Whether it’s a misstep, getting tangled in twigs, or falling from a tree, we all make mistakes – even animals. Some are just funny or embarrassing, but others can have dire consequences, leading to injury or death.
Many mistakes are light-hearted, like the elephant calf who struggles to climb the slippery banks of a muddy waterhole and is helped to safety by others in the herd, while others are deadly serious, such as the ant that steps onto the sticky goo of a carnivorous plant and is beyond help. From the seal pup that gets out of its depth with a large male bull, to the deer stag that loses its footing in an embarrassing slip, much of fate is shaped by accidents. When we take a tumble, we often say ‘we’re only human’, but perhaps that should be changed to ‘we’re only animals’ – because we are all united by our wild mistakes.
