Oh Deer!

We all cringe at the tragic stories when someone hits a deer with their car. Deer are helpless when a 70 mph box of metal is hurtling toward them. But what happens when humans are vulnerable, exposed, and without the protection of their metal box? Deer strike back!

Deer attacking cross country runner! Credit

Just last Saturday, a cross country runner was racing when he was blindsided by a deer! No worries the deer is okay, and the human's ego was only slightly bruised. The deer staged an attack and we should all take this as a note to prepare for the future. Think of the movie "Birds" but with deer instead. (I am never going outside again!)  This is slightly unnerving because this could have been me! I had a cross country race on Saturday too. Literally I ran past where a deer attack occurred just a few years ago. The deer were prabably watching me. (ahhhh!) Also I apologize for the strange red circle in the GIF. Not sure why it's there, but I can't get rid of it. :/

On the topic of deer, a week ago I was running in the woods and it was probably one of the most dangerous things I have ever done. However, I was not scared of a deer attack, I was scared of the humans. They were walking around with these giant guns, trying to kill the deer. Every time I passed a hunter, they scowled at me. Seriously, you don't know scary until you pass an angry man with a giant gun. 

Unfortunately for the men, I was disrupting their deer hunting tactics. (You're welcome deer!) Although I was helping the deer, I was putting myself at great risk. What if the hunter didn't realize I was human and thought I was a deer and shot me? What if a guy got so angry that I scared his deer that he shot me? What if I accidentally scared a hunter and he shot me? Moral of the story, don't run in the woods during hunting season. 

Did you know there are deer at Penn State? Well we have a deer farm, and I had the distinct privilege to visit it! This little gal is an orphan. She is the cutest thing ever!!! You may wonder what the purpose of a deer farm is. They harvest antlers and sell venison. They also raise orphans babies like this one!! (#awwwww)

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 It would be a travesty if I talked about deer and didn't mention the "Most Basic Halloween Costume 2016 Winner." This costume was everywhere and was made famous by a snapchat filter. With this social phenomena, humans were imitating deer everywhere. (Shoutout to deer!) Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any crazy stories about deer! 

Friends of All Plants

To not mention Fall while I am sitting here sipping my Pumpkin Spice Latte would be like talking about college without mentioning extreme sleep deprivation. My PSL is interconnected with Fall and with Fall comes my favorite part of the year, the changing color of trees. Every day I walk around the campus entranced by the vibrant colors of the trees changing color, which brings me to the next animal of the week, a tree. Yes, yes, I know, a tree isn't technically an animal, but I am fascinated by all life, not just the kind that breathes oxygen. Sorry. Would you feel better if the blog was named "Friends of All Life?" It just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Here at Friends of All Animals, we do not discriminate whether you have cell walls or not, therefore plants are included. I mean, seriously, how can we not include them, people name their plants! I met wonderful pet plant named Francis yesterday. Its owner was THRILLED because Fransis had a baby. Not going to lie, I was slightly confused when Fransis's owner presented me with this information, but I quickly learned that Aloe plants produce asexually. (S'CUTE) It is possible that I may adopt Fransis's offspring if the owner would be so kind, updates to come! 

#ShoutoutCassie

Back to the beauty of plants and trees, especially during fall. Seriously there is something about the firery orange, red, and yellow tree that cannot be represented with words. Even the most eloquent of diction cannot paint the same picture in my mind that I see when I am staring up at a tree. It is something about the immense size yet intricate detail of each leaf that cannot be replicated. However, this picture on the right taken by my homegirl Cassie does a pretty could job of capturing the exquizitness of a tree during fall. 

Jumping into the leaves is a common activity for Penn Staters as exemplified daily on the campus Snapchat story. I am guilty of jumping in some leaves in my day, but recently I came to a realization. Actually a couple.

#1 There could be literally anything in that pile of leaves. The pile could be hiding a giant block of cement and if  you jump on to a block of cement we all know what would happen. A knife,  disgusting trash, spiders. There could be a nest of MARBLED ORBWEAVERS! Anything. 

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#2 It could be an animals home. I bet a squirrel would love to live in a leaf pile, but humans keep jumping in them and crushing them. A squirrel might just be minding its own business storing some nuts in its humble leaf pile abode and a reckless human can ruin its days work in an instant. Doesn't seem very nice to me. 

Humans jumping in leaves is the equivalent to bacteria jumping in dead skin cells. Seems like a strange phenomenon, but hey Fall is my favorite season! Later this week I am hopefully going to become the proud owner of a baby Aloe plant! YAY! Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts on fall and if you have ever had a dangerous leaf pile encounter!