Share an animal encounter
 

Share your experience of an animal encounter!

Rules of the thread:

- Only real world animal encounters, no videos etc.

- Preferably stick to personal animal encounters, rather than repeating second hand accounts from something you heard.

- The encounter doesn't need to be exotic or rare, just something that was meaningful for you.

- If you took a pic, feel free to share.

A gruffalo breezed by in a brand new extra durable and reasonably priced suburau forester. Initally i figured it was a samsquanch , but realized it wasn't when the gruaffalo threw a roll of tp at me as she rolled by. Gruaffalo dislike tp

Well, there was my Soul friend doggy.....

But then there was a Crow. A completely wild Crow who made friends with me and who has been my friend for over a year now. He/she doesn't just come for the food treat. but just for a "chat" and answers to his name....comes flying in if I call that name. I have also learned to speak a bit of Crow,

I caught a monkey going into someone's bag and stealing their banana. The owner of the bag saw it and came running but didn't really know what to do. The monkey took the banana and went up the tree. A few minutes later a monkey grabbed someone's water bottle and drank from it. Then threw it on the ground and ran off. The same type of monkey tried to grab my arm while another came from behind and tried to grab my backpack. These monkeys can be cute and annoying simultaneously.

Here's the monkey stealing the banana then taking off.

Here's a Lion encounter. It marks its territory by leaving claw marks on the tree. The lions are brother and sister. Obviously not cubs but not full adults either. Teenagers i suppose. Their skin feels nice and thick when you pet them.









I had the privilege of encountering many animals in the wild. I enjoyed encountering the hyenas and elephants as well.

What an amazing experience -to be with these lionesses so peacefully. They must love humans, or they must trust you deeply. Is this you, with them?

Yeah, that's me. The lions seem use to being around people.

Another fascinating experiences was coming across leaf cutter ants in the rainforest. For some reason i find them fascinating to watch and observe. You'll see plenty of colonies in the Costa Rican rainforest so watch where you stand.

Baboons are numerous in the jungle as well. They are not as mischievous as white faced monkeys but they can be mischievous as well. I encountered a bunch while hiking up. Here's one holding a water bottle.

Bob Cat visiting my camp. Aug 30, 2013. Kibab National Forest. Back Country.

Photo too large *

Last year on a camping trip, my wife and we're enjoying watching chipmunks looking for food by our campsite. Soon we noticed a hawk up in a tree watching the same thing. We watched the hawk swoop down and make a meal out of one of the chipmunks. It happened really close to we were. Another one was one night I was outside. Being 3am it was really quiet out. All of a sudden I Hurd a thump sound on the ground and a high pitched loud squealing. It scared the hell out of me because it was so close and not knowing what it was until I saw an owl fly away with a rabbit. Soon I found out owls fly completely slient.

I do have many experiences with animals that are very special to me... and lead me to learning about power animal guidance. My experiences often help me feel connected to my environment in ways that feel magical and much bigger than me.

One of my favorite experiences occurred while sitting in meditation in a favorite local spot with no one around. There are often hummingbirds playing about and even approaching me to get a closer peak of me. One special time a hummingbird approached so close. Eye to eye level with only inches between. Hovering their for several seconds... At first I was startled followed immediately by a surprising, creeping fear. Thinking this tiny little hummingbird could really do a number on my eyes if it chose to... Once I let that fear go and allowed for this special moment (as well as my vulnerability towards this blessed little explorer) I found myself in a state of joyful bliss. The shared heart energy and curiosity vibrating strongly between us. Peace. I will never forget this gift!

TW

Many times I've encountered Bees/Butterflies/Dragonflies who land on me. Recently had a Field mouse of all things after a Gong Mediation session walk up to me and it was the oddest interaction. Made sure to just remind him to stay away from the house.

I have had many animal visits that benefitted my spiritual path. This one was especially so: Having helped my children move into a home I bought for them to occupy, I returned to the home where we had been living together. It had been my mother's home, now being equally shared with my sister. It was late night, and I drove the four miles, feeling empty. I'm always watchful for animals on this woodsy, twisting road. As I drove up a short, steep hill, with very little berm, I said out loud, "I don't want to be there anymore. There's no "life" left there for me." A sudden movement in my right side mirror caught my attention and I looked... a deer was running beside my car. She stayed by me until a traffic sign blocked the berm, then bounded up the bank to the right. It totally dissolved my gloomy thoughts.

