Wild animal stories

Our Best Animal Encounter Stories

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If you spend enough time in the great outdoors, you’re bound to have an encounter with a wild animal or two. Here are our favorite stories of coming across boars, dolphins, mountain lions, and other creatures in the wild.

Big Kitty, Fast Run

One late-summer evening in 2011, my coworker Ali and I took her two dogs—a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and a Boxer mix—for a post-work hike up Tesuque Creek trail near Santa Fe. As we rounded a singletrack ridge, the dogs took off down to the gully below, barking bloody murder. Branches popped, cracked, and shattered in the thicket. “Holy shit, Ali,” I said. “That was not a squirrel.” She screamed at her dogs to come back, and then we looked up. Eight feet away, a massive female mountain lion crouched in a tree while the dogs jumped and clawed at its trunk. In a split second, we did what only idiots do. We ran like hell—flat out. This is how I’m going to die. Right here, right now, I thought, refusing to look back. An eternity later, we reached her car gasping, swearing, shaking. The dogs were hot on our heels. That night, we notified local wildlife control while we drank Heineken tall boys. I dreamt I bought a gun. The next day, I wrote a story about it for Outside’s old K-9 blog, and I interviewed a guy, who, at the time, had hunted mountain lions in the area for 25 years with packs of at least ten dogs. He’d never seen a mountain lion treed by just two, he said. “You’re lucky to be alive.” —Patty Hodapp, contributing editor

Love Is Such a Boar

Warthogs hold an almost spiritual importance to me, and I will admit that this is a fairly new development. I’ll set the stage: It’s December of 2021, and I’m gazing out into the South African bush. I’m at a cozy little lodge on a private reserve just outside of Kruger National Park, which Outside named as a Best Trip for 2022. (I’d have to agree.) My girlfriend is getting a rooftop massage, and having just had one myself, I am enjoying the dreamlike bendy stupor that follows such treatment. I’m sitting at a table decorated with grapes and cheeses, and topped with a bottle of champagne, watching the wind play with the knee-high grass mere feet away. I feel completely at peace—a good sign, I think—as I am moments away from proposing to my girlfriend. When the moment arrives, the words come out quickly; so much so that I can’t recall what they were. But I do remember how I felt seeing her across the table, and of course, that she said yes. As we pull our chairs closer—an adult female warthog emerges from the grass. Then come two young warthogs, followed finally by dear ol’ dad. My new fiancée and I stand there mesmerized, our initial shock having given way to wonder. Yes, the warthogs wanted our fancy French cheese, but to this day, you cannot convince me that these wild animals didn’t give us their blessing. My fiancée and I will be getting our magical warthog tattoos very shortly. —Tyler Dunn, audience engagement editor

Dorsal Fin Double Take

I’ve always been terrified of sharks (thanks, Jaws 3!), and my irrational fear followed me to college at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I was hell bent on overcoming my willies to become comfortable in the ocean, and thus dedicated myself to as many pelagic activities as possible. I enrolled in the surfing class and went on ocean swims with my teammates on the NCAA swimming team. After several years I was able to block any visions of sharks and dorsal fins and danger to the back of my mind whenever I got in the water. All that changed one afternoon during my final year at school. A friend coerced me to swim out and around a sunken ship at Seacliff State Beach. We were pretty far offshore when I looked up out of the water and—gah!—saw what I thought was a dorsal fin poking out of the waves. I told myself it was just my brain playing tricks on me and put my face back in the water. A few seconds later I looked up again and saw the unmistakable curved shape of a dorsal fin in the water, and it was moving toward me, fast. I flipped around and began sprinting toward the shore, and likely broke my PR for the 500-yard freestyle. When I felt sand beneath my hands I turned around to look at my pursuer. I saw one fin, then two, the five—a pod of dolphins was lazily paddling along the pier. —Frederick Dreier, articles editor

A City Slicker, a Cowboy, and a Beaver Walk into a Campsite

The first year I moved out west from New York City, some new women friends took me backpacking in southern Colorado. Suffice it to say that I was ill-prepared. I wore new hiking boots and had blisters covering my feet an hour into the trek. Once we reached our campsite, located at a lonely stretch along a river, I was chagrined to learn that I’d be sleeping in a tent by myself. I felt much safer in a bustling city with screaming sirens echoing down every block, than in a tent alone way out in the wilderness. As we cooked dinner, there was much talk about bears, like how to store our food in bags up in a tree, and what to do if one came during the night. As that conversation was taking place, a burly looking man who’d been out horse packing rode by slowly, staring at us. As I recall it, he didn’t say hello. (This may have been because he was up on a ridge and we were down in the valley, and it was dusk so it was hard to see, but still.) For obvious reasons, I didn’t sleep that night. As I fretted about the horseman coming back to murder us, I started hearing something splashing across the river multiple times. I heard big loud splashes, like someone doing a cannonball into the water. I thought it was a bear that had smelled our bags of food dangling too low in a tree and too close to my tent. I didn’t want to yell out to my friends for fear of attracting the bear even more. So I suffered in silence until first light, when I peeked out to find my sleepless friends looking around for signs of a bear. After a series of “Did you hear that all night?” conversations, we started poking around to see if our food was gone. Then there was another huge splash in the river. We looked toward it and the most adorable, industrious beaver looked back at us. He’d been hard at work building a dam all night. —Mary Turner, deputy editor

