Yaicha

We did not actually see many “wild” animals in La Danta Salvaje‘s rain forest preserve. I’m sure our group of hikers was far from discreet in terms of noise as far as any wildlife was concerned. It would have been pretty easy to detect us and avoid us. But we did have some encounters with wildlife.

Tapirs

We found tapir tracks, including some very large ones. The trails we hiked on were originally tapir trails, so we were really the trespassers on their pathways. Seeing a tapir is rare, however, and we did not have the privilege.

Jaguar

We did see a jaguar track, however, which was really cool. They are quite rare, so to find that one was in the immediate area was exciting. Although we never saw the cat, we may have had an encounter with it, just the same.

On our third day in La Danta Salvaje, Mike and I found ourselves trailing the rest of our group, which was being led by Bernardo that day (Bernardo and Lydia live just down the mountain from La Danta Salvaje, and they consist of the staff at the lodge when groups stay there). We were on the monkey trail in search of monkeys, and then headed down to a swimming hole at the river. As we walked through the dense forest, I heard a strange sound. It was so low and quiet that I almost thought I had imagined it. It kind of sounded like the deep bass hum of a subwoofer when it first turns on. And it went on for a while, so low that I can’t really imitate it accurately.

Thinking I might have imagined it, I didn’t say anything. Then Mike said, “Did you hear that?” Turned out he heard it, too. We looked around, and it was just the two of us, as the others were far ahead. Realizing I really was in the jungle, we walked on with an extra tingle of excitement. Something was out there, close by, hiding from us but warning us it was there.

Trying to get Bernardo to identify the animal was fruitless, since he speaks hardly any English and we spoke even less Spanish. But when we got back to the lodge and asked David about it that evening, we ruled out tapirs as the source of such a noise. It seems more likely to have been our jaguar growling as we walked by. Whether it really was or not, that’s the version of the story I’ve decided to stick to!

Sasquatch

There was another frightening wild animal sighting, however. Poor Andrew was traumatized. He swears it was Sasquatch. Who would have guessed such a hairy scary creature would come so close to the lodge? But after hearing his terrifying account, we all were much more careful and made sure we announced our presence loudly, to let the beast scurry for cover if it was about.

Snakes

Among the creatures I regret not seeing were snakes. Of course, I did not want to get bitten by a snake, especially not a poisonous one, but I did hope to see one of those exotic species, such as a Fer de Lance. No such luck, however.