Easter Island may be known for its legendary Moai statues which dot the island; but dogs and horses freely roam around the island — and they do not always get along with each other.
Dogs Versus Horses on Easter Island
As the wild horses mind their own business and will typically ignore humans, having your own temporary dog as a companion on Easter Island is not a matter of if; but when. I had a pack of as many as four dogs accompany me as I walked by them.
The dogs may just be hanging around only in the hopes of scoring that ultimate jackpot of a tasty snack; or they perhaps simply enjoy the companionship. They may also urinate on one of the tires of your vehicle — ahem. I can tell you, though — they did not touch me or get in my way; and they were not annoying in the least. These dogs can stay with you as long as you allow them the opportunity.
They will protect their adopted humans from such scourges as the wild horses which freely roam the island — although I am not sure what the dogs have against these horses.
I was walking down this road towards the Pacific Ocean when three dogs decided to join me after following the man in the red jacket who was riding a horse, as shown on the right in the photograph above.
This dog turns around and looks at the other two — as if asking them, Hey! What’s going on? Aren’t you gonna join me?
One of the dogs stops, sees the team of horses, and scopes out the situation.
The two dogs appear to have an impromptu conference…
…as the docile horses go about their business.
The dogs suddenly lunge at the horses, barking loudly — as if to attack them.
The horses initially try to ignore the dogs and stay away from them — but the dogs are relentless. The horses eventually fight back by lowering their heads to the dogs in a threatening manner and by attempting to kick them.
This short video captures part of the action:
Summary
Experiencing the dogs and horses is apparently part of what being on Easter Island is all about — but if you are wondering about the rest of Easter Island, I have a series of articles in mind which should hopefully be helpful to you should you decide to visit for yourself.
In the meantime, I wonder if the wild horses ever have meetings where one horse introduces himself as the head horse before introducing the second head horse and then bow their heads in prayer afterwards prior to discussing on the agenda what to do about these dogs and voting on it in a Gallop poll…
All photographs and video ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
