Meeting Cute Street and Beach Animals in Leyte, Philippines

Everyone who knows me also knows that I love meeting and interaction with animals so when they found out that I was going for an extended stay in the Philippines I was warned NOT to try to make friends with the street animals “it's not like it is here” they said “a lot of them are dangerous”.

I'm not saying that everybody should approach and try to cuddle with every animal that they meet abroad, if you decide to do that please take time to observe the animals and don't take unnecessary risks.. I was maybe a bit less careful than I should have been (according to my friends at home and in the Philippines, maybe I was lucky but I couldn't resist and I did try to get to know their character a bit before getting too close.

Look into their eyes, don't stare and try to evaluate the animal's temperament. Then move a little closer to see how it reacts, most of the time they decided to approach me which was even more satisfying. Once they are close and still being slightly careful I was able to touch them.

A lot of the local people weren't interested in animals and didn't give much thought to their welfare but with time something wonderful started to happen especially with the kids and as you can see if you read the Wednesday's journey blog some adults too. They began to want to get close to animals too.

It was very heartwarming.

I'll finish this blog with some more photos and a message: Interaction with animals can change your life, I've seen it cause kindness to grow in people. But of course, please be careful and stay safe.