Category: Humor

Save the Animal Kingdom! #15

Ah… the never-ending blog thread about what groups of animals are called. All no longer protected…. See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom.

  1. A pomp really is pretty pompous.
  2. The wriggle wriggled.
  3. People surfeit fast on a surfeit.
  4. The grin grinned.
  5. The paddling paddled off.
  6. He drove the drove.

Answers:

Wriggle, aka protein in many parts of the world
  1. Pomp of Pekinese
  2. Wriggle of worms [1]
  3. Surfeit of skunks [2]
  4. Grin of opossums
  5. Paddling of ducks (on water) [3]
  6. Drove of cattle
Drove, central India
Paddling

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration gutted environmental protections. Take action. Volunteer. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

NOTES: [1] Larvae, actually. But you get the idea…. [2] The Striped Skunk is currently the chief carrier of rabies in the U.S. Present status of the less common Spotted skunk: Endangered. Missouri Dept of Conservation The pygmy spotted skunk (Spilogale pygmaea) and the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) are listed as “Vulnerable.” PBS  [3] The blue billed duck and freckled ducks of Australia are threatened. duck.org.au © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.  Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. My most recent awards are Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for Amazon.com.

Meet The Ugly 5. #4: Lappet-Faced Vulture

The goal of everyone who goes on safari is to spot The Big 5: lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros,  and Cape buffalo. It took us 3 tries to see them all, but in January this year we finally did it!

Less famous (or looked-for) are The Ugly 5. Uwe and I have spotted every single one over time. And yes, they are UGLY. It’s been my great pleasure to introduce you to them, one at a time. Today’s dubious honor goes to the vulture.

The Lappet-Faced Vulture. A bird you might meet in a nightmare. Tanzania

I was so fascinated by this description of vultures that I’m citing it here in full. First though I need to post a WARNING: Best not to be eating anything when you read this.

“They are big scavengers of the bush and often even help us locate kills and carcasses as they make their way down to a certain area. These animals play a vital role in our ecosystem by cleaning up all dead animal matter and preventing a very bad smell all around the bush. They gorge themselves when a carcass is available and are often seen going into a carcass and coming out completely covered in blood and guts as they devour as much as possible from the inside.

Ready for a date. Dining together is so much more pleasurable

Once full they will hang around either on the ground or in trees and relax in a half-awake but half-asleep state to try and digest as much as possible. As they start moving away from the carcass covered in blood and guts people tend to think that they will have a terrible smell, but that is not the case as they are very serious about hygiene, believe it or not.

Tanzania 2026

They will move to a nearby water source and take a well-deserved bath, cleaning all the blood from their feathers until they feel fresh and clean enough before carrying on again.” [1]

In other words, it’s not your diet that matters. It’s all about hygiene!

NOTES: [1] https://www.sabisabi.com © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for Amazon.com.

Save the Animal Kingdom! #13

Namibian tower

Yes. It’s time for another post on our endangered friends: installment #13 from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals. See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

  1. The screech screeched.
  2. Unlike the peapod, this pod is almost extinct.
  3. The flutter fluttered off the rock.
  4. The gaze gazed from under the trees.
  5. Wings winged away across the sand.
  6. The tower towers.
Pod member, Mekong River, Laos border to Cambodia
Screech member, Mallorca

Answers:

  • Screech of gulls [1]
  • Pod of Irrawaddy dolphin [2]
  • Flutter of butterflies [3]
  • Gaze of raccoons [4]
  • Wing of plovers [5]
  • Tower of giraffes [6]
Flutter member

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration gutted environmental protections. Take action. Volunteer. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

NOTES: [1] Gull species are in serious decline. BBC News [2] Uwe and I made a trip to the Lao-Cambodia border to see this creature before it vanishes forever. Dams being built up-stream will guarantee the extinction of the Irrawaddy dolphin. [3] The monarch butterfly population has declined by 1/3 since a year ago. biologicaldiversity.org [4] Raccoons are highly adaptable species; nonetheless, the pygmy raccoon is listed as critically endangered. livescience.com [5] While Piping Plover numbers have increased in recent years, the species remains listed under the Endangered Species Act. It is considered Endangered in the Great Lakes region and Threatened in the remainder of its U.S. breeding range. The species is  listed as Endangered in Canada. abcbirds [6] The IUCN Red List classifies the giraffe as vulnerable. The number of giraffes has plummeted dramatically over the past three decades—by up to 40%. Some people refer to this as a ‘silent extinction’ because the decline has been so slow that it’s almost gone unnoticed. IFAW© Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.  Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for Amazon.com.

