162 Quotes About Wildlife

I spent my summers at my grandparents’ cabin in Estes Park, literally next door to Rocky Mountain National Park. We had a view of Longs Peak across the valley and the giant rock beaver who, my granddad told me, was forever climbing toward the summit of the mountain. We awoke to mule deer peering in the windows and hummingbirds buzzing around the red-trimmed feeders; spent the days chasing chipmunks across the boulders of Deer Mountain and the nights listening to coyotes howling in the dark.

Audiences see personalities on shows interacting with wild animals as if they were not dangerous or, at the other extreme, provoking them to give viewers an adrenaline rush. Mostly, the animals just want to be left alone, so it’s not surprising that these entertainers are seriously hurt or even killed on rare occasions. On one level, it’s that very possibility the shows are selling.

Sweet Elephant of the Morning by Stewart StaffordO sweet elephant of the morning,What loud noise you make,With your leaden feet,And trumpet voice.You spray water,On your thick, dusty skin,And on anyone in proximity,To your body.Your trunk is a grey, reaching arm,And your tusks resemble curved lances,Or elongated walrus teeth,To fight off rivals.© Stewart Stafford, 2021. All rights reserved.

We are here to turn the forest into a home, and make peace with all creatures.

When we look at nature, we see ourselves.

That's the rub. People want to see wildlife in their secret nests and dens raising their young, migrating sparring for territory. People want an orca to leap over the bow of their kayak for their camera, but the more we press wild animals, the more we drive them off. Tension grows between the expectations of clients who've paid so much to get into these places and the needs of wild creatures.

In testy moments, I think, this is what consumerism does. It turns everything into product, habituates us to look for a certain kind of value, dims our recognition of the real watering holes.Dropped into wilderness, we act the same as we do rating a pricey hotel. How thick are the towels? How many grizzly sightings?

Sometimes, I am the beast in the darkness. Sometimes, I am the ghost.

Yet wild things have a far more rational fear of us than is ours of them...