wildlife spotlight

pichu said:
you saw amazonian manatees? thats awesome! botos are one of my favourite aquatic animals. did you spot any giant otters?
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Just briefly from a distance. We rounded a bend in the river and I saw a small group including one individual who did a spy hop, squeaked, and they all disappeared up a creek. They're far more leery of humans than the botos are.
 
This is a hard question: I’ve seen a lot of wildlife, especially in Australia and the Indian Subcontinent - but I don’t think I’ve seen anything really really unusual. Some memorable memories though:

7 leopards in one day in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Mother sloth bear with 2 cubs riding on its back in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Numerous Hectors dolphins with calves in Littleton Harbour, New Zealand

Being charged by an Indian rhino in Chitwan NP, Nepal

A “turf war” between 2 groups of 20+ monkeys: proboscis monkeys vs silvered leaf monkeys (the silvered leaf monkeys drove the proboscis monkeys off), this was on a pier at a farm near Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo

Wild Platypus in the Werribee River inside Werribee Open Range Zoo, Melbourne Australia

Black bears catching salmon, Alaska, USA

My first tiger, Jim Corbett National Park, India

My first squirrel, Dresden, Germany: I was so excited and my German girlfriend looked at me and said “yes, it is a squirrel” in a very unimpressed manner…
 
Grant Rhino said:
This is a hard question: I’ve seen a lot of wildlife, especially in Australia and the Indian Subcontinent - but I don’t think I’ve seen anything really really unusual. Some memorable memories though:

7 leopards in one day in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka

Mother sloth bear with 2 cubs riding on its back in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Numerous Hectors dolphins with calves in Littleton Harbour, New Zealand

Being charged by an Indian rhino in Chitwan NP, Nepal

A “turf war” between 2 groups of 20+ monkeys: proboscis monkeys vs silvered leaf monkeys (the silvered leaf monkeys drove the proboscis monkeys off), this was on a pier at a farm near Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo

Wild Platypus in the Werribee River inside Werribee Open Range Zoo, Melbourne Australia

Black bears catching salmon, Alaska, USA

My first tiger, Jim Corbett National Park, India

My first squirrel, Dresden, Germany: I was so excited and my German girlfriend looked at me and said “yes, it is a squirrel” in a very unimpressed manner…
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it brings me so much joy to know that you were excited to see a squirrel. what species, do you know?
 
Grant Rhino said:
I honestly can’t remember - it was over 20 years ago! (It was 2002).

We don’t have wild squirrels in Australia and most Europeans, North Americans and Asians can’t understand why we (Australians) find them so interesting…
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Squirrels are probably my favorite group of mammals, after bats. I see squirrels every day but I'll never get tired of them - I totally get it.
 
birdsandbats said:
Squirrels are probably my favorite group of mammals, after bats. I see squirrels every day but I'll never get tired of them - I totally get it.
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im the same way, im glad im not the only one. i love to fed the squirrels in my backyard, im gonna try to make my own squirrel olympics, like a certain youtuber i watch
 
exactly, how is this bad for the squirrels? they are doing it voluntarily, plus they get smarter, learning from experience. as well as they get food to store for winter
 
Teaching wild mammals to expect food from humans is never a good thing. It diminishes their fear of humans, which can increase attacks, infighting, infestations in homes, and the spread of disease, among other things. There is no reason to give them food. Wild animals do not exist for our enjoyment.
 
TinoPup said:
Teaching wild mammals to expect food from humans is never a good thing. It diminishes their fear of humans, which can increase attacks, infighting, infestations in homes, and the spread of disease, among other things. There is no reason to give them food. Wild animals do not exist for our enjoyment.
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Squirrels come to bird feeders all the time. It's unavoidable and mostly harmless, and that's essentially what this is. Absolutely do not hand feed squirrels. But putting out some seeds and nuts for them to eat? That's fine.
 
birdsandbats said:
Squirrels come to bird feeders all the time. It's unavoidable and mostly harmless, and that's essentially what this is. Absolutely do not hand feed squirrels. But putting out some seeds and nuts for them to eat? That's fine.
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I think the recent bird flu has shone a light on even bird feeders as having negative consequences on the animals. Not only can they be centers for disease transmission, but even before bird flu the overabundance of food has been known to disrupt migratory patterns.
 
birdsandbats said:
Squirrels come to bird feeders all the time. It's unavoidable and mostly harmless, and that's essentially what this is. Absolutely do not hand feed squirrels. But putting out some seeds and nuts for them to eat? That's fine.
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It *is* avoidable by using squirrel-safe feeders. It really isn't fine. Leave them alone.
 
Neil chace said:
I think the recent bird flu has shone a light on even bird feeders as having negative consequences on the animals. Not only can they be centers for disease transmission, but even before bird flu the overabundance of food has been known to disrupt migratory patterns.
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Bird flu at feeders is not an issue if the feeders are cleaned regularly and properly, which is what all people should be doing anyway.

I am aware of evidence of feeders changing the s and d of some bird species, but I have seen no evidence that this is damaging in any way.
 
TinoPup said:
It *is* avoidable by using squirrel-safe feeders. It really isn't fine. Leave them alone.
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Have you ever tried using squirrel-safe feeders? It doesn't work. They're too smart for it.

Do you have any evidence that squirrels visiting bird feeders are is damaging any way? I haven't heard of this before and would love to see any evidence t back it up.
 
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