I went home and researched the animal wisdom she embodies, and used that in my attitude and behaviors during the stressful adjustment time. My sister had been ungracious to my children, and I admit they are challenging people. We had given shelter to her children previously and I was a loving auntie to them. My children were equally distressed at how she related to me! Eventually, I moved into my new home with my children. It's one of the most important things I've done in my life, creating a safe space for these troubled people to "adult" in. One of the more difficult things too. Here, we had a possum mamma birth 7 babies under my "in town" deck. I relocated her and her crew to a safer home in a park, out of town near an orchard and river. I was stressed, but blessed, for I have a special fondness for possums.

I have learned so very much by applying the wisdom of the animals.

We were driving down the road and saw this elk. I got out to take a pic. He was busy eating. He was standing in someones yard and as we pulled up a Mom rushed out urging her children to go inside. The Elk was in rut at the time and they can get dangerous. So, I stood across the street just outside of my car door, ready to jump in if he got an inkling to charge at me.

Last year I came across a praying mantis. It was my second time ever seeing one. He didn't mind me at all taking pics of him. He was next to my garage. This was my favorite photo of him.

This one hit home on the spiritual note for me. The night before I dreamt about pulling up to a bridge and talking to a man who had a very long camera lens. His wife pointed out a large bird to me. That was the end of the dream. That next day, my husband and I pulled up to a bridge where a man with a very long camera lens was standing. His wife pointed out this eagle to me.

I have a funny story about my pets. So I have an German Shepherd (Sypher) who is just shy of two years and a pit bull (Pickles)who is 5 yrs (also my daughters). My daughter wanted a cat so we rescued one from our local shelter her name is Freya and she is a year old. Pickles is convinced the cat is his baby. Sypher on the other hand is very confused. We have had Freya for 2 months and he still cannot figure out what it is. She chases him through the house and occasionally loves him, but as soon as he sniffs her she swats him (minus the nails) he is terrified of her when that happens. Sypher keeps trying to make peace though, he takes his ball to her and drops it at her feet he bats at it with his paws showing her how to play then picks it up again and tosses it at her. The cat just looks at him with utter disdain like he is so beneath her. Lol

Namaste`

I remember some Japanese tourist taking pictures and videos of me dancing. Behind me was at one time was 1 cobra. The second time was 2 cobras.

When I was still freshly bereaved over the loss of my cat, one day I was crying at his grave and a robin came and sat on the grave stone. I have never seen anything like it before and it was remarkable how this little bird didn't just fly off but sat there for quite a while, looking at me.

I think that was a sign from my cat - he was telling me that he is still always around.

Long ago, when I lived up in the northern interior, in the outskirts of town (Prince George, British Columbia), I've had a couple different experiences with wildlife. Once, when I went jogging, it was down a dirt road. On the way back, about maybe 50 feet ahead of me, I saw a black bear slowly crossing the road. Noticing and looking at the bear, I stopped and froze, as the bear did, back to me. For maybe half a minute, the bear and I just stood there, frozen, staring at each other. Not really knowing what to do, but also knowing what not to do, which would be to panic, I slowly began to move towards the house to the left of me. On the split second that I moved, the bear scuttled off in a startle into the woods. When I made my way to the door of the house and knocked on the door there was no-one there which left me no choice but to just head back up home, past where the bear had been. Running back home, I made sure I made noise by clapping my hands so the bear wouldn't come near. Needless to say, I was thankful to have made it back in one piece.

Another time, there were two young wild foxes in the area, one red, the other, black. Late one night, I noticed they were roaming about close by so I went and sat on the doorstep with some food that I could find which was some cat food and a couple roma tomatoes. As they skittishly came up closer, I just sat there and tossed the food out for them as they ate it and looked at me with their sparkling, playful, eyes. The red one even came right up to me and pulled on my cardigan with his teeth like he wanted to play. I got up, wandered around the outside of the house and we followed each other back and forth, illuminated by the moonlight and northern lights in the sky. After that night, I never saw them again but I will never forget that magical experience having that connection which is a memory I'll keep treasuring for the rest of my life.

