I actually have seen a few wild animals, though not because I’m particularly adventurous. I live in a big city, but sometimes people here stumble on bears while in the park, or a bear will enter their yard. One of the most memorable moments occurred when I was walking with a friend in a wooded area next to city buildings. Everything felt normal until we crossed school grounds on a Saturday and noticed a furry creature on all fours and decided it wasn’t a student. It still felt surreal—like the bear had shown up to audit a class. Other people were around, and all of us backed away and put as much distance as possible between the bear and us. I took a picture but the bear is so small (at a distance) that it’s not worth sharing. (Blog photo is a re-creation of what happened.)
Another friend of mine had an even more intense encounter: she saw bison weaving through stopped traffic in Yellowstone National Park. As impressive as bison are, they can be terrifying up close. They’re huge, unpredictable, and strong enough to wreck a car without much effort. In situations like that, there’s really nothing you can do except sit in your car and wait until the procession passes.
Those experiences remind me that wild animals, while fascinating, are most safely appreciated from afar.
Vanya Wryter Consulting Services 
Enjoyed your post!
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Thanks for reading!
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Well, we have kangaroos and emus all over the place, Vanya – even in the most built up areas. Snakes are an issue of course, sharks too and crocodiles in the north but we get to see whales up close and plenty of dolphins too…
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Wow, that’s a lot of animals. I’ve seen some really muscular kangaroos that look like they’ve been working out in the boxing ring.
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Have humans encroached the bear’s habitat?
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Sorry about the late reply. Was super busy! I guess we have. The bears do enter city parks sometimes.
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So true! We cannot treat a pet dog and a wild leopard alike.
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True! Although I have been attacked by someone’s pet dog before (I was an invited guest at their house and that dog didn’t like guests).
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You’re right, even pet dogs sometimes become aggressive.
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Engaging writing Vanya and yes, best to respect the wild nature of animals.
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True. Thanks for reading!
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You’re very welcome!
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There was once a lion on the loose in our neighbourhood and attacked a family friends dog. Wildlife is definitely best appreciated from a safe distance.
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Wow. I would stay far away from lions!
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Yeah, you don’t want to get too close to them!
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Since we are near the Blue Ridge Mountains, we have seen bears twice, a lot of deer, a few foxes, falcons, hawks, ground hogs, wild turkeys, opposums, rabbits, and squirrels.
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That’s a huge variety of animals! I forgot about the squirrels. We have those too! I only see turkeys on a farm.
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Many stupid Americans like to feed and pet wild animals. Guess they can’t tell or consider the difference between pets and wild animals.
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