Thing to Do #38: See These Animals in the Wild

For this ONE thing to do before you die, there are several animals you must see in the wild:

• Gorilla
• Monkey
• Orangutan
• Grizzly Bear
• Polar Bear
• Crocodile
• Humingbird
• Eagle
• Manatee
• Panda
• Rhino
• Hippo
• Elephant
• Giraffe
• Koala
• Lion
• Penguin
• Kangaroo
• Tiger
• Coelacanth

So far I’ve seen: a Hummingbird, Crocodile, Manatee, Monkey, and, as of this past weekend, a Bald Eagle. 

Although not native to North Carolina, I’ve seen hummingbirds numerous times, from the time I was very young, watching them flutter in my grandmother’s garden.

The manatee I saw in the Port of Miami.  While I was at the Miami Seaquarium, we were at the edge of the park on the way back from the dolphins when we spotted a Manatee breaching near the shore.  Our guide was rather concerned, as a motorboat had just sped by in waters that were marked as a protected manatee habitat.

The crocodile AND monkey we managed to see the day we went into the rainforest in Mexico this past August.  As we were driving into the wilderness, we passed through a village and we saw a monkey in a tree (we tried to take a photo but its blurry and you really can’t see anything).  The crocodiles we saw as we zip lined across a river.

And the bald eagle I saw when I was out with friends on their boat this past weekend on Jordan Lake.  On the way out there, my friends were talking about how many bald eagles they see when they are out on the lake.  We joked that because I was out there with them, we wouldn’t see any.  However, sure enough, just as we came to a stop in a cove, a bald eagle skimmed over the tree tops. 

Not on the list, but I’ve also seen an elk, moose, and whale shark in the wild.

I’m telling you now that if I have seen all of the animals but the coelacanth, I’m counting this one as completed.

How many of these animals (or any other interesting animals) have you seen in wild?