Scared of any animals?

[Nephelle]

I've worked in a few zoos, farms, and research vivariums, and spent much time in the wild with a wide range of animals. Animal fears - large groups of free roaming monkeys (maybe some sort of lingering fear regarding those damn flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz). A single monkey or even two or three is okay, but when 20 or so come running towards you, I actually experience hard fear, I even get panicky. I've experienced this a few times, they were not quite need to change my under wear moments, but pretty close to it. Elephants in person (okay to look at in a zoo or at a great distance in the wild) but not in person to work with or encounter in the wild.

Uhhh yea, that would scare the crap outta me!

I always thought of Monkeys to be kind, sweet creatures, UNTIL that story aired about the woman who's pet monkey ate her friends face off! Scared of the fkers ever since! My son has been trying to get me to go to Monkey Jungle, NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. Their father can take them!

Elephants, the closest ive ever been to one was at the zoo, huge, gorgeous creatures they are!

My mom worked in zoo when she was younger, and at feeding time a monkey bit the top of her ring finger on her left hand down to the second knuckle clean off. They got it back and sewed it on, but she can't feel in it and it's a little crooked hahahaha.

For all the weird stories about scars, though, she had a great one!

 

[Nephelle]

I'm going with the smell theory, lol!

Be a flame, Lexiii, be a flame!

Or, be a bug zapper!

 

[Nephelle]

The Florida Giant Swallowtail butterfly has caterpillars that look exactly like bird poop!

I was like noooo....that would be weird.

But you're right. It does look exactly like bird poop. Talk about good camoflauge!

MORE PICTURES. I'm a visual kinda girl and my Google-fu is strong!

 

[AnimalLady]

The face episode was a chimp, they are scary one on one.

A friend worked at a open range zoo on an island off the coast of Georgia. There were two or maybe three groups of lemurs that free ranged the whole island, each about 20+ members. She walked me onto a bridge, handed me some meal worms then banged on the guard rail. About 20 lemurs came running for their meal worm treats. This was one way she had to monitor them, it's not like they were in a cage. That was sorta freaky. Lemurs are as gentle as a primate gets, and that was freaky.

When I was in VietNam now some 15 years ago, I would see several Macaques come down to the far shore of a river everyday and play and bath in the water. I wanted to get a picture, but across the river was to far for the image to be anything other than a brown fuzzy thing among the green foliage. I got the clever idea of swimming across with camera raised above the water, sorta one handed dog paddle stroke. I got real close and had the full undivided attention of many macaques. One shutter click and they decided I was not benign and they all screamed and ran. Just the scream they let out chilled me. I am glad they ran instead of deciding they should further enter the water and attack. I have accidentally stepped on cats' tails and they scream, but nothing like this.

Lastly I was in South Africa looking at tortoises now 6 years ago, and while driving along a road way out there in the lower Karoo, I saw a band of several dozens (50? 75?) Baboons go running from one tree island to another. The plan had been to look around the tree islands as potential sanctuaries from all the otherwise open desert to find tortoises. When I got out of the car I heard the baboons screaming back at the tree island they left. So, why did they leave, and should I go there? The island of trees they went to was now out of the question, the island they came from had something going on that chased many many baboons away. I looked elsewhere for tortoises that moment in the trip.

Some of the scenes from the most recent Planet of the Apes cause hair on my neck to bristle. Large groups of roving monkeys are scary.

You seem like a really good person to have a drink with and just chat. I bet you have stories for days!

What is your line of work?

PS~ I had to google Macaques, crazy., you are very brave.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

You seem like a really good person to have a drink with and just chat. I bet you have stories for days!

What is your line of work?

PS~ I had to google Macaques, crazy., you are very brave.

Right now it's all mice all the time doing oncology research. Funny though, I miss working with monkeys, one on one is okay.

 

[AnimalLady]

Right now it's all mice all the time doing oncology research. Funny though, I miss working with monkeys, one on one is okay.

VERY COOL! Well, whenever you're in the mood to share some more of your stories, go right ahead. I find them fascinating!