Island (not so) wildlife

Image

Mona lives on Sportsman’s Lake. Being from the desert, Mona is, of course, a camel, a dromedary, native to the Middle East. The two surviving species of camel are the dromedary (one hump) and bactrian (two humps) which hails from Asia.

One of the residents at the Village at the Harbour where I live and work often asks me how I ended up on San Juan Island. That seems to be one of her abiding interests since she can only answer the question, were it asked of her, that she had no choice, she was born here! I don’t know the history of how a desert dweller ended up on an island in the Pacific Northwest, but I do know she has a penchant for apples. As a popular stop for travelers along Roche Harbor Road, she can often be found stretching her neck over the fence to check out offerings from her visitors. Fruit or vegetables only please, we can’t have her getting an upset stomach from (or worse, a yearning for) fast food treats.

Mona’s pasture mate is a white pony (name unknown) that apparently provides company. I know if I was a dromedary far from home, I’d settle for any large four legged companion, save perhaps one of the feline species.