What is your favourite animal?

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Grandad
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What is your favourite animal?

Post by Grandad »

Domestic animals aside, my favourite has always been elephants. I have ridden on them, come face to face with many, and fed them pineapples on far off beaches. I can always see wisdom in an elephants eyes.

I have just found a new favourite. In the last few days there have been two programs on TV that included 'rescue' cheetahs in animal sactuaries in Africa. Both places use a greyhound track style lure to train the animals to chase prey. Apart from being an elegant looking creature, at high speed a cheetah is one of the most beautiful sights in the animal world.

So it is now a choice between elephants and cheetahs as my favourite animal.

Which one is yours???


:gg:
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Mad Dilys »

I saw the title and immediately thought Saluki! :oops:

I love Hedgehogs. I used to bag goats milk colostrum for members and admirers of St. Tiggywinkles to give to orphan Hedgehog babies.

Nearly 25 years ago I set off to London for an Egyptian visa, with a tiny baby hedgehog snuggled up on a cosy blanket wrapped round a bottle of hot water. I had her milk and dropper in another bag.

I gave in the application, then looked for a friendly place that would heat a little milk for my charge. Just around the corner was, amazingly a Vets called The Ark. They were delighted to pop the milk in their microwave then the baby fed I went back to collect my visa. :up
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Hard decision as I have a vast contingent of animals that fascinate and intrigue me however if I had to pick I'm most inclined to like Gorillas. They fascinate me and in a heart beat I'll watch any and all documentaries associated with them. They're quite an impressive animal. Love some of the facial expressions too. That being said orangutans are also up there with them.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Horus »

Now that is a heart warmer MD, I love it.
Well as you said no domestic animals Grandad that leaves out Pigs, I love pigs, always have, they make me smile and I find all the varieties fascinating, if ever I had some land I would have chickens and some pigs, just so I could photograph them. ;)

On the subject of Cheetahs, I have actually held ones head as it lay with it in my lap as I sat cross legged on the ground, that was also in South Africa, but many tears ago now, I used to have a photo of it, but doubt if I can find it now which is a pity. :(
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Grandad »

My 'Domestic animals aside' comment was just in relation to my own choice H.

Pigs are certainly some of the funniest animals IMO :lol: I like all dogs, although we have never owned a dog. :( Very early in the war my father came home on leave and took from the large pocket of his army greatcoat a black cocker spaniel puppy. I can't remember what happened but I guess that my mother, with two young boys and a third child on the way, decided we could not have it so another home was found. I still remember that puppy.

Lovely story MD, and what good fortune to find a vet to warm the milk.....you may not have found a restaurant so accommodating. :up
:gg:
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Horus »

Shame about the puppy Grandad :( to be owned by a dog and accepted as its pack leader must rate as one of lifes great priveledges ;)
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Ruby Slippers »

My favourite is the tiger. Such graceful and beautiful animals. I hate to see them in cages! :td
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Kiya »

The elephant has been a favourite of mine for many many years, I did have a huge collection of elephants but in recent years been down sizing giving them away to anybody who wanted them.

I've kept a small collection of them , most of them giving to me from family & friends taken back from holidays, my furthest away one is from new Zealand.

Also I love to watch the snow leopard, I think they're beautiful.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Mad Dilys »

Without thinking about it, I somehow don't class the great apes as animals - just us in a different skin.

On my first visit to the Hell on Earth known as Cairo Zoo my DH paid the keeper to let us join some other "privileged" people to enter a locked building.

Inside were two exhibits, I think there may have been a third. One was a very fat male lion who laid against the bars of his small cage and children were escorted up to the bars to stroke him with their little hands (Sorry this is getting a bit serious - it just struck me that if I was reading this I would think - they left their Big Hands at home. :oops: )

In another cage, approx. three and a half metres square was a female Orang Utang who looked me straight in the eye - making me almost overcome with shame. I felt so disgusted with the human race and that I was a member of it that I almost vomited.

I find it impossible to look Gorillas, Orang Utangs or Chimpanzees in the eye - my shame remains.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Horus »

I agree with you all, especially about caged animals and other than for conservation it should not be allowed.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Grandad »

John Aspinall was well known for his conservation programs, particularly with gorillas, and his son Damian continues with that work.

We have both Aspinall zoo parks within short drives from home. On one occasion many years ago we sawJohn, his daughter and young granddaughter enter the gorilla cage and recline in the straw with the occupants. I did have a picture but would have to search in the loft. This is the nearest from the net of how he would behave with his gorillas.
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This is at the Bekesbourne zoo where the gorillas are in a very large caged enclosure. At Port Lymne they are free to roam on an island.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Horus »

We also have a good zoo at Chester which is run as a conservation zoo with lots of space for the animals :up
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Grandad »

Horus wrote:We also have a good zoo at Chester which is run as a conservation zoo with lots of space for the animals :up
There is a very good series on Chester Zoo Horus, Tuesday evening 8pm. Some very good reports on new arrivals like the giraffe last week, and the cheeky young penguin chicks last evening. Sounds like a very good zoo. :up
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Interestingly MD said what flashed through my mind when I wrote the big apes are my favourites. I don't know where genetically we diverged but I do believe it is only a matter of time until scientists discover it. From all I've read and watched via documentaries on TV there is a link between us and them. And the link, the affinity we feel is different than what we feel or I feel between me and a dog. I love dogs but the feeling I get with dogs is distinctly different from the feeling(s) of 'we're the same' that I get when I'm thinking about Gorillas. There IS something there.

I do wonder if we did somehow evolve from them? And what is the spark that makes us humans human - the ability to form a clan group and a smaller family group? to nurture our young over years? to use tools? be able to communicate? communicate cross species lines? and on and on ..... more than fascinates me.

I'm heartened re: zoos lately in that they have over the past couple of decades by and large adopted much more humane living conditions for the inhabitants. I think I'm still traumatized from going to the Buffalo Zoo as a child and seeing the wild animlas pacing back and forth and back and forth in small cement sterile enclosures slowing going crazy in their own way. Was awful how they were treated but we have learned and most of the zoos I've visited lately (not that I'm rushing out daily to a zoo) but they're better.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Jayway »

For me, horses. They bred an Iberian Lynx, released it 3 weeks ago .. didnt last long, its dead already. Its really not worth doing this here as some gormless primitive portuguese will always shoot it - - -
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Many people do seem to have an affinity for horses. Must admit they are, for the most part, very beautiful with their flowing manes and tails. Love to see them prancing about.

Course, in general, I've always loved most animals. Grew up rural and have probably one (if not more) of everything when I was a kid.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by carrie »

My favorite animal is the white donkey who lives near me, he is tied up 24/7 on a rope attached to his leg approximately 6 feet long. Not even long enough for him to roll. He is there till someone comes along to hire one of the horses to ride then he goes out with one of the lads riding him accompanying the horse rider.
He is the most gentle of creatures and so appreciative of the treats I give him and the attention.
Despite my repeated appeals to the owner to let him at least have a longer rope nothing changes. Just got him a new head thing with fringes so at least it keeps some of the flies from his eyes. Makes me want to weep.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Grandad »

Makes me want to weep.
Me too Carrie. I can't bare to see innocent animals ill treated in any way.....very sad but he or she knows there is at least one friend who cares.
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Horus »

Me too, if anything riles me it is cruelty to animals, I instantly see red. :xx
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Re: What is your favourite animal?

Post by Jayway »

Why dont you buy a longer rope Carrie? You could always pay the owner pennies and take it out for walk and find fresh grass to eat - - -
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