Facing Fearsome Foes
Kahuna Valley's mascot Nanamua after his first scary wild boar encounter
welcome to peaceful kaua’i…
it’s almost 11:00 pm and my heart is still beating fast… around 10:30 pm I hear a loud sound over the music I’m listening to as I work away on my computer… it’s a creepy sound and I put Pandora Radio on pause… outside the window is the unmistakable sound of a large wild boar and several other pigs in a frenzy… it’s a blood chilling combination of a growl and snort, loud and wild as if some Hollywood sound effects director wanted to create the scariest sound he could conjure up… then i hear a bark… Kahuna Valley’s guard dog Nanamua can’t fight his instinct even though the intruder sounds formidable… as I run to the door of my office he takes off chasing them as they are right in front of the house… the pigs are wild, going crazy, loud and beast-like… poor, brave Nana didn’t know what he was facing, barking, chasing them, but this was a BIG boar and they don’t run from anything and it starts to chase Nana and they fight and I’m screaming for him to come back. Solar lights go flying, ti plants are getting knocked over, pigs are going hog-wild… it seemed like forever those few minutes… Nana runs back to me I try to grab him as I don’t know whether the marks all over his body are blood or mud… he comes close to me but runs back to the pigs… I scream again but I can’t compete with animal drives… more lashing and barking and snarling… Nana comes back to me again and I grab him, it’s mud… he’s covered with mud… my heart is beating as the pigs are still going nuts… I pull this brave dog into the laundry room and lock the door because it’s clear this boar will stop at nothing to kill a dog less than a fourth its size… I go and get my big flashlight and start searching for the intruders from the safety of the upper deck… they don’t like the light and start running away as I’m barking to scare them and now I can see four very big pigs – three large sows and one VERY large boar with long tusks (200+lbs.)… I keep the bright light on them as they run for the ravine at the edge of the property… I keep barking and screaming… the three sows go down into the ravine first and the big boar stands there, not ready to give up the fight, but the light in his eyes can very quickly turn to a rifle shot if he’s not smart, and he didn’t get this big because he was foolish… he made one more loud snarl and took off with a burst into the underbrush and safety of the ravine… Nana is shaken and comes out of the laundry room slowly… I give him a couple of treats and am happy that it’s just mud smeared on his fur… we walk the grounds to check on the damage and I also want Nana not to be too freaked out and face the situation… I’m on close guard and watchful, Nana is so acutely alert and even starts to run toward the ravine at one point but I call him back… the odds were with us this time, no need to push them… a close call in paradise…
we all confront fear regularly… sometimes it resides only in our mind… sometimes it’s an encounter with something more tangible like these ferocious pigs… ultimately it’s always what our mind conjures… how do we then choose to respond, to move from “fear” to “intuition” and instinct so that we can take action and use that fear as fuel… this was a powerful experience we won’t long forget… pets are not too different than humans… but the full moon comes in a week and that’s when the pigs usually come down from the mountains behind Kahuna Valley… the dream unfolds…
love and peace…
francesco
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Francesco! Aweseome story about Nana! and the picture tells it all! He is definitely an awesome protector of Kahuna Valley! What would Kula have done if she was there with Nana? Jumped in the pool? Aren’t dogs such a great companion and friend??
Look forward to hearing more Nana stories……….i’m sure there will be plenty more!
Mary
Thanks Mary! Yes, this little guy is amazing, willing to stand up to these ferocious boars… whew… I’m sure that your Kula would have added to the excitement! Our animal companions have amazing spirits and wisdom and can teach us so much… and they help us open our hearts… savor your moments with Kula! Peace…