Animals of The Caribbean In Photos

You know I like cats, but I appreciate most animals. In fact, I squeal, point and try to take photos (not necessarily in that order) of most animals I see, on land and under the sea. In the Caribbean, animals like goats, sheep, donkeys, cows, dogs, birds, monkeys, and lizards abound on land, and I’ve spotted them all. This post focuses on land animals of the Caribbean in photos.

birds of the caribbean

The famous Dominica parrot from their flag is not the only bird I’ve seen in the Caribbean. Take a look at some photos of birds from my travels.

We always see the same birds when we walk south from Jolly Harbor towards Ffyres Beach.

frigate bird sanctuary

I can’t talk about birds of the Caribbean without mentioning the Barbuda Frigate birds. What an amazing protected place with thousands of frigate birds. We saw babies, females and the males in heat and took lots of photos.

Goats

Goats are very common in the Caribbean; we see them tied up or roaming free everywhere. When we were in Nevis, we learned you tell goats and sheep apart because goat’s tails go up while sheep’s go down and goats eat everything while sheep only eat grass. I think the latter is why there are more goats in the Caribbean: they are easy to feed. Apparently, they also know where home is and always go back at dusk. Plus, they are very cute and pretty fearless animals.

the donkey sanctuary

If you like animals, visit The Donkey Sanctuary in Antigua. You need a car but there’s enough else to do on the island to make it worthwhile.

Don’t let the name fool you. The Donkey Sanctuary protects cats and dogs and goats too. Upon arrival, the guide gave us a good overview and gave us brushes to groom the donkeys. The donkeys are sweet and some love the brushes. If you stop brushing, they’ll bump right into the brush to get you to continue.

The cats are all in one room, with their own little cages, some closed, some open. They have all sorts of climbing opportunities and a few toys. They love attention too, so it’s fun to visit the cat area of the Donkey Sanctuary.

The sanctuary is affiliated with the Antigua and Barbuda Humane Society, and entry is free but they have a great gift shop and accept donations.

MONKEYS

Monkeys live on only a few islands, because they are not indigenous to the Caribbean, but were brought to the islands on ships. I’ve seen monkeys in the wild in St. Kitts and Nevis and Grenada, and love it every time I see one. Everybody knows monkeys love bananas, but they are just as greedy for mangoes. Bring some with you if you want them to get close.

dogs

The common term for a mutt down here is a “pothound.” They are all over Grenada, Dominica and The Grenadines, and probably other Caribbean island. I prefer to take photos of the healthy ones, but there are also some very unwell pups. Some even have owners but the owners can’t afford treatments and medication. Many islands are trying to help these adorable pups with spaying/neutering and medical treatments. Some of the ones we’ve encountered include SGAK in Union Island and the Grenada SPCA.

Hope you enjoyed these and are doing what you can to support animals everywhere!