i have a question about bugs. bugses. most of what i know about wild animals is about mammals. and i know if you see a wild mammal in the wild you should not approach it or try to pet or feed it, you should just leave it alone. and i applied this idea to basically every animal. but i see you (and other blogs i follow) occasionally handle insects you see in the wild, like have them on your hand. how is that okay? i want to do it too now... (only if i know the species is not dangerous ofc) but does it not stress out the bug, being handled?
of course it stresses the bug out & I have some long post where I talk about this & related issues, but when you see me handling and messing with wild bugs (or even my pet ones, itās not like captive insects are domesticated or tame) I weigh how badly I want/need to do that versus the outcomes on the animal:
I consider these questions:
does the animal need help immediately?
will handling hurt the animal even if I donāt intend it?
can anyone learn from handling this? (myself, others Iām with, followers online)
handling wild cockroach briefly for a photo? not necessary, but a good educational experience & helps others enjoy a creature they might not otherwise. she fluttered away a second later unharmed. I didnāt pick up any others of the same species that night since I already got my selfish wish to Hold Beast: the rest can be left alone.
picking up Alfonso because I need to clean his bark slab? yep, that should be fine, Iāll set him down in a moment & grab a photo first
picking up a Tenodera mantis? itāll not be super thrilled with it but they often chill out in a matter of minutes and treat my hand like a branch. if not and itās trying to attack or flee constantly, Iāll let it leave.
picking up a frog/slug/snail? probably not ok unless youāre moving it across a path or just holding it very briefly. their slime coat reacts poorly to human hand secretions.
in many cases your instincts are right: leave the animal alone. but I think it is worth it to handle a creature if doing so can help it or if doing so can help people appreciate it more without incurring a cost to the animalās health.












