“Hiking in the mountains always leaves me feeling lucky. Not just for the incredible views or ability to climb, but for the wildlife that calls the high-country home. Whether it's a mountain goat on the ridge, pika in the rocks or a moose at the base of a mountain, it feels like good fortune seeing them in such rugged conditions. Wildlife is a reminder of nature’s resilience.” – Azalia Rodriguez-Vieth
No matter where you live or travel, wildlife is all around you. Sometimes it’s just knowing where to look. Sometimes it’s about taking a moment to listen to our surroundings. And sometimes it really does come down to being in the right place at the right time. It’s about being lucky.
Explore 13 moments when Defenders of Wildlife staff had a delightfully unexpected encounter with wildlife that left them feeling lucky.
1. Serenaded by wolves
“During a swim in one of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness’ lakes, I was almost immediately serenaded with the howls of wolves. Coming off the lake, it had the effect of sounding like they were everywhere at once. The special experience really highlighted how important roadless areas are for wildlife.” – Christian Hunt, National Wildlife Refuges and Parks Program Director
2. The treat of pure, unbothered joy
“Bakersfield State is one of the best places to catch a glimpse of the notoriously elusive San Joaquin kit fox. I got incredibly lucky stumbling upon a group of pups tumbling over each other and racing around in play. I kept a safe distance so as not to disturb them. As someone who works on this animal, I will never forget witnessing that moment of pure, unbothered joy!” – Sophia Markowska, Senior California Representative
3. A bump into a porcupine
“One evening, as I weaved my way through the sagebrush while working on an elk research project in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, a bush moved in my peripheral. Low and behold, I had bumped into a porcupine! I have always had a mild obsession with porcupines, and never seen one before, so you can imagine how overjoyed I was to finally see one bumbling around in the wild.” – Kristin Botzet, Northwest Program Representative
4. Time and place is key
“The sun dipped low and a welcome breeze stirred the air as I walked along the shoreline on Big Munson Island, a remote outpost connected to Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge. A Key deer with a young fawn close at its side moved in the distance! Seeing a Key deer is remarkable on its own, but witnessing this endangered species with its offspring quietly moving through a landscape protected from development made the experience unforgettable.” – Ben Prater, Southeast Program Director
5. A fisher in a flash
“I've had lots of great wildlife viewing experiences, but my luckiest came on a hike up Mt. Marcy, the highest mountain in New York. I noticed the underbrush rustling. I thought, if I stay very still and quiet, I'm going to see something cool. Sure enough, a moment later a fisher crossed the trail not ten feet away! Fishers are large relatives of weasels, uncommon and shy. I don't know anyone else who has ever seen one.” – Aimee Delach, Director of Energy and Biodiversity
6. A serendipitous sight
“I was about 15 miles offshore of Monterey in heavy seas and pelting rain with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Several California sea lions appeared off the starboard bow, and then, just beyond, an unbelievable mass emerged at the surface, expelling a geyser of wet breath: a blue whale! Our captain slowed the engines, and we watched the slate-gray leviathan surface twice more before it vanished into the deep.” – Andy Johnson, California Representative
7. Welcomed into the animals’ world
“After hiking uphill to catch the sunset in the Colorado mountains, I was unexpectedly rewarded with a baby mountain goat playfully inching along the rocky slope and its mother close behind. Even at just a few weeks old, mountain goats can navigate some of the steepest terrain in North America. The kid’s confident steps were inspiring.” – Megan Adam, Development Coordinator
8. Panther inbound
“I was driving in Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest with some colleagues around 5 p.m., the witching hour for animal activity. We all had our eyes peeled for movement along the roadside. Suddenly, a panther bounded in front of us! The cat was a beautiful tawny color, probably a female or young male. I barely had enough time to shout “Panther!” because three leaps across the road and it was gone.”– Elizabeth Fleming, Senior Florida Representative
9. Unexpectedly up-close
“On the ferry ride to Channel Islands National Park in Southern California, we had the incredible luck to see a gray whale surface within eyesight. She was close enough that we could see part of her head when she exhaled, which created a high spout of water. It was a completely unexpected experience and something I felt fortunate to witness.” – Colin Reynolds, Northwest Program Senior Advisor
10. First sight of a resilient pack
“I scanned an open meadow in the Apache National Forest when I saw what first appeared to be a small bird flitting through the tall grass. Instead, my scope focused on first an ear, then a head, then another and another, until eight wolves stood revealed in the fading light. We watched adults and pups play and howl together for several minutes. Not long ago Mexican gray wolves had been eradicated from the wild. Seeing them thriving in their native home was a powerful reminder that dedicated conservation efforts can restore what once seemed lost. Eight years later this resilient pack remains intact.” – Craig Miller, Senior Arizona Representative
11. A birthday surprise
"When I was little, we took a trip to Montana and saw all sorts of animals from bears to deer to pika, but we could not find a single moose. On my birthday, in the early morning drive to the airport, just 30 or so feet from the side of the road, we saw a baby moose eating some grass. Seeing the baby moose just before the long day of flights I had been dreading made my birthday so special and was my highlight for our trip." – Danielle Mowat, Field Conservation Operations Coordinator
12. Good bears sauntering by
“A friend and I were hiking in the incomparable high country of Yosemite National Park when we noticed a mama black bear and her cub walking towards us. We immediately stopped. We were fortunate to watch them saunter by us, curious yet unafraid, and continue their journey through the lodgepole pine forest. The park is home to hundreds of black bears, but they’re mostly seen getting into trouble in the more developed areas of Yosemite Valley. It was a special treat to see this mama and cub doing their usual bear business in this natural setting.” – Pam Flick, California Program Director
13. A Lucky, Well Earned Sighting at Home
“After years of planting milkweed to support the western monarch — whose population has declined to only a few thousand individuals — I finally got a visitor last summer. Seeing that monarch, one of only a handful spotted in the entire county last year, was the luckiest and most gratifying moment I’ve ever had in my garden!” – Keats Conley, Senior Policy and Planning Specialist
We all are lucky to have such a wide variety of animals sharing our land- and seascapes within the United States. Many animals, however, are not so lucky in keeping their homes or safely encountering people. It’s up to all of us to protect the remaining habitats, improve connectivity between them, and do what we can to minimize conflict with the beautiful creatures with whom we share the land and water. Take action for wildlife today!