This weekend my grandson and I were hunting deer....well hidden, absolutely silent and in full camo.....suddenly....up wind of us.... a mountain lion came out of the brush line carrying a jack rabbit it had caught ....stopping not 20 yards from us, it began to eat its kill!

We watched it for perhaps 6 or 7 minutes till it was done eating the rabbit...then it circled back into the brush line disappearing......although we could not see it any longer we heard it make a huffing sound when it got turned into the wind and picked up our scent at which point it clearly left the area.....

It was a young adult male...Big! At least 250 pounds!....powerfully muscled and magnificent to see!

The ground was damp and after our hunt...we went over to where it ate the jack rabbit and found its tracks leading back into the brush line and the front prints were almost 9 inches across! .......That's a big cat!!!

What an amazing experience that must have been!! The lion in the last pic looks like they were enjoying themself, I wonder if he/she was purring.:D

A while ago when I was leaving the house of a close friend of mine, I encountered a cat that was friendly and wanted to interact with me even though we never met before. It was a wonderful experience that made my day a bit better.

Sorry it is a video, but real nevertheless ......

Memorable animal encounters at Margaret's house:
https://www.nzgeo.com/video/tropic-gothic/
or Google: Tropic Gothic | New Zealand Geographic

^ With Much Love and Thank You.

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In regards to the previous video – I was absolutely honoured and privileged, with sheer love and delight to come to know this - eco-warrior.
Her legacy should be known, plus she would like people to see her video.

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Something happens …….. when you live in the wilderness. The Nature takes over your Psyche.
If you are afraid of heights – try climbing the Eiffel Tower – at one point you lose your fear.
It just becomes way too high up for you to even care anymore.

The same way – I lived in a caravan, in a rainforest – run over by spiders - wayyyy too many to count.
So your mind just flips over, you don’t even use the nets - you just brush the spiders off your bed and sleep like a log – the spiders crawling all over you – yet none ever bit me.

Was it my traditional healer grandmother, which affected me? ……. I don’t know (?).
According to her – you never-ever kill a spider – her Totem – because the Spider is your Mother.

The Spider Mother weaved the Wold so, that we as sentient beings have a connection i.e. *felt* interconnectedness with All That Is – and if you can feel the sentient connection – you can (spatially) navigate/travel the 7 multidimensional layers to the Central Sun and thus are empowered, all the way - in degrees ....

The Spider can also be the trickster – the very confusing situations in your life are like a cobweb and you have to find the Golden Thread that takes you back to the Central Sun.

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The first house I owned was full of snakes. Yet the more you saw them - the more you lost the fear of them. I never killed them either.

I saw a skunk that was walking continuously in a circle. A turkey vulture was sitting on the backstop of a horse shoe pit, watching the skunk. Silly me went up to the skunk to check on it. Then it suddenly took off and started chasing me up a hill. I made it back into the house and don't know what came of the skunk, but I think it may have been sick.

listening to Pink Floyds Animals

What a stunning knowledge - to be with these lionesses so gently. They should love people, or they should confide in you profoundly. Is this you, with them?

hmmmmffff, adjectives

Prior to moving to the desert country, I saw a landscape in my mind’s eye – which I then painted.
I also saw dingo tracks – up in the sky - above that landscape – which I then drew in another picture.
It was a ‘vision’, but I didn’t know what it meant.

When I actually moved here, I looked at a lot of houses - but then when I entered into this one dwelling, I instantly felt every cell in my body relaxing. Repeated the exercise for 2 more times with the same result - so I bought the place. My body knew where it was right for me to be, so I listened to it.

Later on as I was looking for a place to put my painting of the desert country & I found the space for it in my bedroom, next to the window - I made a startling discovery. The painting I had made prior to moving to the desert and totally forgotten about, was an exact view from my bedroom window!


Later, when my parents were visiting – we collectively saw a scenario within that landscape – step by step – which I later learned – was the ‘Aboriginal Dreaming’ story of that very place, which actually startled me to the core, because I had gone through all the emotions and actions of it, in my mind’s eye, without first knowing the story.

An Elder wanted to take me to the cave, where this Dreamtime Entity is – but I didn’t go.
A Dingo - a wild dog brother invited me to the Ceremony – but I didn’t go.
I am not fond of ceremonies and I want to get into ‘stuff’ according to my own intuition and take it from there.


