Animal Magnitism

At James Cook University in Townsville, students aren't the only ones who are making use of the grounds. Turkeys are seen sunning themselves, digging for grubs and just plain old walking around. It appears that some students, majority of which are female, become frightened at the sight of these birds. However, I have yet to see a single bird become aggressive towards any students, besides the occasional warning cluck if they get too close of course.
Turkeys are not the only birds that call JCU home. Many parrots of different sizes and colours have been seen around campus, giving the students something more beautiful and less intimidating to look at than the turkeys. These parrots tend to keep to the trees but an occasional act of bravery will lead to them perching on railings not too far from students.

 On the edge of campus, on the residential campuses, a different type of animal can be found lazing around on the grass. Just the other day I was walking to my building at Saint's Catholic College and I saw that, right next to the other building, there were a couple of grey kangaroos lying in the sun. They were not disturbing anyone nor did the students attempt to disturb them, and so there is a harmony here between man and beast that allows us all to live together.

However, not all of the creatures that make their way on college are wanted. Bugs, whilst small, are a nuisance when there is an abundance of them. I live in a building where windows are always open and there is a lot of nature outside. The bugs flock to the light they see at the windows and voila! Irritation galore.

The bug infestation would be a lot worse, however, if not for the geckos that also reside with us here on college. There are many that can be seen chasing after small bugs and sometimes even each other.

Overall, rather than see these animals as beasts entering our territory, I see this sharing of space as a sign that JCU is a natural and comfortable environment that instead of destroying nature, it lives with it. This gives myself, and I'm sure many others, peace of mind that we aren't part of natural destruction.