Save the Animal Kingdom! #12

Here for your reading amusement is installment #8 from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals. Thanks to rollbacks on environmental protections, more and more will die out. See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

  1. The roll rolled up tight.
  2. The flight took flight.
  3. You don’t want this wake at a wake.
  4. We spotted three stands standing on the beach.
  5. The parliament looked parliamentary and regal indeed.
  6. The risk risks being turned into dinner.
Parliament, Madeira

Answers:

  1. Roll of armadillos [1]
  2. Flight of butterflies [2]
  3. Wake of buzzards
  4. Stand of plovers (on land)
  5. Parliament of owls [3]
  6. Risk of lobster [4]
Flight, back trails Cranberry Lake, Adirondacks USA

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration is gutting environmental protections. Take action. Volunteer. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

NOTES: [1] Giant armadillos are listed as endangered and may go extinct. Institute for Wildlife Conservation [2] “Bumblebees, beetles and butterflies are at greater risk of extinction than lions and tigers, according to a global study by the Zoological Society of London.” www.telegraph.co.uk [3] There are 227 species of typical owls, 24 of them Vulnerable, 13 Endangered, and three Critically Endangered. birdlife.org  [4]On September 28, 2016, Food&Wine Magazine wrote that Maine lobster are in trouble thanks to global warming. © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.  Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for Amazon.com.

Save the Animal Kingdom! #18

Here is the 18th installment from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals. More and more are endangered. See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

  1. This Cambodian army member should have never left the army.
  2. Nigh I saw the nye, they had vanished.
  3. The ambush didn’t ambush anything. [1]
  4. He put the purse in her purse.
  5. The leap leaps down.
  6. The conspiracy conspires to escape.

Answers:

Army deserter captured by member of another army, Angkor Wat, Cambodia
  1. Army of frogs and monkeys [1]
  2. Nye of pheasants (on the ground) [2]
  3. Ambush of tigers [3]
  4. Purse of sand dollars
  5. Leap or leege of leopards [4]
  6. Conspiracy of lemurs [5]
Look closely. Leap member in background, Kanha Tiger Reserve, India

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration gutted environmental protections. Take action. Volunteer. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

NOTES: [1] Amphibians are the most endangered class of animals on the planet. Frogs [2] Pheasants are one of the most endangered groups of birds in the world. Earth Life [3] Tigers are on the brink of extinction. WWF, Tiger Temple [4] Leopard skins and teeth are traded in Africa and poaching is common in Asia. Animals Facing Extinction [5] Updating these lists is so depressing. Lemurs are the most endangered group of mammals. 98% of lemur species are threatened with extinction, and 31% of species are critically endangered! IUCN Red List © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.  Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

Ambush, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno, Thailand

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for my books.

Meet The Ugly 5. #2 The Wildebeest

The goal of everyone who goes on safari is to spot The Big 5: lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros,  and Cape buffalo. It took us 3 tries to see them all, but in January this year we finally did it!

You talkin’ to me? Etosha National Park, Namibia

Less famous (or looked-for) are The Ugly 5. The 5 are known for weird body builds and dull coloration, on a continent where each animal is more striking than the next. I give you #2:

Keeping their distance from everybody else. Etosha National Park, Namibia

The Wildebeest. It’s not only one of Africa’s Ugly 5: the wildebeest, along with the zebra, takes part in the largest migration in the world. In January we watched from a jeep as 1.5 million animals made the winter trek in Serengeti National Park.

the Great Migration at Serengeti Park, Tanzania
wildebeest and zebras migrate together
making a dash for it
wildebeest as far as the eye can see

Like the hyena (who we met as Ugly #1), the blue wildebeest has short hind legs and longer front legs (for endurance) and wide forequarters (greater lung capacity). The wildebeest has a strangely flat face, both sexes grow horns, and their coloring is a dark grey, blueish sheen. I’ve heard them called the ‘spare parts critter’: the horns of a juvenile buffalo, the tail of a horse, the beard of a goat, and a sloped, hyena-like back. Definitely a strange looking dude!

NOTES: https://www.sabisabi.com/ I just discovered that the wildebeest has the honor of being the only animal on the Ugly 5 AND the Stupid 5 list. I’ll get to that list soon!  © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for my books.

Not Just Another Roadside Attraction

When do you know if another person is a good match? When Uwe and I first got together, the answer for us was travel. I was in Europe for a few months (a time period that has now lasted 34 years….). I visited an old friend in Germany (Uwe) and we decided it would be fun to travel together in the former Eastern Europe (Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Hungary).

Back then, the Soviet patina hadn’t been scrubbed away yet. Things were still pretty dusty and rusty. I’ll be posting shortly about those experiences. But today I want to share a roadside Madonna with you.

I grew up in upstate New York, where bathtub Madonnas are a common sight in the North Country.

your basic bathtub Madonna

 

Near the border crossing into Czechoslovakia we saw this one. I made Uwe stop the car so I could get out and take a photo.

High Tatras region Poland

Now this, my friends, is a roadside Madonna!

NOTES: Bathtub Madonna image courtesy of Atlas Obscura © 2026 Jadi Campbell. I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. My recent awards are Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story  Contest.

Click here for my author page to learn more about me and purchase my books.

Save the Animal Kingdom! #11

I present installment #11 from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals … I updated it and the roll call of endangered species has grown. See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

  1. A walk walks very, very slowly.
  2. When this parade parades by, you can’t miss it.
  3. The building builds on the built building.
  4. The skulk skulks to avoid hunters.
  5. The clutter cluttered the basement.
  6. He didn’t want a kettle in his kettle.
Parade member, Sahakari Spice Farm Goa, India

Answers:

Walk race, Cook Islands
  1. Walk of snails [1]
  2. Parade of elephants [2]
  3. Building of rooks [3]
  4. Skulk of foxes [4]
  5. Clutter of spiders [5]
  6. Kettle of vultures [6]
Clutter, Japan

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration is gutting environmental protections. Take action. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace. Volunteer.