So now to the animal encounter:
With a couple of friends we went on a few trips deeper into the Central Australian desert country, camping in the National Parks etc.

Saw some absolutely spectacular places, but my favourite place was this one (dry river bed) gorge where we camped the night.
Early in the night I heard some howling in the distance for quite a long time .... but since the park had two camping sites; I thought that it probably was some idiot in that distant camping spot pretending to be a dingo or something.
Or maybe it was a real dingo - I couldn't tell.

Then I must have fallen asleep, can't remember of having any particular dreams though, but all of a sudden my dreaming did become lucid - when this eye, which at first looked like an Egyptian eye (The Eye of Horus), appeared in my dream. At a closer look, zooming into the eye, I saw that it was an eye of a dingo eyeballing me, and the dingo was wanting to say: "I have seen you!"

This woke me up at once, and just then! ....I heard this ever so soft short howl near my tent ........... thus "the eye" must have been her looking at me through the net & immediately after her howl - all around us! ... quite near and much further away ... all the dingos (so many of them ... like one closer ring and then another more distant ring), started to howl in chorus ... howls that the rocky canyon walls echoed ... and echoed ... and echoed ... and echoed ... and echoed ...

That was an absolutely magnificent moment!!!!
I was in a total rapture!

After that, couldn't sleep and I started to so long after these dingos, desiring to travel with them into the night ....
Silently in my mind I howled them back ... this special call (I made up in my mind or was it the signature howl I had heard, I don’t know) ... and then .... one lone dingo who had stayed behind .... howled ... m-y (it’s?) call!!!! ... two times!!!!

That was a moment of total magic when I couldn't tell, whether reality had become a dream, or dream a reality.

In the morning, when we left the camp, I "saw" a dingo in my mind's eye on the middle of the road .... ahead of us round a bend of that road, we were driving, and when we went round that bend .... of course, there she was!

Just love it, when synchronistic moments happen like that.
I assume the dingo who had eyeballed me ... howled my call or (?) was the one we saw standing in the middle of the road the next morning as we had formed a connection.

I mean .... talking about looking at yourself in the "mirror" or experiencing "Oneness" .... (when you look into an eye of another and see your own very innermost soul & spirit essence looking back at yourself in the form of another) ..... but this time it was an animal .... a dingo .... and we both knew it! A total vibrational alignment at the very core of your being .... transcending the physical into the realm of magical possibilities.

Later on some Elders in my area associated me with the Wild Dog (Dingo) Dreaming Totem and introduced me to the totemic kinship system.
I know my Siberian forefather had been a Wolf Totem.
Though these totemic systems are very different - there is some overlap to recognize.

An unexpected animal encounter

Beginning of the weekend I got a baby scrub python dumbed/gifted on my doorstep in a plastic tub by some unknown person or persons.
It must have been illegally taken from the wild.
So what to do – what to do?
Call the RSPCA animal care – a snake catcher – what?

The poor thing had a crusty tail. But bathing it in a lukewarm water, the crust fell off and revealed a clear skinned tail that moved just fine.
Obviously it had been handled – it wasn’t snappy at all –and like a rag-doll it just totally relaxed with me - perhaps it was a female.

Fed it – it had a good appetite, lighting fast reflexes.

Seeing that it was bright eyed fine – there was no way I could be a possessor of a wild python living in a plastic tub! That is not a life of a python!
I cannot understand people who want to own wild animals.


Released it back into the wild.
But today everyone is asking if I’m alright, because I so don’t look it.
Well, I should be happy about the release, but the safety of that absolute sweetheart of a python plays heavily on my mind. I prayed for it – I’m still praying. I fell in love with it i.e. I started feeling like it was feeling – (I have no boundaries).

At first it just wanted to get back to me – to safety, but then the new smells of the natural environment got it so very curious – and it started exploring …… finding its way ……….

Still – I am beside myself now ….. did I do 'the right thing' .....
People just think about how threatening the snakes are – not realizing just how utterly vulnerable they feel …..

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Thanks x9 sentient

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Yeah well – young lads pick up baby pythons from the bush and think it is cool to have them hanging around your neck for a while, till they do become a responsibility, plus the feed makes a hole in the pocket money. And you really do have to know how to care for them.

