Animals of Raro



Lucky dog is an understatement when it comes to the canines of Rarotonga. Nearly all the dogs on the island are well taken care of and generally used as guard dogs for private properties. I’d say each property has at least one and up to three guard dogs that always make their presence known. When the dogs are neighbors or live on the same street they operate in gangs which can be intimidating, but you quickly learn all bark no bite. Since the dogs tend to roam the streets there is an increased chance of them getting hit by cars or motorbikes which results in a lot of three legged dogs (center picture above). May seem rough but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the smile on his face, a picture that was taken in between rounds of sand wrestling with his partner (seen above and below).






The cats are about just as friendly as cats can be.. not at all, but will come around for table scraps just like the dogs and the chickens. Ohhhhh the chickens… and roosters… did you know they coo ALL times of the day, and night.. they also sleep in trees which I was fully unaware of. I severely cursed my friends by telling them the roosters sound like they’re saying “hap-py birth-day” every time an egg is laid/hatched, and all the roosters on the island have to say happy birthday. So yes, it sounds like a constant traveling chorus of happy birthday blessings from the mountains to the beach that you can never un-hear.





