Tuesday, December 3, 2024

As Wild As It Gets






Having been down in Stuart, Florida for three weeks, I was hoping to have seen some exotic animals by now. There are supposed to be alligators, manatees, panthers, and even bears in the southern part of Florida. And it was recently reported on the local television news that Port St. Lucie (more specifically the Tradition neighborhood) is overrun with wild boars, even threatening young children in their backyards. But to date, the most exotic animals I have come across are the pelicans seen in the photograph on the left. And even they were nowhere to be found during the summer - they have only recently started to fly south for the winter. It is the same story as in Colorado. I have never seen a bear, a fox, a moose, or a mountain lion in the wild the entire time I have lived in Colorado.  And I am beginning to suspect that all those moose sightings in the state are just made up to attract tourists.






There are, of course, all kinds of squirrels about, but they are no different from the ones in Colorado. Both the squirrels in Denver's Washington Park and the ones at Stuart Beach look exactly the same, and are all after one thing - a handout, such as the squirrel in the photograph on the right. Stuart Beach has the Seaside Cafe located on the boardwalk, and the place is filled with people eating. And so, both the birds and the squirrels are always out and about looking for crumbs. I have even seen a few rats, too, but they are not as photogenic as the birds and squirrels. And I have to ponder - how do you get rid of rats at the seashore and not harm all the other animals as well? But not too much pondering - time to head out to Lake Okeechobee, home of the most alligators in Florida, to take a few closeups of them in their native habitat. What could go wrong?  

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