Tag: flock

Sheep vs. Humans

Uwe and I spent 6 weeks exploring New Zealand. The two islands are so far away and take so long to reach that we wanted to see as much as possible. The landscape is spectacular, from fjords to mountain ranges to rolling hills and wide-open plains. Plenty of room for people and hobbits, if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan. (Full disclosure: I sure am!) We did lots of short hikes and knew we’d see some great nature.

What I’d forgotten is that the population of sheep in New Zealand far outstrips that of humans. Look who what we saw on a hike in Takapūneke Reserve near Akaroa on the south island. 

According to a Radio New Zealand article from 3 May 2024,

“Sheep numbers continue to fall due to land conversion to forestry. New StatsNZ figures show the national flock dropped by 3 percent in the year to June 2023 to 24.4 million sheep. The decline in sheep numbers followed a two percent drop the year before. With a population of about 5.3 million people – it now meant there was just 4.6 sheep per person.” [1] The title of the article was this: New Zealand’s iconic sheep-to-person ratio keeps falling.

“And just what do you humans think you’re doing in our park?”

Just 4.6 sheep per person. I don’t know if this is a good stat or something to worry about – but I remember well that on that hike when we came around a hillside on a steep path, we scared the s**t out of a ewe. She backed up in panic and took off crashing through the brush!

In New Zealand, flocks rule.

NOTES: [1] https://www.rnz.co.nz/news © Jadi Campbell 2025. To see Uwe’s 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.

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Save the Animal Kingdom! #4

…Here’s the next installment 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. Grain needs a grist!
  2. The sound of the sounder almost gave her a heart attack.
  3. The flock flocked on his poor kids.
  4. Wow, the muster mustered such gaudy colors.
  5. When my bike ran over the bike, I knew I was in big trouble.
  6. The drove drove towards us in the dirt road.
Muster member

Answers:

  1. Grist of bees [1]
  2. Sounder of wild boar
  3. Flock of lice
  4. Muster of peacocks
  5. Bike of hornets [2]
  6. Drove of horses
Drove, Northern Thailand
Grist, Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

NOTES: [1] Status: Endangered “….[P]ollinators are under threat around the world…about 40 percent of invertebrate pollinator species (such as bees and butterflies) are facing extinction.” This could have major implications for world food supply, because “about 75 percent of the world’s food crops … depend at least partly on pollination.” NPR Report  35 UK bees species are under threat of extinction, and all species face serious threats. UK Bees [2] European hornets are a protected species in Germany. European_hornet

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.

[1] https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-04-05/trump-is-gutting-the-nations-environmental-programs-heres-how-much-it-will-cost-americans © Jadi Campbell 2025. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see Uwe’s 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 recent awards are Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story  Contest.

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The Animal Kingdom: 21

Happy New Year to all my readers!!

As 2018 begins I present to you Installment #21 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 flock flocked together.
  2. She dug up a clot of clats.
  3. A flock of these solitary creatures would be one big flock!
  4. The husk wasn’t particularly husky.
  5. The wreck covered the wreck.
  6. An audience for the audience, please!
Flock member, Mission Beach, Australia
Clat, Silk showroom, Bangkok, Thailand

Answers:

  1. Flock of camels [1]
  2. Clats of worms
  3. Flock of cassowaries [2]
  4. Husk of jackrabbits
  5. Wreck of sea birds
  6. Audience of squid
Yup. Flightless, taller and way heavier than me

NOTES: [1] Really. I double checked it to be sure it’s a flock of camels. [2] Also a flock. And the cassowary is a flightless bird…. Cassowaries are highly endangered. www.rainforestrescue.org.au © Jadi Campbell 2017. All photos © Uwe Hartmann and Jadi Campbell. 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.

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

The Animal Kingdom: 4

…Here’s the next installment 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. Grain needs a grist!
  2. The sound of the sounder almost gave her a heart attack.
  3. The flock flocked on his poor kids.
  4. Wow, the muster mustered such gaudy colors.
  5. When my bike ran over the bike, I knew I was in big trouble.
  6. The drove drove towards us in the dirt road.
Muster member

Answers:

  1. Grist of bees [1]
  2. Sounder of wild boar
  3. Flock of lice
  4. Muster of peacocks
  5. Bike of hornets
  6. Drove of horses
Drove, Northern Thailand
Grist, Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

NOTES: [1] Status: Endangered “….[P]ollinators are under threat around the world…about 40 percent of invertebrate pollinator species (such as bees and butterflies) are facing extinction.” This could have major implications for world food supply, because “about 75 percent of the world’s food crops … depend at least partly on pollination.” NPR Report

© Jadi Campbell 2017. 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.