In Iceland we’ve got a variety of animals which, to the foreign eye, behave in strange ways. Their behavior is in some ways odd and without fear regarding humans who they seem to either see as rivals for the land or equals.
The arctic terns for example have developed through the years a tactical dive bombing strike when unfortunate travellers happen to pass near their nests. Whether this is something that the terns picked up from seeing German Stuka planes in action is not known but if you see an attack coming, flee from their territory immediately for the sake of your skull.
But it‘s not only wild animals that show such behavior. Domestic animals have been picking up on this utter regard for their propper place in the farm. Bulls have been known to stop in front of cars in a Mexican stand off kind of situation, drilling their eyes into the driver‘s eyes with a look that says:“Are you gonna drive or are you going to put in reverse?“. Needless to say, all drivers either wait till the bull gets bored or put in reverse. You don’t want to mess with a raging bull in a macho mood, especially if some admiring cows are nearby.
The most infamous strange behaviour of domestic animals in Iceland is the Kamikaze killer sheep attitude. Icelandic sheep that roam the country side have developed a breed of ruthless killer sheep. It seems that the sheep don‘t like cars and the disturbance that those “mechanised monsters“ bring to their quiet country life in Iceland. The Kamikaze killer sheep‘s tactics are simple: as a car approaches a group of sheep are stationed on either side of the road, the Kamikaze killer sheep that hides among them suddenly springs into action and tries to run in front of the car. If it succeeds either the driver has to hit the sheep or break/swerve to either side of the road that can lead to an accident. Be wary if you see a group of sheeps roaming free, your life and your car could be in danger.
But the killer sheep aren’t the only ones to be wary of . Every year a few incidents are reported where an Icelandic horse or group of horses have eaten the coating off cars and seem to have developed a taste for it. That is unfortunate as the insurance doesn‘t cover horses eating cars, according to insurance company representives. Then what should you do if you find your car stripped of coating and an innocent looking horse or horses nearby? Surviving Iceland recommends that you phone your local sheriff who‘ll do the only thing he can:
Round up the usual horses.