Did talk to a snake expert – who verified the species for me and reassured me that I probably did the best thing. It should have no more shedding skin problems in the wild rubbing against rough tree trunks and releasing it now was better than later when it would have gotten used to being fed.

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Very interesting. I'm not an animal expert,so always interested to hear your tales and also help people like me get better educated on nature and its brethren.

I used to have a really cool job as a summer student working for an oil company in Northern parts of Canada. I cleaned up small oil stains or spills, painted stuff and picked weeds. Since I worked far from home, I would work one or two weeks away, then go back home for one week off.

Anyways, even for being already far from home, I often got to drive quads or Argos to get to certain areas to work. Sometimes I was even flown out to more remote places in a helicopter. One summer I tagged along with my supervisor to help do some task which I wasn't really needed for. We both had our own quads and drove out to a well site which took quite a few hours. On our way back, after my supervisor checked some pipe or something, we stopped in the middle of a clearing to take a break. We were stuck in muskeg which is like bog and very hard to drive through. It takes a lot of skill to drive through it (which is why we sometimes were flown to certain places in a helicopter).

During our break, my supervisor looked at me and said not to freak out but there were three or four bears about half a kilometer away coming towards us. I initially was not too afraid but then we noticed it was a mother bear and her cubs. We sat for awhile trying to decide what to do. There was nowhere to go except towards the bears and we had to drive through a huge patch of muskeg just to get onto dry land where the path back was. We decided we had no choice but to start our quads and once we got out of the muskeg to just drive as fast as possible past the bears. This was also all very dense forest we were in with the exception of the swampy areas.

So we started our quads and by the time we got out of the muskeg the momma bear and her cubs were already super close. Once we hit the dry land we zoomed past the bears and back to our work truck. When I rode past the bears I swear they were only a meter away from my quad. Needless to say, once we got back, I was so terrified, my hands wouldn't stop shaking for quite some time. Now me and my supervisor have a special bond and bring up the "bears" and laugh whenever we see each other. I have been close to bears tons of times but this was far too close for me.

Another time I was quading on a nice path and a Lynx was up ahead sitting on a log. I slowed down and pulled up beside the Lynx and turned off my quad. I was only maybe two meters from it and we just stared at each other. It was not afraid at all. Then it got up and casually started down the path and I followed behind it on my quad. Going very slowly just keeping pace. I just remember how cool and full of expression the face of the Lynx was.

I had many animals experiences up north. One of my favorite experiences happened quite a few times. I once extended my summer student work all the way to December as I took a short break from school. I used to have to work at one isolated camp which was 15 kilometers away from a bigger camp and I would drive there every day by myself. One time I got stuck on the road behind a herd of caribou. They were all running on the road in front of my work truck. Living in Canada I have seen moose, deer, elk, many times. But caribou are cool and they run weird. You also dont just see a few but a massive herd of them and they were all right in front and around the sides of my work truck.

I live in Wilmington, Delaware approximately 25 minutes from Philadelphia. I saw a Coyote cross my path as I was driving along route 100. First encounter with a coyote in this state I've ever had.

What could be the spiritual significance of seeing a Coyote cross my path in this unlikely scenario?

Coyotes are a rare sight here as well. But I'll see 1 or 2 a year. A few nights ago I saw one running across some yards. Was the fastest thing I ever saw. It crossed 3 large yards in less than 2 seconds. A couple minutes after I saw a woman and her dog walking down the street. I assume it was running from them. I now understand why they call them ghost dogs. Still can't believe how fast it was.

ghost dogs of the west, returned from the east, for random encounters

Stopped in the Black Hills Mountains after dark to use the tree.
Wife opened van door and there was a giant buffalo head leaning toward her.
It's eyes glistened from the dome light. She freaked.
I don't think it's head would have fit in the van door.
She quickly shut the door and we found another tree.

Two weeks ago I was sitting in the recliner next to one of the cabin's windows, heard a snorting sound and looked out - and a big bull moose was looking right in at me!! :icon_eek: By the time I found my phone to take a pic, he'd wandered off up the ridge. Best guess was a 6-7' spread on his antlers...but things always look bigger when they're right in your face so who knows. :biggrin: I'm sure I'll see him again; they go down to the swampy area by the cedars to forage.