Meerkat Prompts: Wild Animals
Do you ever see wild animals?
The simple answer to this question is yes. I do sometimes see wild animals in my local area. The two most common sights are foxes and rats.


Foxes have been known to play and frolic right outside our house. It’s very possible there is a den nearby, and we’ve even had fox cubs right outside our living room window! They are utterly adorable, but any and all interactions have to be tempered with reality. These are wild animals, and foxes, like any wild animal, have the potential to do damage. They’re not going to actively hunt human beings, but if they feel threatened… well, they have sharp teeth, sharp instincts, and they’ll certainly protect themselves. Their appearance in urban and suburban settings is largely down to two things: displacement from their natural habitats, and human wastage. Foxes are very good hunters, but human activity has made it very easy for them to scavenge, which saves time and energy. They also have less choice, considering that the countryside has been steadily eroded down the years.
Rats are among nature’s ultimate survivors. Like foxes, they have thrived in urban areas, exploiting what humans discard. They are able to eat virtually anything, and are astonishing breeders. They have a reputation for being dirty, disease-ridden creatures, but this is grossly unfair. Rats tend to be quite communal, and prefer to avoid human contact, but they have been domesticated as pets across the world.
I’ve seen other animals beyond foxes and rats, but whilst these are technically wild animals, most of the time they’ve been in a captive setting. Does seeing lions and tigers at a zoo count toward seeing wild animals?! Or is the prompt referring strictly to seeing animals ‘in the wild?’ Assuming the latter, I haven’t seen too many others. Mice come to mind. Ducks and geese too. These are technically wild animals, seen in the wild, so they count, right? Ducks are generally quite cute, whereas geese… well, if they catch the scent of bread, they will come for you. Beware the Goosening!