Humans tend to think of ourselves as the masters of Earth - but there are some places where we are clearly tolerated "guests." Here are 5 places where animals rule the roost, including...
- The sika deer of Nara
- The swimming pigs of Exuma
- The hybrid chickens of Kauai
- The shipwrecked horses of Assateague Island
- The sacred monkeys of Bali
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| The sika deer of Nara are very used to humans... (junetu68) |
The Sika Deer of Nara
Deer are renowned for being skittish, ready to run at a moment's notice. Not so the deer of Nara in Japan, where the creatures mingle freely with the human population, lounge in the streets and even stroll across zebra crossings.
The sika deer of Nara are considered sacred, divine messengers of the Shinto religion. They've actually been designated a national treasure, offering them a level of protection that (combined with a long history of life among us) leaves them no fear of humans. In fact, in the 1500s hunting one of these deer was punishable by death.
Rice "Deer crackers" (shika-senbei) are sold by street vendors in Nara and used to feed the animals. The deer have learned that performing a small bow will earn them a treat, as will posing in picturesque parts of the city. That said, the deer tend to respond poorly if they that they have not been rewarded for their efforts - this can manifest as being bumped, but some tourists have reported injuries (including bites and bone fractures) from particularly angry animals.
The Swimming Pigs of Exuma
"Big Major Cay" of Exuma in the Bahamas is an island uninhabited by humans despite tropical beaches, golden sands and freshwater springs. In fact, the residents and rulers of the "cay" are a population of 30-40 pigs!
There are a number of rumors as to how the porkers turned up on the island. Some people claim that the pigs are the survivors of a shipwreck, or perhaps a living food cache set up by pirates. A more realistic (but less exciting) theory is that farmers on the adjacent "Stanley Cay" were looking for somewhere to keep their pigs after complaints about the smell.
Regardless of how they got there, the beasts now "rule" their island... though they do receive human visitors. A non-profit group the "Official Swimming Pigs Association" keep an eye on the island, making sure there's enough fresh water and veterinary treatment for any animals that get sick.
The pigs are also visited by tourists, who bring food to feed the ever-hungry hogs. The animals rush into the water and swim out to meet the boats, hoping to score a tasty meal from a visitor - the advice is to drop the food in front of the pig rather than gamble on the accuracy of the animal!
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| The sacred long-tailed macaques of Uluwatu Temple swipe whatever they like from unwary tourists... (ni_man) |
The Hybrid Chickens of Kauai
Chickens are thought to have been brought to Kauai in 1200AD by Polynesian settlers. The storms Iniki and Iwa in the 1980s and 1990s broke chicken coops all across the island... and now there is an estimated 450,000 chickens to 80,000 human residents.
The birds are actually hybrids between red junglefowl (the ancestors of modern chickens) and domestic chickens brought later by European settlers. The result is a super-chicken, able to take advantage of human habitation while retaining a honed survival instinct. The birds have the parasite-resistant constitution of the junglefowl that keeps them healthy without veterinary care. They can also breed all year round - pure junglefowl breed seasonally.
Attempts to counter the booming chicken population have failed miserably - the local authorities spent $7000 on traps but caught less than 100 birds over several months. Attempts to use chemical birth control on the population were vetoed as it could affect other wildlife, with the situation further complicated by tourists defying the local laws and feeding the birds!
The Shipwrecked Horses of Assateague Island
Assateague Island sits off the coast of Virginia in America. The small barrier island is described as having stormy weather mixed with scorching heat, poor food and an abundance of mosquitoes. Despite this, the island is home to a thriving population of feral horses - they do so well that a number are collected and auctioned off each year.
Folklore suggests that the animals are the survivors of a Spanish shipwreck, though others claim that the horses were intentionally moved to the island in the 17th century to avoid livestock taxes. On the other hand, the wrecks of the Spanish galleons La Galga and Juno off the coast of the island give a bit more weight to the first theory!
As mentioned above, the horses seem to do so well on the island that their numbers have to be controlled. Each year, horses are rounded up and swum to the nearby Chincoteague Island during low tide. Once there, animals are auctioned off to support the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department.
The Sacred Monkeys of Bali
Uluwatu Temple sits on a clifftop 70m above the coastline of Bali. It's a sacred site, said to guard Bali from negative forces and dedicated to Shiva Rudra, an aspect of Hinduism's Lord Shiva dedicated to transformation and dissolution. It's also the home of a group of sacred monkeys that delight in swiping objects from tourists.
The long-tailed macaques are fast, curious, cunning and very familiar with humans. They wait for tourists to let their guard down, then snatch shiny jewelry, glasses and smartphones. This isn't just for sport - the monkeys have figured out that humans will bribe them with food to get an item back
Even more impressively, the monkeys seem to have a knack for "appraising" items. Temple staff can be locked in bartering attempts with the wily primates for as long as 25 minutes, with more valuable items requiring a bigger ransom for their return!
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