bear things at Katmai National Park & Preserve, NPS/ J. Ehrlenbach
Jul22
bolder.
a tiny toad crossed paths with grandie f
i wonder which one was more excited to meet the other.
—
“the smaller the creature, the bolder its spirit.”
-suzy kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun
Jun26
breakfast.
bunny stops by the yard for a quick breakfast
kitty sees bunny and considers breakfast
bunny sees kitty and keeps eating
kitty sees bunny seeing kitty
one inside, one outside
only a screen between them
understanding
each is safe
but what goes on in their heads?
—
“it is easy to be brave from a safe distance. “
-aesop
May19
soar.
with the absence of so many humans
the animals have reclaimed their territory
and even branched out to try things that might be new
when i saw this goose standing full of pride and bravado on top of the bridge
all i could think of was that scene from ‘titanic’ when jack said to rose:
“i’m the king of the world!”
and he believed that for a little while.
—
“the higher we soar the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly”
– friedrich nietzsche
May3
eel good.
An Aquarium in Japan Wants You to FaceTime With Its Shy Eels
“Many people have turned to video chat as a way to continue socializing while in quarantine, and the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan, is asking you to help its eels do the same.
After the aquarium closed its doors to the public on March 1, its population of 300-odd spotted garden eels became increasingly bashful, burrowing into the sand whenever staff members were around. Although that isn’t abnormal behavior for wild garden eels, the ones in captivity at Sumida had adapted to the consistent, non-threatening presence of human visitors, and no longer tried to hide whenever someone approached.
This return to reticence is making it hard for employees to monitor their health, so they’ve devised a plan to reacclimate the tiny creatures to the existence of people: a three-day “face-showing festival” from Sunday, May 3, to Tuesday, May 5. During that time, the aquarium is requesting that people FaceTime the eels, waving or calmly calling out to them for up to 5 minutes before disconnecting.
Since they’ll be using FaceTime, you’ll need an iPhone, iPad, or other iOS device to call in. Staff members will be accepting calls on five tablets around the tanks, so there are five different email addresses you can try if you’d like to chat with the eels:
helpchin001@gmail.com
helpchin002@gmail.com
helpchin003@gmail.com
helpchin004@gmail.com
helpchin005@gmail.com
The lines will be open each day from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m JST, and because Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of EST, participants in the U.S. will technically need to call in the night before; i.e. from Saturday, May 2, to Monday, May 4, between the hours of 9:30 p.m. and 1 a.m EST.In other words, it’s the perfect time to read a very short bedtime story to a very small eel.
“i don’t mind eels. except as meals.”
-ogden nash
—
credits: ellen gutosky, mental floss
Mar7
wolfpack.
This image of GPS tracking of multiple wolves in six different packs around Voyageurs National Park was created in the framework of the Voyageurs Wolf Project. It is an excellent illustration of how much wolf packs in general avoid each other’s range.
In Voyageurs National Park a typical wolf pack territory is somewhere around 50-70 square miles but that can vary from year to year. So that’s about the size of the areas marked with the different colors. The white line marks the boundary of the national park.
Wolf packs generally avoid being around each other unless they are fighting for food that may be in short supply. When that occurs, they may engage in battles with other packs in order to continue have their claim on a given location as well as the food found within it.
Wolves may need to shift their territory due to human activity as well. When people clear out part of their natural habitat they may have to find a new route to get to their food sources. This can also create conflicts among the various wolf packs due to overstepping their bounds.
—
“for the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”
- rudyard kipling
—
,image credit: thomas gable
sources: voyageurs wolf project, wolfworlds
Oct11
sad raccoon.
on my neighborhood nextdoor site – written by a kind neighbor:
“we found a raccoon in our driveway that looks sad and is not moving.
is there anything we can do about it?”
—
“let us fill our hearts with our own compassion –
towards ourselves and towards all living beings.”
-thich nhat hanh
Sep19
common ground.
feeding the worms and roll-poly’s
everyone’s got to eat
all meals are free and served with love
“food is our common ground.”
-james beard
Jul7
gentle strength.
after finding a tiny baby mole
who has died
along the side of the road
the kids say a few words on its behalf
and place it in the soft leaves of the woods
as a kind and gentle memorial gesture.
—
“when children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength.”
-maria montessori
