Around Matador, we hear a lot about amazing interactions between travelers and local people–but we don’t hear a whole lot about encounters between travelers and local animals.

This week, get your pen moving by thinking about amazing mammals, amphibians, insects, reptiles and fish you’ve met (or run from, or squashed, or ridden, or been attacked by…) on your travels.

Remember, while you’re free to write absolutely anything relating to animals and travel (after all, the idea is to get you writing), we’re less interested in abstract meditations on animal rights than we are in strong stories and descriptions. Bring us into the moment with you and your animal friend (or enemy).

If you’re new this week or need a refresher, you have one week to write anything you like within the scope of the “animal encounters” prompt. Send anything from three to 250 words to teresa@matadornetwork.com, along with your full name (or whatever name you’d like to be indentified by) and your Matador community page url. Next week, we’ll publish our favorite bits and pieces of the entries we’ve recieved.

If you haven’t already, check out previous “Get Your Pen Moving” submissions about food and homecomings.

Community Connection

Never connected with a member of another species? Check out Azriel Cohen’s article on how to connect to wild animals through your own primitive nature.