Posted by I left this morning as the sun was just climbing above the horizon. As I was driving the rays of light was crawling over the countryside brightening the landscape. I saw a small herd of agile animals galloping in an open field at the distance. Were they escaping a predator?
Before you think I was in a Safari tour, with gazelles roaming in the morning sun at the Serengeti plains, it is not that.
The herd of animals were deer, and there were probably 5 or 6 of them. They were running at an open cornfield that was just cleared during harvest. They were not fleeing a natural predator, however it is deer hunting season here in Iowa. There was some dusting of snow on the ground, and it is a brisk temperature of 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside, rather than a balmy 75 degrees Fahrenheit like in Serengeti National Park.
I don’t need to go to a Safari to see some wild animals, right? In our local news a few weeks ago was a report of a family of bobcats spotted near our area. There were also accounts of mountain lion sighting in Iowa, but this are very rare. Where I live, I can hear the coyotes howl and barn owls hoot at night. I think I prefer that rather than the hyaenas laughing. However with the shrinking wooded areas and increasing industrialization and housing development sprouting everywhere, I don’t know how long will these animals exist here.
I am not talking of animals like cows and hogs which our state is teeming with, as I can even smell their presence, for crying out loud. Though it may be neat to see giraffes and elephants roaming in a real Safari.
But for now, I am satisfied to see these wild creatures peeking at my window.
(*photos taken at my front window)