I’ve seen a lot of people do stupid shit around wild animals. And no, they’re not just wildlife biologists. Wildlife biologists are trained professionals. We take calculated risks. And yes, many times we screw up and do stupid shit. But we don’t think wild animals are our friends. We don’t think we have a special bond with them. And we don’t try to pet them.
Stupid people do.
One day, when I was in the wilds of Canada, riding my bike, I was forced to stop behind a car parked in the middle of the road. The driver was taking pictures of a herd of bighorn sheep. But he wasn’t stupid. He stayed in the car.
I didn’t have a car. I had a bike, spandex, and funny biking shoes that I could barely walk in.
So when the sheep—did I mention they had big horns?—swarmed me, licked my arms and legs, and then peeled the handlebar tape off my bike, what do you think I did?
That’s right, I, the big brave professionally trained wildlife biologist, dropped my bike, waded through the herd, and jumped into a complete stranger’s car…
…while my dumbass boyfriend—who was not a trained professional—took pictures and tried to pet the sheep.
