It has been many years since Guirec began traveling across the world by sailboat. This sounds ambitious but relatively normal until you find out it’s with his pet hen, Monique. Their friendship began when Guirec stopped by the Canary Islands. They met and Monique, a Rhode Island Red, just wouldn’t stop following him around. So he decided to take her with him when he was leaving.
Now, the two have traveled together for around five years. Guirec, from the UK, is 26 years old and has been traveling solo throughout.
During his journeys, he has found himself trapped in the Article for almost 130 days, survived storms with 15m waves, been almost capsized, and was briefly detained by Canadian coastguards. All of those may have stopped the average sailor but he has gone to be the youngest to cross the formidable Northwest Passage solo. Well, that’s if you don’t include Monique.
From 2014 to 2018, they have covered a total of 45,000 miles together. They have also released a children’s book, aptly named ‘The Hen Who Sailed Around the World.’ On long stops, Guirec says he often brings her off the boat to stretch her leg and peck around in the glass. He said she loves scratching around in the sand and pebbles. It may feel odd but safe to say, this hen is certainly living her best life!
Hens are also very sociable creatures so this behavior is not very out of sorts. It seems like Monique considers her owner as one of her flock. They are always together and never even sleep apart. “I didn’t want to. Sometimes it was a bit tricky, I couldn’t always do everything I wanted, but I was happy to share it all with Monique,” he said.
Even though Guirec has now returned home and is done with boating (for now), Monique continues to be an essential part of the household. We wonder if she misses the seafaring life?
One of the reasons we all love the internet is because of sweet animal videos. Recently, one of the most adoring videos around made it online. Safe to say, we have found it terribly difficult to stop hitting the repeat button and tear our eyes from the screen.
The video in question? It was a video where a mother duck and her flock of ducklings took a quick detour on a Tuesday morning. They hatched in the courtyard and were making their way to the nearby pond with their first steps. To do this, they went through the school and its corridors - that were lined with little enthralled children!
The video shows over 500 students, sitting cross-legged along the hallway and the playground. The joy in their faces were clearly visible in the video as the mother duck and her 10 ducklings waddled past without any fear at all!
According to Principal Sheila Kukstis, this event is a yearly tradition at the school and is considered a rite of spring for all the students at Glover Elementary School. The school includes students from elementary grade all the way to fifth grade.
Apparently, it occurs every spring. The ducks make a nest in the interior courtyard of the school. When the ducklings hatch and are grown, they make their way to the nearby pond.
As one can see in the video, it’s a highly anticipated event with the whole school turning up to watch. It is very heartwarming watching all the little ducks venture into the world for the first time.
Another adoring fact is how happy and overjoyed the kids are at this rare and magical experience! The video was captured by Bill Driscoll, the school nurse’s nephew, said the principal.
Progress on the ducks is often noted throughout the summer by students who live near the pond. They are part of the community.