By: Jennifer Richardson Holt
Last week was full of experiences. And yes, I do realize that is quite possibly the most vague and unnecessary opening line that has ever been written. But the experiences were so varied I couldn’t think of another way to describe it. I enjoyed moments that I will likely see again a hundred times over, and while wonderful, they are not uncommon by any means. But then there were those times that I was fortunate enough to encounter things that I will remember until the day I die because they were quite possibly a once in a lifetime moment that I will tell about for years to come. Last week had a holiday thrown in it and all, but these aren’t the occurrences of which I write. Each of these events involved some of God’s finest creatures running the full spectrum to tiny domestic lap pet to the largest of the predators. It was quite a week for me to witness animals at their finest, from the mundane to the thrillingly exotic. And if animals are not something that you find of any particular interest, well, all I can say is I hope that next week’s blog gives you fodder free of fur or paw.
I suppose it would be best to start with the more routine occurrences. These are the types of things I am privy to most days in and around my home. As winter approaches, (and considering it was well below freezing this morning and isn’t going to be terribly much above it today it does seem winter is here already but technically it isn’t), we put out a feeder for the deer. We place it strategically in our back yard so we can casually lounge in our living room and look out and see visitors. We usually have a fair amount of a herd that partakes of our regularly dispensed corn. It’s funny to me that they quickly learn the schedule of the feeder and will often appear right around time when they know that dinner (or breakfast if it the morning dispersion) will be served.
This year started off with three does. They were the standard for quite some time. An adult doe and two smaller younger does would wag their white tails as they covered every inch of ground, occasionally looking up with ears that were very alert and disproportionately large it seemed. More recently there have been as many as five at a time out vacuuming up any morsel on the ground. The deer in my yard are not out of the ordinary but the feeder gives us a chance to really watch them in all their graceful beauty and natural behavior. Normally the slightest thing sends them leaping away white fuzzy flags in the air, but the feeder settles them down a bit for better observation.
Unfortunately, this is the first year we have put out this feeder while we have had a dog. Now, our dog is small but when it comes to anyone or anything outside of the usual in her vicinity, she has a very loud mouth. Well, she has decided she does not approve of our dining guests, well, once she realized that she didn’t need to be angry at or afraid of the feeder itself. So, if one does not check to see outside first, then if she is let out, she shoots like a little chocolate bullet causing as much racket as possible. Now there is a fence that separates the deer from the dog but being the antsy creatures that they are they scatter before they sort that bit out.
But the animals that live in my home or in the woods near my home, while I love them, do not hold a candle to what I got to see the day after Thanksgiving. My family went to a preserve where huge predators have been rescued and are now being kept. I have never been able to get so close to such amazing animals in my life. There were hyenas, wolves, bears, tigers of all kinds, lions, leopards (spotted, clouded and black) and one unbelievable massive liger. You could get so close to their environments. There was one gorgeous Siberian tiger I came upon early on. I would chuff (what tigers do instead of purr…because I’m a nerd) at her and she would reply in similar fashion. She stayed in the front of her enclosure as close to me as she could get, probably 3 to 4 feet from me, rubbing her cheek against the fencing. I have never, in all my life, wanted to scratch a fuzzy cheek so badly.
There was another tiger that constantly kept one paw on a toy ball and gave his neighboring white tiger an accusing look. At one point he growled at this other resident and made great efforts to scoot his ball further away. They were both in separate fencing but for whatever reason, very strong feelings were had about this toy and its current owner was in no mood to share it. There was a black leopard who, as my daughter spoke to him as one does, crouched low with his golden eyes looking up at us. I thought he was keeping warm (it was a very cold day) but then he pounced at my daughter with a guttural growl that despite his fencing gave both her and I a small stroke. It was terrifying but incredible all at the same time.
I must close on the spectacle I beheld that I cannot say I ever thought I would have the privilege of being part of. Near the back of this park, approaching the last animals, there was a white lion. He wasn’t white per se, but his body and mane were a lighter shade of blonde than your average lion. He was gorgeous and as we approached, he looked past us and we saw he had spotted the little utility vehicle of the preserve workers in the distance. He knew that there was potential for food with that vehicle so he thought he should voice his opinion about the clear fact that said vehicle was not headed in his direction. It began with a deep grunting that pulsed from his throat. It evolved into a fully blown roar that he repeated over and over, and I stood awestruck watching. The sun shone behind him giving him a golden aura and I could see and feel the steam of his breath with each echoing call. His noise made all the various species of wolves in the place begin to howl and the entire place came alive with voices at the sound of the King of Beasts.
It was breathtaking. Myself, my husband and my daughter stood with mouths agape. My eyes filled with tears. It was magnificent and terrible and glorious and frightening. Perhaps the everyday dog and cat or the frequent deer I see so often had made me complacent to the vast number that are the creatures that do not cross my paths every day. May the average cat rubbing on my leg or the typical squirrel darting across the road not be humdrum but a simplified reminder that there is a wide world of wonder out there and because I may not see all of it every day, it is no less of a marvelous gift.
Prose and Possibilities 