Are animals attracted to me for some reason?

[MOSUGOJI]

I'm taking a bit of a break on my marital issues  to look into a more light hearted topic.  There have been times that wild animals have just walked right up to me without the slightest hesitation. I've had a baby squirrel run up to me to save him from the nasty traffic. He let me pick him up and I put him on my shoulder where he immediately fell asleep. He lived in our attic where I set him up with a water bottle,a box with betting and his food dish. As soon as I came up the stairs he got all excited shaking his tail and ran right up to me for his  treat. I also had a similar situation with a chipmunk.I've saved turtles from being run over-there was one vicious b****** that was swerving his truck for the turtle even when I had grabbed her.. I was walking outside during a cold drizzle and found a chipmunk  lying on dis back still alive but with shallow breathing. I knew he wasn't going to make it after apparently slipping and falling from a tree. I wrapped him in a towel to warm him and brought him inside talking  quietly to him and gently rubbing his head. In a couple minutes he was gone. At least he didn't die out in the cold rain. Later I wrapped him in some scrap satim and buried the little guy in a bracelet box,  Though the one my current-sorta-wife is always amazed by is we were sitting on a big flat rock on  the shore of lake Ontario. We'd been dating for a couple weeks. She notice in the distance a duck well she heard the quack too. In a couple minutes she heard the quacking peeps and saw  them lined up behind their mother. My wife got excited since she loves baby animals. Then they kept getting closer which delighted and puzzled her. Then the mom gets out of the water right next to me and calls her ducklings. My wife was speechless when they all swarmed around me climbing on my outstretched legs onto my belly quacking one sat on my hand and got comfortable. So my wife looks for her camera but it wasn't there but she did find some packets of saltines which as soon as she got one packet open the mom snatched it from her hand so she fed the now happy ducklings. They were on me for about 10 minutes before their mom said it was time to go home. I'm not sure if Cloud could really tell me why animals like me so much with Tarot  cards so I was wondering if this would be something requiring a psychic insight? Though I'm really glad it worked at th monkey park in Honduras during a cruise we went on. I had a couple capuchin monkeys hanging out on my shoulders when suddenly one leaps off onto this woman's head and proceeds to pee! She literally didn't know what to do as ir ran down her back. The tour guide laughed nervously and said it was good luck. Once he finished he jumped back onto my shoulder. I pet his head and told him he was a good boy and my wife said that she has warned me about misusing my powers.

[eight bits]

People who spend a lot of time in the woods, and who are interested in having relationships with the animals who live there, seem to have them.

This might be a combination of Woody Allen's famous dictum, "70% of success is showing up," and a more subjective component. Valuing a certain kind of experience, being open to it happening and paying attention when it does happen set the stage for having the experience.

The relationship is probably not passive from the other side, either. I'm pretty sure that more animals see us than we see them. Also, some of the animals are curious, but don't get much chance to satisfy that curiosity, since there are risks in making contact (both that we of the forward-pointing eyes turn out to be what we seem to be, predators, and also that other predators might attack during a contact episode). To the extent that they see the risk as manageable, they might take a chance and indulge their curiosity.

A famous document about the subject is the preface to Northern Trails by William J. Long, first published in the 1900's. The book is a children's book (a favorite of the young President-to-be Ronald Reagan, among others), but the preface is not for children. The book is now in the public domain and available for free online, among other places:

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10389/pg10389-images.html

[Piney]

Your emotional state gives off pheromones, which they can smell. I have it happen all the time. I have rabbits, a deer and a coyote which hangs around me.  They know you won't harm them.

[Lilly]

Yep, it's your smell, your body language and how much contact the animals have had with other humans. If the animals have not been subject to being hunted or harassed then they will generally tolerate human presence much more readily. 

[Faustus]

Wow!  Such a cool topic.  I've experienced this in the wild.  I think it's behavior, posture, and pheremone related as well.  I once approached a black tail deer to within a few meters, by behaving as an ungulate would naturally.  I pretended to be foraging on grass and wild flowers.  I have also had very close encounters with black bear, and moose that seemed interested but unafraid, as if they knew I had no ill intentions.  I have pics of the deer, and video of the moose.  The black bear Mom might not have appreciated me using a man made device with the cubs there, so I didn't even consider it.  

