Our friend Ailsa pointed out that last Thursday, October 4th, was World Animal Day. This got me thinking about the different levels of freedom and autonomy that animals have in our world.
There are places where they are wild, but interact with us by visiting our campsites or gardens. Some stay hidden from view, keeping our ecosystem working behind the scenes. Some we’re lucky enough to find in their own environs…
Then there are those who live in protected areas like parks, where they can come and go, but live relatively protected, and probably become a bit too comfortable with us.
And then there are those we keep in captivity, whose natural environments we try to duplicate… although we know we always fall short in some ways…
And finally there are those we have domesticated, or tamed to some degree. Some we use for food or clothing, some for protection and companionship…
And some we think we’ve domesticated… but I suspect may have trained us!
Regardless of where you find them, or how you enjoy them, animals are all around us, and depend on us to keep the world clean and safe place for them – and us – to live. Many of them actively trust us to provide for them.
Let’s try not to disappoint.
Happy World Animal Day! (A little late.)
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This post was written in response to a Travel Theme challenge from Ailsa at wheresmybackpack. This week’s theme is Animals, in honor of World Animal Day. To learn more about the challenge and to see the beastly posts from other bloggers, click here.
The Retiring Sort 
That orange bird did it for me… Talk about vibrant! 😉
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Isn’t it pretty? I couldn’t take my eyes off of it!
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I love the shot of the cat looking out the window. I’m a dog person at heart, but cats do seem like they always have more on their minds!
I’d love to invite you to participate in a new weekly photo challenge!
Our Wild Weekly Photo Challenge encourages bloggers to head into the wild (or the backyard) and photograph something outdoors that they feel fits the weekly theme. Our current theme for this week is “Fall”
http://www.letsbewild.com/photo-challenge/
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Thanks – I agree – cats do seem to be thinking all the time.
Thanks so much for the challenge invite – I will follow your blog and see about entering. I do love Fall, and have already done a couple of posts around that theme – but I have a lot going on with family and visits right now, so I may not be able to do another this week…
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“Many of them actively trust us to provide for them.”
Two different pelicans have come to the house in the past month. When I was sick, I noticed one right in front of the house, which is very unusual for a pelican to be on this side of the river. I went down and sat on the rocks and talked to it… it actually came up the big boulders! When I held out my hand, it snapped at me! I think it thought I was going to give it a fish! That one hung around for three days, and at the end of each day swam back to the other side where they roost in the mangroves.
Today I was proud to see a pelican that’s been hanging around since 2008, when I first spotted it with its broken wing. It stays with its cluster of pelicans, but today swam across and loitered on the boulders at high tide. We were working on a project on the house, so I didn’t stop to give it attention. It hung around for half an hour, then swam back across to be with its friends!
I am not sure what this year’s edition of the pelican guide books saya about this house on the river, but it must have gotten a good recommendation!
Z
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How wonderful! I love it when animals allow us to get a little close to them! 😉
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The shots are all lovely, but the red bird calls to me. Maybe, it is her unusual color that makes her so attractive. 🙂
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She caught my eye too! She’s in the rainforest exhibit at the Buffalo Zoo!
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Gorgeous. Love the cat photo.
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Thanks – the cat is my granddaughter’s. 😉
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Wonderful shots of the animals. I love all animals, but not bugs..sorry, but good pictures of them 😉
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The bugs can be a little creepy – the millipede joined our lunch picnic one day on the Delaware and we had to get a picture of it! 😉
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One of my absolute favourites in this kingdom of animals is the tiger. Sadly it is sold out to poachers because of its fur and its precious bones …in some countries…Mankind is hopeless when it comes to money.
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So true. These tigers are in the animal kingdom at Disney World. They’re so stately and elegant; I could watch them for hours.
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I love the kitty looking out the window…aww, sweet!! 🙂
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Thanks – she’s tiny, but she rules her roost! 😉
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It’s always the case with kitty cats…must be in the way they hold up their claws and cleverly hiss at the right moment!!! haha…
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