"Lots of people talk to animals.... Not very many listen, though.... That's the problem." ~Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh

Being what many refer to as a Nature Devi I love to watch animals and as I witnessed a lizard crawl across my wall hunting its prey with patience and stealth it dawned on me how foreign it would be to see such a sight in Canada, so I spent the rest of my day looking around at what is truly different in the animal kingdom here in Vrindaban.

I’ve mentioned the monkeys before, we have mainly Reece monkeys which are the naughty ones, always stealing bags and glasses, they are the ones I’ve deemed the ‘monkey mafia’. Occasionally we have Languor monkeys come to town, they’re pretty cool (they actually keep the Reece monkeys away) and are quite friendly. You can hand feed them and in my experience they will only take what they are given and be quite content. I’ve had one come and sit down beside me, mimicking my posture, one knee bent, one leg stretched out in front of me, hands wrapped around my bent knee, he just looked at me for a moment then stared off in front of him. I wondered what he was thinking, was he like “hey this is cool, I’m sitting next to a human” because I know I was thrilled to be sitting next to a monkey!

We had a four foot cobra get dropped by a bird of prey just up the street from us a few weeks ago. I was terrified it would slither towards our home. Within a half an hour the same bird swooped down and captured its meal, all the villagers were safe…felt like I was in a national geographic program.

Dogs roam the streets, goats dressed in t-shirts sit in peoples doorways and of course cows. The cow is Holy in India because traditionally you go from your mother’s milk to the cows; therefore she is considered your second mother, thus holy. The male cows work in the fields just like fathers have for centuries earning them the same respect.

We have horses used in a taxi type service and camels. These long legged creatures cart various items around town. Whenever I walk by one I always get the feeling I’m being assessed. There’s an air of arrogance about the camel as they look me up and down, I’m not sure what it is they’re grading but they are known for spitting on people, fortunately I must pass their test because this has never happened to me.

My favorite animal to see is the elephant. Here it isn’t a daily sight but it’s not uncommon. The majestic beasts are the epitome of grace, strength and beauty. There is an energy that comes from being near an elephant that is hard to express with words.

The animal world has provided countless hours of entertainment, more so guidance, if you pay attention there’s knowledge to be gained observing their primal behavior, their connection to source is instinctive and natural, just like ours is meant to be.