 

Edited May 16, 2018 by Faustus

[MOSUGOJI]

I'd have to say that the most surprising incident would have to be the mother duck changing course to make a direct approach at me from like 150 ft out on the lake. And that she would bring her ducklings right up to me with no sign of fear has to be the top amazing event like this .

[Faustus]

11 hours ago, MOSUGOJI said:

I'd have to say that the most surprising incident would have to be the mother duck changing course to make a direct approach at me from like 150 ft out on the lake. And that she would bring her ducklings right up to me with no sign of fear has to be the top amazing event like this .

Was this lake in a public area?  I know all my neighbors feed the local ducks at the lake close by.  Bad for the ducks really, but who am I to judge.  They approach everyone.

[MOSUGOJI]

It was Lake Ontario in Oswego NY. It wasn't a part or anything like that but there was a short dirt road that you turned onto from one of the city streets. It's not paved and the shoreline is pretty rocky. People go there to swim sometimes or to park. The mother and ducklings took off when they heard another car pull up and the people got out.

[Piney]

12 hours ago, MOSUGOJI said:

I'd have to say that the most surprising incident would have to be the mother duck changing course to make a direct approach at me from like 150 ft out on the lake. And that she would bring her ducklings right up to me with no sign of fear has to be the top amazing event like this .

We have a lone mallard couple that comes back to the sawmill pond every year. They come up to me sometimes but not like the female coyote does. 

[Lilly]

My Ringo does not like fox or coyote. He watches, encircles and frequently herds the local rabbits. Ringo seems to know the fox and coyote are out to get his 'bunny herd' and keeps them completely off my property. 

*Ringo is an Australian Shepherd dog*

[Piney]

4 hours ago, Lilly said:

My Ringo does not like fox or coyote. He watches, encircles and frequently herds the local rabbits. Ringo seems to know the fox and coyote are out to get his 'bunny herd' and keeps them completely off my property. 

*Ringo is an Australian Shepherd dog*

I have a "rotational period" here. The farm dogs kill everything. When the boss calls them in for the evening the bunnies come out. After dark the bunnies bail for the warren and the coyotes come out. Then after the coyotes den down the bunnies come out for a morning romp. Then when the dogs come out the bunnies go back to the warren. 

[Jello]

Just the other day I had a mother chipmunk bring one of her babies up to me. Almost like she wanted to show them off. 

I knew a girl years ago that no matter the animal, they would flee from her. Every time I took my dog out he would growl at her or her house in general. I could never trust a person that animals didn't like. They have more sense than us. 

[Tatetopa]

Our culture schools us to think humans and animals are mortal enemies.  Not so.  There is food and threat and territory and a lot of time in between for curiosity and live and let live.  Animals learn to distrust and fear us, sometimes they look for aid.  Feels pretty good to help when you can.  Piney may be right about pheromones.  I am not thinking that animals can read minds, but mental state does reflect itself in body state be that movement or chemical smells. 

If you are quiet and not grasping, you can reach your cupped hands into shallow water and in a minute or two, pick up a handful of water and minnows.   If you are quite and sit next to a trail and the wind is blowing right, a deer can walk by and not seem to notice you, or be curious about what you are.  I watched a buck stand up on his hind legs and try to figure out what I was sitting there still.  He and the doe walked away in  a leisurely pace.  I did have a rifle, but I wasn't  thinking about shooting a deer.  I didn't tense or move, just sat there enjoying them.  Only time I have seen a stag stand up like that.

[LightAngel]

13 hours ago, Jello said:

Just the other day I had a mother chipmunk bring one of her babies up to me. Almost like she wanted to show them off. 

I knew a girl years ago that no matter the animal, they would flee from her. Every time I took my dog out he would growl at her or her house in general. I could never trust a person that animals didn't like. They have more sense than us. 

 

I agree 

But, there are exceptions because animals can be jealous too 

 

[stereologist]

There are lots of people that seem more prone to insect bites than others. I wonder if they smell better to the insects and therefore draw in the mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and black flies.

['Walt' E. Kurtz]

On 2018-07-04 at 4:01 PM, stereologist said:

There are lots of people that seem more prone to insect bites than others. I wonder if they smell better to the insects and therefore draw in the mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and black flies.

They taste better  the humans nom nom nom ;-)

[callelunaaa]

First of all im an animal lover. I love different kind of animals. My dream was supposed to be a vet but we can't afford the tuition so.

