Cool & Unfortunate Animal interactions

My sister was bitten by a dolphin when she was little and feeding it a fish. She was also bitten by a swan.

My sister in law was knocked over by a cow when she was little. At least it was a calf and not full grown.

My niece was bitten by ducks while feeding them.

My son was bitten by an ostrich while trying to feed it at Parc Safari (a parenting regret for sure).

A squirrel miscalculated its jump and landed on my head when I was little. I felt the tiny claws on its feet as it used my head as a launching pad.

I've been stung by a jellyfish twice, and by fire coral once.

I've been licked by a giraffe, and held chameleons in Kenya. I also petted a cheetah. Its purr was terrifying.

The lessons here: 1) in general, don't feed animals even when it is being sold as entertainment unless you are ok with getting bitten. 2) animal interactions can be surprising, amazing and sometimes frightening. No mystery there. 3) animal interactions make for lifelong memories and interesting stories/anecdotes.