The Animals of Petra – a Photo Essay

It can be difficult to find cute animals in the desert, or at least interesting animals in the desert.  When looking for the animals of Petra, I figured we would see at least a few.  I anticipated we would see some animals with all the stories of the horses, donkeys, and camels offering tourists entertainment at Petra.  Unfortunately, we heard about the aggressiveness of the touts, the animals’ owners, who often try to fleece the tourists, and even worse, the mistreatment of the horses. As we made our way further into the park, you could tell there were a lot of animals of Petra.  Well, you could smell there were a lot of animals around.  I, unfortunately, will always associate Petra with the smell of poop. I was very much on guard, and even once I started snapping photos of the animals of Petra, I did it on the sly, lest a tout demand that I pay for a picture of the animals.  I was certainly more ready to delete a photo than pay.  After all, we had already paid so much just to get into the park. I managed to sneak a few photos though, of donkeys. I tracked down a few horse drawn carriages – some waiting for fares, others barreling down the siq, the cavernous passageway leading to the famous Treasury.   This carriage, almost hit a cute cat that was stupid enough to cross his path. I can’t go anywhere without taking cat photos.  I just can’t help it. And, there’s no suprise that I end with some camel shots.  This is a desert in Jordan, after all. A face only a mother camel could love. And, those are the animals of Petra. [box]

Heading to Amman?

Where to Stay in Amman: Get hotel recommendations here. Or, we stayed at the Amman Marriott, where rooms start at $120 (Check Trip Advisor reviews here | Book here) What to do in Amman: Eat tasty Jordanian sweets! Learn more: Get a Footprint Guide to Jordan or the Lonely Planet Guide to the Middle East from Amazon.[/box]