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| No, not THIS Noah's Ark! |
My brother was in town for a couple days the week before Thanksgiving, and he, my hubby, and I took a trip to a really neat place. Noah's Ark. That's what the place is called ... it's not like we made a quick run to Mt. Ararat or anything.
It's actually a privately-owned animal sanctuary here in Georgia. A sprawling place which a variety of furry, scaly, and feathered animals now call home. (And some of the ... "Hello! Pretty bird!" ... feathered ones are VERY talkative!)
This emu was almost as interested in watching us as we were in watching him. There was an extremely large group (flock? herd?) of emus at the sanctuary. Not sure why there were so many of them. Maybe some breeders unloaded them on the facility.
In spite of the thought for the day, we didn't see any actual lambs and lions cuddling up together, but we did see something almost as startling.
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| And HERE, resting beside the fence, is a lion. |
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And here's the lion and tiger ... TOGETHER! Oh my! |
And, surprise! Above, you'll see the third member of this unusual trio. When the chow wagon drew near, the bear lumbered out to join the cats. Guess he was hungry.
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| Here's the three of them together. |
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| And another shot of the three amigos. |
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| The bear and tiger kept nuzzling each other affectionately. |
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| The lion is slurping on what the caretakers called a beef popsicle. |
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
Anybody can learn to get on!
ReplyDeleteAnd perhaps, therein lies an important lesson for all of us.
ReplyDeleteIf humans have one talent it is the ability to ignore simple truths and easy lessons.
Great post!
We can learn to get along but a certain percentage of the population does not WANT to get along. There's no money in it.
ReplyDeleteJust wait till 'Leo' gets a bit grumpy!
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that drug dealers keep such animals? I could understand them having a large pack of Pit-Bulls; but Lions, Tigers, and Bears....
Huh, perhaps it just goes to show that prejudice is taught by parents and that left on our own, we can accept anyone we meet and get along with.
ReplyDeleteRemember that song from "South Pacific" called "You've Got to Be Taught"? It's true. Hate isn't natural. It's taught. This is a wonderful story, Susan.
ReplyDeleteHow fun! And, yes, a great lesson in getting along. If only opposing political parties in this country could do the same. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think animals can hate, they only kill to survive. Unfortunately, man has the capacity to hate and then spreads that hate to others. Of course, much of this venom is passed on by good, "moral" folks.
ReplyDeleteGetting off my soapbox now.
So glad you showed us this example of how love can work.
Hi, y'all. Thank you so much for your comments.
ReplyDeleteAl- I hope that's true. I'd like to think it is, but I'm afraid the learning curve is too steep, and the motivation, too shallow, for some people to make the effort.
Beach Bum- More's the pity. Thank you, dear sir.
Delores- Leave it to you to boil it down to its simplest form. And you're absolutely right. Too bad.
Cro- Evidently, owning exotic animals is considered a status symbol in the world of illicit drugs. (The dealers have already proven their lack of common sense by their chosen "profession.")
Dianne- Absolutely. I truly believe most prejudice is inflicted upon children by their parents. And then, of course, their peers round out the "education."
Austan- Yeah, I do remember that song. Great soundtrack to go with this post! Thank you.
Linda- Opposing political parties get along? Now, there's a dream worth having.
Y'all take care.
Hi, Arleen. Good points. I'd have to do some research to see if "hatred" is an operative instinct in the animal kingdom, but right offhand, I can't think of any examples other than humans. (Guess that doesn't make us very "good examples.")
ReplyDeleteI can't help but come back to your Mrs. Potato. She is a riot!
ReplyDeleteThe animals are also well fed, so no need to fight. I have seen the story behind this ark museum. (The religious guy is... "interesting".)
ReplyDeleteVery good point, Arleen. There is a species of ape that is exceedingly and unnecessarily violent when taking over territory. And there are animals that will "play with their food", which always makes me shudder. But I'm not sure animals are capable of "hate". Mammals are capable of feeling: attachment; fear; anger. Humans have evolved, well, human brains. Though the mammalian part of our brains (and even the original reptilian part) are often activated, it is the human "part" that generates and feeds hate. From what I understand. :)
Hi, Tina. I yam happy to hear it.
ReplyDeleteCarrie- I haven't seen any background stories about this place, and only know that it depends on donations and volunteers to survive. Neat place, whoever started it.
I did a quick Google search to see what I could find about hatred and cruelty in the animal kingdom. Most of what I found dealt with man's cruelty to animals. Sad commentary, eh?
First off, emus scare the crap out of me. I think someone told me, when I was a kid, those birds could rip your face off if they wanted to. That may or may not be accurate. I haven't, however, ever seen all three of those animals together, ever. Amazing!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is sad, Susan. I call those the soul-less humans.
ReplyDeleteHi, Paige. Aw, you've got nothing to fear. Your sense of humor is mighty enough to disarm any animal, man or beast. (Or just to be safe, you could wear a Freddy Kruger mask ...)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I can't believe the bear and the tiger were nuzzling. Amazing.
ReplyDeleteGreat name...Noah's Ark. It is amazing how animals and people can get along when they are not taught to hurt or hate. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteEven Mrs. Potato Head would be safe here. Since the "Trio has learned to share, I'm betting you could throw a chicken in the pen and they'd just look at it. I volunteer my neighbor's 4:30 AM rooster for the experiment.
ReplyDelete(Very cool post). I have a January blog about ignoring enemies...do you mind if I link to this??
There used to be a great place down near Tampa called Noel's Arc. Noel was a retired circus performer and made a home for retired great apes. I have a good story about it which I posted some time ago, I see if I can dig it out.
ReplyDeleteMy jaw dropped -- what amazing photos! And, you're right, there's so much to learn from how these foes get along. If only humans would - Thanks for a great post!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful lesson for us all. Which, of course, the people who most need to hear, will miss.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan .. what an amazing ‘story’ .. wonderful to see – no wonder you were keen we could see the pictures .. fascinating ... and I love the sign .. just extraordinary. Now if only we could do that .. life would be so much better – you’re right an important lesson for us all ...
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for telling us and showing them nuzzling up to each other .. cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.com
Hi, Jennifer. They were nuzzling and cuddling like a couple of kittens. It was amazing to see.
ReplyDeleteTracy- The subject was amazing, so the pictures were at least bound to be interesting, but if YOU had been there with YOUR camera, the pictures would be great.
Barb- Very generous of you to offer your neighbor's rooster. (4:30 AM??? Can't say that I blame you!) I'd be honored if you linked, dear lady.
Mr. C.- That Noel's Ark place sounds pretty cool, too. I'll look forward to hearing more about those apes.
Kittie- I'm glad your jaw dropped, too. Mine sure did.
Sarah- Yeah, you're right! All those bullies and grouches of the world should absolutely read this post! HA! (My hubby didn't even read it ... not that he's a bully or grouch ...)
Hilary- I'm glad you found the story of these critters to be amazing, too. And thank you for going to the trouble of emailing me a comment. I"m soooo sorry you still can't post here.)
Ya'll take care.
These are such touching photos! You really have to see it to believe it. I came her looking for some inspiration, and as usual, I found it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Julie. I know what you mean ... I SAW it, and can still hardly believe how cuddly those animals were with each other.
ReplyDelete