Flashback Friday: Beautiful Beasties

Here we go, this week's nerdy obsession! Along with all my other fascinations, I really enjoy the many beasties with whom we share the world. I seek out bioparks, wildlife sanctuaries, and other (ethical, cruelty-free) animal experiences wherever I travel. This has resulted in excursions along questionable roads, expeditions into rainforests, trudges across muddy, sheep-sh!t covered fields, and untold hours crouched uncomfortably in inhospitable swamps or laying flat on the ground above a cliff. It also explains how photos of elephants belong in amongst those of the Canadian wilderness! Since I plan to travel to Africa within the next couple of years, I'm going to refrain from using this post for pictures of African animals in bioparks in England, Spain, Italy, and Canada but here's a very small sample of some of critters that have delighted me along the way.

Some of these animals are iconic of their country. Who doesn't love a Highland Cow (hee-lund coo)? These shaggy beasties were often seen in Scotland.

A visit to Iceland gave us many encounters with the gorgeous Icelandic horses. I thoroughly enjoyed a riding excursion while visiting. I was blown away by the smoothness of the unique tölt gait.