Animal Encounter

When was the last time you came face to face with a wild animal? Where do you think it was going? Where were you going? How long did your meeting last?

There is nothing that reminds me or resonates my own nature more than unexpectedly running into a wild animal. Sometimes it lasts only a few seconds. Others are so ephemeral that they even make you doubt if what you saw was real, and you ask whoever you are closest to if they also saw it, to confirm. But like any sudden hit or good jolt, they always bring me back to the present moment, no matter how far my mind has wandered just seconds before.

Since we have been traveling, one of the greatest privileges for me has been to share more spaces, more time, and more life with the other creatures that inhabit the Earth. So far we have tried to choose our route based on the paths that cross more stretches of nature, so we have had very sudden and surreal surprises. From the road itself and in the middle of filming we have seen turtles, snakes, frogs, scorpions, tarantulas, and all kinds of birds: flamingos, toucans, parakeets, hawks, hummingbirds, herons, buzzards, eagles, and many more that I still do not know about. Names. We have also come across mischievous raccoons and domesticated wild boars in the destinations we have visited ... and my dad even swears he saw dolphins passing by in the sea.

In one of the longest days and the most kilometers we traveled, we had a beautiful encounter with a family of coatis. It was already dusk and we still had a long way to go to San Felipe. We were going in a bit of a hurry and tired to beat the night when we heard that the bushes were moving a lot. First a pair of eyes appeared, then several tails were seen, and suddenly five coatis ran across the road. Our first instinct was to stop the bicycles to look at them without being scared, and thus they were encouraged to cross two more, then three, another five, and still a few more — as a couple and as a family, with everything and their puppies. I guess unlike cars and trucks, bicycles don't make so much noise that they feel threatened and that gave them the confidence to pass in front of us.They noticed our presence but continued calmly, and at the end of this brief interaction, so did we.

Something memorable but mysterious also happened to us at km 9 towards Panabá. We saw a tiny fox cross just seconds before our first carom. Actually, the accident was nothing serious. We were just a little closer than we should have, so when the first brake stopped, we all fell — one by one like dominoes. The adrenaline was substantial and it took us a couple of minutes to catch our breath. While we were making accounts of what had happened, the same little fox crossed the road again, this time more stealthily and attentive to us. Surely it was out of sheer curiosity that he was motivated to return, or perhaps he could perceive our agitation, attracting him energetically.

I must confess that that night I Googled the symbolic meaning or supposed spiritual message of the fox. Several cultures agree that it is an animal recognized for its adaptability to the environment and its astute ability to find solutions to problems — but in the end everyone can interpret its appearance and experience as they like or make sense to them.

On the other hand, the coexistence that we shared with the flamingos on the island of San Felipe was something between magic and a gift. To witness his grace, his elegance, and that plumage that combined with the dawn sky, a marvel. The warm water inspired me to swim alongside them. At the beginning I tried to keep my distance out of respect for his breakfast catch, but amidst the waves, the current and my natural instinct of curiosity, I got closer little by little. I noticed a very bizarre dynamic that I thought I was imagining: one of the tallest and most alert flamingos began to make an alarm call, and the immediate reaction of the others was to gather in a more united and intimidating formation. I assumed it was his defensive strategy, which means that the leader had identified me as a potential predator or intruder.It was my signal to keep a greater distance, and as I started to move away, the herd dispersed again as if nothing had happened. Together, they managed to defeat the stranger, and immediately after their victory, each one went on with their own thing..

So far we have visited Quintana Roo, Yucatán, and Campeche, the three states where traces of the ancient Mayan culture still permeate. The ancestors respected animals as alien and autonomous beings, but they also revered them as mirrors to their own inner savagery. Immersing yourself in these landscapes so full of life and mystery, it is impossible not to realize that we belong and are part of the ecologies that surround us. Knowing them better, learning from them, and looking at ourselves in front of our mirrors should not be discarded as a thing of the past or a hippie position, but I consider it something necessary and urgent for a dignified future, or even livable.

Now think carefully about that last time you came face to face with a wild animal. What did he teach you? And what did you learn from it?