Wandering on any of the Islands in the Galapagos archipelago is truly a wildlife enthusiast's delight! They are just teaming with animals, so incredibly cute, and often quite fascinating in their unique adaptions to the Islands themselves. This little one just woke from a nap under the railing next to the sidewalk (where sidewalks end) as I was strolling past. He stretched out almost as if saying hello!

Always a pleasant surprise, when zipping between islands in the Galapagos, dolphins will often put on a show for you playing in the boat's wake! This one, amongst the approximately 50 we saw that day, was exceptionally daring, coming only meters away from the boat. So close you could almost reach out and touch it! Truly a magical place!

A little known fact for many of the international visitors who come through the mountainous town in Banff National Park, is that the wildlife found meandering through many of their parks are in fact just that - Wild!

It was the summer of 1997. I was temporarily living in the town of Banff at the time, though had only recently just arrived. It was going to just be a stop in my hitch hiking journey across Canada, but I almost instantly fell in love with the raw beauty this town seems to emanate. I picked up some work at 'Bumper's Beef House' on the edge of town, and quickly made friends with another man who had grown up in a neighbouring city to my own home town. We often went on hikes together, though this one day in particular, we decided to just lounge in the Bow Valley park.

Elk were amongst the most common wildlife one could observe passing through the town, though most other wild animals such as black bears, marmots, grizzly bears, and beavers are much more commonly found away from the presence of humans, scattered around the National Park. Because of the abundance of Elk in the town, however, many visitors assume that they are more domesticated than the other animals. This is NOT true. Though they have developed a tolerance for humans, they come to the park due to the higher presence of areas to graze, such as golf courses, parks and peoples yards.

On this beautiful summer day, while lounging in the park, we had brought with us some snacks and blankets to sit upon. We had chosen a part of the park slightly off the more beaten trails of the tourists wandering along the riverside, and away from the nearby streets and parking lots. It was as tranquil as it could get. Casually throughout the day, however, we made notice to the numbers of tourists that seemed to be getting closer and closer to the Elk who were sharing the park with us that day. There was one pair in particular which stood out amongst the crowd. It was a mother Elk and her young calf. At one point we even observed a situation which had involved them going to sleep, curled up together, and a group of rowdy tourists came over to take pictures. Now I would have thought that the sight of them sleeping under a tree, with the river gently flowing behind them would make the most ideal scene for an award winning photograph... they seemed to think otherwise. The group tried gathering in front of them and started clapping their hands to wake the majestic beasts, to get a picture of them awake with the group instead!

As you could imagine, by this point the mother was getting a little anxious, and when the baby stirred awake she pushed him along to get away from the disruptive humans. Of course, the most tranquil area in the park happened to be where my friend and I had set up camp. The young calf started grazing in a very slow and awkward path towards us. As it gradually got closer, the mother finally became interested in our presence. The mother cautiously moved over...