Someone recently arrived at my blog by searching ‘Kangaroos at Lucky Bay’ which is a beach in Esperance, Western Australia. Lucky Bay is famously popular who roos who love to hang out and provide the most Aussie photo opp imaginable. This got me thinking about animal encounters and how fortunate and fascinating they are. Especially as we lose so many of our precious species to deforestation and climate change. Here are my top 5:

Kangaroos at Lucky Bay

Skippys on the beach

A kangaroo lazing on a white sand beach, what’s not to love?! While there are usually kangaroos hanging out here, it took me a few visits before I saw them on the sand and not just in the nearby car park. It’s frustrating that tourists have taken to feeding them, which is a bad idea.

Sadly, we’ve lost a lot of kangaroos in the 2019/2020 bushfires. Among the charities helping wildlife are: Victorian Wildlife and NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES).

Gorillas in Uganda

The silver back gorilla (aka the adult male in charge of the troop)

I was quite nervous ahead of our gorilla trek in Uganda. What if a huge silverback ripped my face off?! Turns out our gorilla cousins (at least these ones) could not care less about humans and completely ignored us. We hiked up a dense hillside and heard a loud rumbling heading towards us, suddenly a gorilla somersaulted through a bush, landed comically in front of us and kept going. Later a mama gorilla walked past within touching distance, while a tiny human-like baby clung to her back. It was magical.

Whale Sharks at Ningaloo

A 6-metre long Whale Shark and I

I love snorkelling of any kind but this trip was absolutely next level and a highlight of 2019.  Photos just don’t do justice to how big these fish are. We were lucky on our trip and had a whale shark that was happy to let us swim alongside him for over an hour. It was amazing to see how they glide along so quickly with the tiniest flick of their tail.

Lioness and cubs in Tanzania

Lioness and her cubs

Going on safari is hands down one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had and I could do an endless list of amazing safari moments. But this one really stands out. We were about to leave the Serengeti National Park when my sister Sarah spotted a lioness stalking a gazelle. It got wind of her presence and sped off but we kept watching and the lioness walked back to where her three cubs were waiting. They pushed their way through the thick scrub and walked directly below us before heading off down the road. They were tiny and adorable.

Giraffe trying to bust into a flower farm in Kenya

“Excuse me, large hungry boi here”

Navaisha, Kenya, is a flower growing region that supplies florists around the world (those air miles eeek). There are large flower farms all over the countryside and obviously the local giraffe population is well aware of this! One evening we were riding our bikes back to the hire shop when we passed a huge hungry giraffe trying to get into a flower farm for a feast. Workers couldn’t get in or out and it was causing quite a spectacle among locals. Eventually they got him away by lightly swatting him with a stick. A very Kenyan reason for being home late!

And a bonus 6th animal encounter… any sea turtle, anywhere!

A beautiful turtle in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve in Caye Caulker, Belize

They are just beautiful creatures.