NOTES: [1] Scientific American reports that snails are going extinct. scientificamerican.com [2] Yup, the planet’s largest land mammal is on the list. WWF [3] Rook populations are in decline. [4]The fox is in danger of going extinct. People’s Trust for Endangered Species [5] Sigh. Spiders make the list, too. Go to the following website for a partial listing of endangered spider species: www.earthsendangered.com  [6] And go to this site for a list of threatened vulture species: Mother Nature Network © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.  Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for Amazon.com.

Save the Animal Kingdom! #10

This is installment #10 from my blog thread describing what to call groups of animals, more and more of them in danger of extinction … See how many you can guess. Answers listed at the bottom of the page.

  1. He parceled out food to the parcel.
  2. The bob bobbed.
  3. I added an herb bouquet to the cooking bouquet.
  4. The pack thinks this part of Australia should be called the Outpack.
  5. The pace set a slow pace.
  6. How the charm charmed me!
Parcel, Chin village, Myanmar
I’m a pack member, mate!

Answers:

  1. Parcel of pigs
  2. Bob of seals [1]
  3. Bouquet of pheasant [2]
  4. Pack of dingos [3]
  5. Pace of asses
  6. Charm of hummingbirds [4]
Parcel part
Bob, protected sea life islands near Woody Island, Esperance, Australia

I’m beyond dismayed – I am furious. The Trump administration is gutting environmental protections. Volunteer. Take action. Speak up! Write letters, make phone calls, donate to organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

NOTES: [1] The gray seal flourishes, while other species need protecting. The Japanese sea lion and the Caribbean monk seal have not had confirmed sightings in the past 50 years and are considered extinct. The Galapagos fur seal, Hawaiian monk seal, Caspian seal, and Mediterranean monk seal are all endangered. The Mediterranean monk seal is currently considered the most at risk seal species. Seals World, IFAW [2] According to earthlife, pheasants are one of the most endangered groups of birds in the world. [3] The Australian dingo may become extinct. Bush Heritage [4] Ditto many hummingbird species. Hummingbird Society © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.  Fun animal names from www.writers-free-reference.com, Mother Nature Network and www.reference.com.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for Amazon.com.

Don’t Attempt to Adjust that Dial…

My alternate titles for this post are, “Oh, Really??” and “Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection in Action”.

These photos are from the thermal springs in Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Rotorua, New Zealand. All of New Zealand is earthquake-prone and Rotorua steams and belches and burbles from the many, many underground geysers and hot springs. Rotorua is gloriously alive!

My first title, Don’t Attempt to Adjust that Dial, is because the colors are not normal. In fact, thanks to the high concentrations of various chemical and metallic elements, the colors of the pools are downright creepy. (According to their website, Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland is known as “One of the 20 Most Surreal Places in the World”.) https://www.waiotapu.co.nz/information/

this green is not normal!
neither is this yellow!
I suspect the Champagne Pool’s orange isn’t normal either

The second title, “Oh Really??” is my sarcastic and astonished response that the park felt like they needed to post signs warning that the springs are damned hot:

Seriously? They have to warn people NOT to walk over and enter this pool?

clouds of steam continually billow

Personally I thought the clouds of steam gave away the secret, but maybe that’s just me.

And the third alternate title “Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection in Action” was my response when I spotted this sign:

Apparently it isn’t enough to inform visitors that the waters are boiling hot. No: the park has to go further and admonish visitors NOT to climb over the waist-high fences and wade into the springs.

I say this proves beyond a doubt Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, aka the law about survival of the fittest/brightest/least stupid.

NOTES: © Jadi Campbell 2025. To see Uwe’s pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

PS: The park is run by Te Arawa Group Holdings, a local Maori tribal business. In addition to these signs, their Health and Safety Page has these warnings: “There is NO SMOKING allowed within the attraction.” And this: “Thermal pools can be very hot (over 100⁰C or 210⁰F) or have toxic gases or fumes at the surface. Also, thermal pools can form a thin crust over the top of them that looks like a solid surface, but will break if a person stood on it. Thermal pools can be hidden under vegetation. Please refrain from trying to touch any water or go the edge of pools as you can cause yourself serious harm.” And this. “Steam can be attractive to visitors, for your own safety, please refrain from sitting on, standing over, touching or placing any body part over steam vents or crevasses. These can be very hot and cause serious harm to your skin.” And this… “Being an active geothermal area with uneven terrain, sturdy footwear is recommended. Jandals, sandals, flip-flops or high heeled shoes are not suitable.” https://www.waiotapu.co.nz/health–safety/

Darwin’s turning in his grave!

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow these links for Amazon.com or Amazon.de.

follow Jadi Campbell

Get the latest posts delivered to your mailbox: