With the Olympic Games just around the corner, we thought we’d join in with the Olympic spirit and acknowledge some of the top athletes of the animal kingdom.
If you don’t want to spend your summer indoors watching the Olympics on TV and you’re not planning on a trip to Beijing to witness the Olympics in person, then why not see the fastest and strongest animals in their natural environment instead?
Track events
In the animal Olympics, the cheetah would dominate in the short sprints reaching up to 70 mph! The cheetah is the fastest land animal for short distances but can only manage around 450m. For the distances over 500m the pronghorn antelope is the fastest.
Pronghorns have been recorded at 60mph but can sustain speeds of 30mph for up to 10 miles. A peregrine falcon can reach 143 mph as it dives to catch its prey but in the animal Olympics it would be disqualified for eating other athletics and not sticking to the track. Why not check out these speed freaks for yourself on an
African safari?
Field events
The field events are a chance for the less ‘cute’ animals to prove their worth. In the long jump the southern cricket frog can jump the furthest in relation to its size as it can leap 60 times its body length. The flea would win the high jump as it can jump 150 times its body height. But in reality these species would be out jumped easily (and probably eaten by the peregrine). So the real star of the field events would be the Sifaka lemur. Sifaka can clear distances of over 30 feet and make it look effortless. If you want to see leaping sifaka in their natural environment then take a look at our
Madagascar holidays.
Aquatics
The winners of the synchronised swimming would have to be the dolphins. Dolphins often swim synchronously to catch fish. Research has shown that dolphins often collectively herd a school of fish into a tight ball or carousel making them easier to eat. Plus they always manage to captivate spectators with their playful nature and boundless energy. The diving events in our animal Olympics would be dominated by diving birds. Brünnich’s guillemot holds the record for the deepest dive of a flying bird at 200m deep but the Olympics aren’t always about the biggest and strongest. Judged on the criteria of approach, take-off and execution the beautiful kingfisher has to get ten out of ten. If you’re lucky, you can see kingfishers diving for food along secluded river banks in
Southern England. To witness the majesty of the dolphin in the wild for yourself, take a look at our
dolphin holidays.
Boxing
It may be the wrong time of year for it but hares are often associated with boxing. This is actually the female fending off potential mates rather than a full blown fight but the imagery caught on many years ago and Lewis Carroll characterised hares with the Mad March Hare in Alice in Wonderland. Red kangaroos on the other hand are likely to be disqualified from boxing as they have a tendency to start kickboxing. Kangaroos don’t fight for territory but rather the dominant male (or boomer) fights off rival males who try to take over the harem. Why not look for kangaroos in the wild on an Australia holiday or look for hares in
rural England or
Wales? The best place to see hares is on fields and farmland and the boxing takes place in Spring.
Bobsleigh
Strictly speaking, bobsleigh is a winter Olympics event but we love penguins so we’ll let them take the gold early. If you’ve seen ‘March of the Penguins’ or ‘Happy Feet’ you’ll know that Emperor penguins like to give their feet a rest and scoot along on their stomachs. Penguins would also make an attempt at the diving but sadly they do lack the grace required! Take a look at our
Antarctica holidays to see penguins at home on the ice.
Wrestling
Brute strength and lots of weight are the key components of a good wrestler which is why polar bears have to be the winners of this event. Polar bears can weigh up to 680kg and can stand up to 11ft high making them a formidable opponent for the bravest of animals. Polar bears generally aren’t aggressive and only fight over females and food. If you want to see polar bears check out our
Arctic holidays.
Take a look at our... 
Wildlife holidays here African safaris here Wildlife conservation holidays here 
By Holly Foat, responsibletravel.com
We are aware that the run up to the Beijing Olympics has been fraught with protests regarding China’s poor human rights records, occupation of Tibet and also their poor animal welfare standards. Whilst we are not boycotting China, we are encouraging all travellers to be responsible. By making sure your holiday supports local people and the community and supporting projects you can help people and animals worldwide and lead by example.
