Antarctica – 2007 – The Leopard Seal

We went out today to walk on the ice. We hopped into our pangas and made the short journey to another beach. The water is so cold that it will kill you in a few moments if you fall in. Pay attention to your surroundings and hold on.

There is an ice field all around us. The ice is white near the top and the old compressed ice at the bottom is a beautiful light blue.

There are leopard seals lounging on pieces of floating ice as we pass by. The sky is a beautiful blue and there is not a cloud to be seen. The sun is bright down here. The air is co clear and clean. There are huge white mountains in the distance. What a glorious place.

We love to see the penguins frolicking on the ice and in the water. There are tens of thousands of them all around us. They are so cute. What do the cute little penguins eat, daddy? They eat fish, thousands of tons of fish. Isn’t that cute. Those darn penguins are just so cute.

What do the leopard seals eat daddy? They eat penguins dear. Oh those awful Leopard seals. They are terrible. Why is that dear? Oh, because they eat the cute little penguins.

Just a reminder that nature isn’t as simple as we think sometimes. It is the cycle of life after all. Maybe we should call nature, the cycle of death.

Many animals survive on the death of other animals. I know that you know it, but let’s try to remember that. These are wild animals and do not have the same mental powers that we posses. They are part of the cycle of nature as we are, true enough.

Remember that a wild animal that eats meat will kill you if given the chance. Keep your distance and do not think that they are capable of being your friend. They will eat you if you turn your back on them.

Your dog is thinking about eating most of the day. If you hadn’t been feeding him or her for years you would already have been his lunch.