GLOBETROTTERS WRITING PROMPT

September Monthly Challenge — Wildlife

What animals have you encountered on your travels?

I was sitting for long in this exact position. Not moving an inch worrying I would scare off the animals. But the moment was magic, just looking out onto the waterhole where a herd of elephants was drinking next to several rhinos. We could feel the tension in the air.

Yes, after a month of looking for man-made art on the streets, we are now turning back to nature. Animals were our choice for the upcoming monthly prompt and we’d love to see some of the wildlife shots you’ve taken while traveling.

Being a passionate African lover, I’ve done countless Safaris in the past eight years and many of them gifted me with unforgettable moments. And yet, I can’t get enough of it.

Spotting animals in the wild.

There is just something about seeing wildlife on another continent. It’s about connecting with nature and believing the world is still intact. As long as those animals survive, I’m happy.

I have watched parts of the great migration in Tanzania, saw the sun disappearing in the savanna and watched this lion couple sort out some relationship business.

I’ve been horse riding in a nature reserve in Zimbabwe seeing antelopes, zebras and giraffes from up close as the animals didn’t see us as ‘danger’ approaching on a horse.

I spotted ibex and chamois climbing over steep cliffs in the Alps and watched marmots run across the alpine meadows.

I have been hiking with stray dogs in Romania who joined us the moment we stepped out of the car and didn’t leave our side until we returned hours later.

While in Western societies people know cattle being held on fenced-off farmland (if lucky and not inside small cages), in most other parts of the world they roam around pretty wild.

In southern Africa, Eastern Europe or even Thailand, I have stopped more than once to let a herd of cattle pass. Here, the animals are wandering about during the day feeding next to roads and wherever they find some juicy grass being collected in the evening again from wherever they managed to walk to.

Wildlife can also be found above or in water. I’ve been on several boat trips looking for whales, dolphins and other sea creatures. More of them I have spotted while scuba diving and snorkeling, though.

Many photographers are also avid bird watchers and where else are birds more attractive than away from home? They also seem more colorful and exotic when spotting these feathered species on our travels.

While I was living in Ghana, I got closer to many domesticated animals which weren’t very domesticated. Sleeping on a mattress on the floor in the yard, I woke up early at night when the guinea fowls began their morning calls at 4 a.m. sitting on the clay walls. Later, chicken would walk over my body and I knew it was time to wake up.

Whenever I left the property, I’d pass goats and donkeys wandering around. They weren’t tied to a pole or fenced in. They were almost wild walking through the villages and surrounding fields in search of food.

These are just a few animal encounters I have experienced traveling over the years and I’m sure there are more to come. I’d love to do a horseback safari through Mongolia one day and see a polar bear in the wild.

But now, it is your turn. Please share with us your stories of where and when you almost stepped onto a snake while hiking abroad, watched birds fly off during sunset or spotted gorillas in the jungle.

Wildlife encounters.

We are not looking for stories sharing pictures of cats in bed, your neighbor’s dog or your aunt’s parrot in the living room. We want to know what animals you encountered while traveling.

Be creative.

If you need some ideas, here we go:

The Ultimate Place to see Wildlife is XXX

My First African Safari

I Have Been Walking Down an Alley When I Saw This Animal

The Most Fascinating Wildlife I Have Ever Encountered

This is How I Experienced Monkeys in the Jungle

My Favorite Wild Animal

I Didn’t Know I’d Fall in Love With These Animals

A Very Different Kind of Wildlife Viewing

I Never Understood Why People Would Go on Safari

A requirement for the monthly challenge submissions is to tag 2 articles that either inspired you to go to this place, have quality content about the same country you’re talking about or maybe it’s just a travel piece you really enjoyed reading.

You can use the search function to review our publication and look for articles about your destination. It’s easy and a great way to show appreciation to other writers out here.

We’re looking forward to your submissions. As always, at the end of the month, the editors of Globetrotters will announce their winners. While we also submit our entries, we do not participate in the competition.

Please remember to follow our guidelines when submitting an article:

• The maximum article length must be 10 minutes.
• Always credit your images. We only accept your own photographs. Please review our image policy if unsure.
• Write your article in the form title-subtitle-title image.
• Please add the tag “monthly challenge”.
• Make sure that travel is still a focus of your story.
• List 2 articles and tag the writers who created them
• The challenge will run from September 1st until September 27th. We reserve the last days of the month to post the results from the challenge.
• For more clarification on submissions, visit the Globetrotters submission guidelines.

We, the team of editors at Globetrotters (JoAnn, Adrienne, Jillian, Michele & Anne) want to thank each of you for contributing to our publication. You’ve sent so many fascinating articles on past challenges and we can’t wait for the next ones.

Thank you.

Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages has kicked off the challenge with the first prompt submission. Get inspired by her travel essay.

Read here the final post of our previous monthly challenge. We asked you to share your stories about street art found in the world. In this article, the editors announce their personal winners: