Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

Matchgirl's Animal Magic

by admin - 23:06 on 26 September 2011

Matchgirl celebrates (if that's the right word) another birthday on Sunday. That means its taken a while for her to use the gift I gave her last year, something she finally did today.

Thankfully, her day as a carnivore keeper at Highland Wildlife Park was worth the wait.

I did suggest she write a few words for eager readers about My Day At The Park but she declined the opportunity. Shame. However, I can report highlights of being arm's length away from a tiger, feeding pallas cat kittens, helping Walker the Polar bear with his training, seeing a lynx and sharing an enclosure with Arctic foxes and snowy owls.

A wildcat snapped at the park on another occasion – mess with them at your peril

But most memorable was her encounter with wildcats – an animal that's impossible to tame. Even the kittens are vicious, scary bundles of malevolence, she said. A previous keeper for the day was so unnerved that she had to leave their enclosure.

Matchgirl's made of sterner stuff, of course. She was so impressed that she's thinking of transferring her sponsorship from the tigers to the wildcats. Bess will be jealous.

The thinking man's Johnny Morris took several snaps during the day and some video clips of Walker relaxing in his pool. I'll try to persuade her to share them with the world.

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