When we have a trip to korea last September 2022, one of the places we went was Aqua Planet Ilsan. There were a lot of different water animals there. Big and small fishes, sea lions, turtles, penguins etc. I remember I walked passed by a small aquarium with small orange and white fishes idk what kind of fish is that. I try to point my finger softly at the aquarium and all of them started to get close to my finger. So I tried another trick, I slide my finger at the right side and immediately they all swim at the right side too and when I slide my finger at the left side they immediately follow it too! 

Another one is Mr/ Ms turtle, when I reached their aquarium both of them are swimming around their aquarium but when one of them noticed me, that turtle moved closer at the glass and stare at me a minute! 

Lastly the most adorable one, the sea lion. They are 2 of them in their big aquarium. Both of them are swimming around of it. One of them smims closer to me many times and I thought that's it but it wasn't! One of them gets close to me at the glass when I put my hand on the glass of the aquarium. it's like he or she let me pet him or her. He or she also started to move her left hand up and down, its like she's trying to say "keep going!" and then when she become more comfortable while I still pet her at the glass between us, she sat upside down with her head up and tail up and showing his or her neck and let me pet her more! We stay like that in a minute or 2 as my aunt recorded that unforgettable moment. It was one of my unforgettable and adorable moments I have with an animal and I'm gonna cherish it forever ! 

Edited October 7, 2022 by callelunaaa

[CuriousEye]

On 5/12/2018 at 5:31 AM, Piney said:

Your emotional state gives off pheromones, which they can smell. I have it happen all the time. I have rabbits, a deer and a coyote which hangs around me.  They know you won't harm them.

Either that or he possess some degree of affinity with the local fauna. What ones may call "animal empathy" .

[Piney]

43 minutes ago, CuriousEye said:

Either that or he possess some degree of affinity with the local fauna. What ones may call "animal empathy" .

That's the scientific explanation for it until they show another one.

 

[CuriousEye]

31 minutes ago, Piney said:

That's the scientific explanation for it until they show another one.

 

Of course. 

[+Desertrat56]

On 5/17/2018 at 11:06 AM, Piney said:

We have a lone mallard couple that comes back to the sawmill pond every year. They come up to me sometimes but not like the female coyote does. 

Wow, this reminds me of my friend, who used to feed the feral cats and the birds and squirrels.   Thre were 3 mallard ducks (2 females and a male) that hung out in the park behind her apartment.  They started coming to eat the bread she put out and she could stand out and watch them.   She was gone to another city when we had a tornado a few years after they started coming around, there were still the 3 adult ducks and some babies. We had a tornado and before it hit I heard one of the ducks causing a ruckus outside her apartment and all the other ducks were standing back like they were waiting.  I went out and told her it was ok, that their friend was not home and would be ok.   The duck looked at me then went back to the group and they all flew off.   I really believe they knew about the impending tornado and wanted to be sure their human friend was ok.

[+Hammerclaw]

Turkey Buzzards like to circle, over my head. I think they're trying to tell me something...

[Buzz_Light_Year]

8 hours ago, Hammerclaw said:

Turkey Buzzards like to circle, over my head. I think they're trying to tell me something...

Yeah the buzzards here like to land on the silo and observe things and I just holler at them "I ain't dead yet". Well I get a laugh out of it anyway.

They remind me of gargoyles perched on a church somewhere.

[HollyDolly]

There's a cardinal and his mate who hang around my house. He was sitting in the bush next to my house looking at me. I told Daddy Cardinal, "I know what you want. Let me  put up the groceries and I ''ll get your birdseed. So I put it out for them and the others.Had a blue jay scold me because no bird seed. Sometimes the squirrel will chime in.

The birdseed I buy also has cracked corn, and they all  like it.  I talk to all the   animals. Funny, one night i let my cat Joe out.In the neighbor's tree I heard an owl.Told the owl, " Listen Mr.Owl, don't you be messing with Joe.You leave  kitties alone, or you'll get what for."'  Well Joe was okay, didn't stay out long, but the owl sure got quiet when I  told him to stay away from my boy. dzown at the zoo had a couple of lorikeets sit on my shoes one time.  Zoo keeper told them to get off, but i didn't mind. Animals aren't stupid by any means. I've told my cat how soft his fur is, and how handsome he is. I've seen him smile when I've said that. I even sometimes sing to him. Probably thinks, Mom's a nut, but if it makes her happy, I'll go along."

[localism]

I stopped reading as soon as you said martial issues.