A Baaaad Call

For years I lived on an agrarian Italian island southwest of Sicily, and my regular running route would take me past fields of wild carrot, grapevines, and olive trees, and past fallow plots occupied by an occasional donkey. One morning I passed by a herdsman I knew who was pasturing two dozen goats by an old church. I called to his dogs—I was friendly with them—and before I knew it, the entire party turned in my direction and began trotting downhill toward me. I picked up my pace, because those goats were nearly my size (I’m only five foot one) and, en masse, they intimidated me. But it must have been a sight: a fleet-footed woman followed by a group of smelly, googly-eyed goats, two massive barking dogs, and, after them, a hollering herder. All I needed was a flute. —Tasha Zemke, associate managing editor 

Who Am I? Wild Animals

Animals

Enjoy fun, animal stories for kids including bedtime favorites like Is Your Mama a Llama and Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch.

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Is Your Mama a Llama?

All About Kangaroos

Aggie and Ben: The Surprise

Aggie and Ben: Just Like Aggie

Aggie and Ben: The Scary Thing

Aggie the Brave: Get Well Soon

Aggie the Brave: A Visit to the Vet

Aggie the Brave: The Long Day

Good Dog, Aggie: Aggie At School

Good Dog, Aggie: Aggie in Training

Mechanimals

Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type

Who Am I? Wild Animals

Sweet Tweets: Five Little Ducks

Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch

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{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\cocoartf1561\cocoasubrtf600 {\fonttbl\f0\fswiss\fcharset0 Helvetica;} {\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;} {\*\expandedcolortbl;;} \margl1440\margr1440\vieww10800\viewh8400\viewkind0 \pard\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\pardirnatural\partightenfactor0 \f0\fs24 \cf0 I am black and white. I live in forests. Who am I?\ I\'92m good at climbing trees. I like to eat bamboo. Who am I?\ \ I am a panda!\ Can you pretend to be me? Sit cross-legged and cup your hands like my cute, round ears!\ \ I live in the trees. I have bright feathers. Who am I?\ I have a large beak. I lay white eggs. Who am I?\ \ I am a parrot!\ Can you pretend to be me? Flap your arms and pretend to fly!\ \ I live in the jungle. My fur is orange with black stripes. Who am I?\ I have big teeth and a long tail. Who am I?\ \ I am a tiger!\ Can you pretend to be me? Curl your fingers into claws and say \'93Roar!\'94 \'93Roar!\'94\ \ I live at the North Pole. My white fur makes me hard to see in the snow. Who am I?\ I like to swim in the icy water. Who am I?\ \ I am a polar bear!\ Can you pretend to be me? Sway as you walk on all fours and say \'93Grrrr!\'94\ \ I live in the desert. I have brown and gray fur. Who am I?\ My home is a big burrow that I share with my family. Who am I?\ \ I am a meerkat!\ Can you pretend to be me? Sit up and keep a lookout for snakes! Say \'93Chirp!\'94\ \ I live in the ocean. My skin is smooth and silvery. Who am I? \ I am not a fish but I swim like one. I like to play and jump out of the water. Who am I?\ \ I am a Dolphin!\ Can you pretend to be me? Flap your arms like flippers and whistle!}

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Short stories about animals

To develop reading skills, beginners need texts that are easy to understand and have vocabulary. Short stories about animals are suitable here.

Stories, fabulous and not so fabulous, about animals are useful not only for schoolchildren, but also for preschoolers who begin to read, because in addition to reading skills, they broaden the horizons of children. Sample texts can be found here.

It is helpful to read the text and draw its content. This practice develops figurativeness: the child reads and immediately presents a picture on the “internal monitor”.

Comprehension and memorization are greatly facilitated. Not all children (for various reasons) like to draw. Therefore, we came up with stories for coloring: we read the text and color the animal. The site "Non-Standard Children" wishes you success.

The author of the stories is teacher-psychologist Galina Obnorskaya.

1. Squirrel story
2. Greedy squirrel
3. Owl story
4. Moose Tale
5. Deer story
6. Fox story
7. Bear story
8. Cuckoo
9. The story of the hedgehog

A story about a squirrel.

The squirrel lived in the old forest. The squirrel had a squirrel daughter in the spring.

Once a squirrel and a squirrel picked mushrooms for the winter. Suddenly, a marten appeared on a nearby Christmas tree. She prepared to grab the squirrel. Mom - the squirrel jumped towards the marten and shouted to her daughter: "Run!"

The squirrel ran away. Finally she stopped. I looked around, and the places are unfamiliar! Mom - no squirrels. What to do?

A squirrel saw a hollow in a pine tree, hid and fell asleep. And in the morning the mother found her daughter.

Greedy squirrel

Near the new school, the builders left two dozen birches and pines. It turned out to be a small square.

Despite the school noise and uproar, two squirrels settled in it. The animals were young and agile. If someone appeared below, they immediately soared to the top of the tree.

Schoolchildren brought nuts to the squirrels. They left treats on a large boulder in the middle of the square. When the children left, the animals descended and fed.

Sometimes hooligans came. They threw stones at the squirrels. But the animals ran to the tops of the trees. The stones did not reach there.

Once a strange old squirrel appeared in the park. First she ate all the nuts on the rock. The little squirrels also tried to go down for food. But a strange squirrel drove them away.

This happened several times. The young squirrels were starving. They ate their supplies and left the park because of the greedy old squirrel.

A story about an owl

An owl lives in the northern forests. But not a simple owl, but a polar one. This owl is white. Paws are hairy, covered with feathers. Thick feathers protect the bird's legs from frost.

The snowy owl is not visible in the snow. The owl flies quietly. Hide in the snow and watch for the mouse. A stupid mouse won't notice.

About the cuckoo

— Cuckoo, cuckoo, how long will I live? - both adults and children ask when they hear the cuckoo song.

Let us also listen to its cuckooing. The cuckoo is a cautious bird. To see it, you have to be observant.

The cuckoo is often scolded for laying eggs in the nests of other birds. Foster parents feed the cuckoo, educate, for example, teach to fly.

Why does the cuckoo do this? Other birds lay all the eggs at almost the same time, and then incubate the chicks. The chicks hatch together and grow together.

The cuckoo does not lay many small eggs all at once, but gradually, almost all summer. Therefore, she cannot hatch the chicks herself.

Having laid an egg, the cuckoo takes it in its beak and puts it in someone else's nest. The deception is never found.

But the cuckoo is very useful. She eats such furry caterpillars that no other bird pecks. Don't hurt cuckoos!

The story of the moose

The old moose walked through the forest for a long time. He is very tired. The moose stopped and dozed off.

The moose dreamed that he was still a little calf. He walks with his mother through the forest. Mom eats branches and leaves. A calf merrily jumps along the path nearby.

Suddenly someone hummed terribly near the ear. The calf got scared and ran to his mother. Mom said: "Don't be afraid. It's a bumblebee. It doesn't bite moose."

In the forest clearing, the calf liked the butterflies. At first, the calf did not notice them. Butterflies sat quietly on the flowers. The calf galloped across the clearing. Butterflies soared into the air. There were a lot of them, a whole swarm. And one, the most beautiful, sat a calf on her nose.

A train hummed far beyond the forest. The old moose woke up. He rested. You can go about your business.

A story about a deer

Deer live in the North. The homeland of deer is called the tundra. Grass, bushes and gray reindeer moss grow in the tundra. Reindeer moss is food for deer.

Reindeer move in herds. There are deer of different ages in the herd. There are old deer and kids - deer. Adult deer protect babies from wolves.

Sometimes wolves attack the herd. Then the deer surround the fawns and put their antlers forward. Their horns are sharp. Wolves are afraid of deer antlers.

There is a leader in the herd. This is the strongest deer. All deer obey him. The leader guards the herd. When the herd is resting, the leader finds a tall stone. He stands on a stone and looks in all directions. He sees the danger and blows his trumpet. Deer will get up and go away from trouble.

The story of the fox

At the foot of the mountain there was a round lake. The place was deserted, quiet. There were many fish swimming in the lake. This lake was liked by a flock of ducks. The ducks built their nests and brought out the ducklings. So they lived on the lake all summer.

One day a fox appeared on the shore. The fox was hunting and came across a lake with ducks. The ducklings have already grown up, but have not yet learned to fly. The fox thought it was easy to catch his prey. But it was not there.

The cunning ducks swam far to the other side. The fox destroyed the duck nests and ran away.

A story about a bear

You can meet a bear in the Khibiny mountains in the North. In spring, the bear is angry because it is hungry. All winter he slept in a den. And the winter in the North is long. The bear is hungry. That's why angry.

Here he came to the lake. Catch a fish, eat it. Will drink water. The lakes in the mountains are clean. The water is fresh and clear.

By the middle of summer, the bear will have eaten and become fat. It will become kinder. Still, you shouldn't date him. The bear is a wild animal, dangerous.

By autumn, the bear eats everything: fish, berries, mushrooms. Fat under the skin accumulates for hibernation. Fat in the den in winter both feeds and warms it.

A story about a hedgehog

A hedgehog is a common animal in our forests. Maybe that's why we think we know everything about him.

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