On making an entrance

A note from the editor

Another year makes its entrance, signifying new beginnings and, hopefully, better times. However, right before the holiday season, a supertyphoon also makes its entrance: Odette continues to ravage the southern areas of our country as of this writing.

As you can see, there are good and bad ways of making one’s presence known, which is why we get anxious about meeting new people. What if we don’t do well during introductions? What if we leave a rather bland first impression?

Thankfully, when it comes to introducing a new Reptile to the animals under our care, there are ways to ensure that it goes smoothly, as Gabbie Abesamis explains in this issue. And if an uninvited Snake somehow finds a way into our homes, Clifton Sawit goes into detail about the things we can do. Spoiler: Panicking isn’t one of them.

Speaking of introductions, have you ever met a Weaver Ant? They usually come in groups, so if you’ve met one, you’ve probably met more than one. And as Gerry Los Banos narrates, it won’t always be a pleasant encounter. However, they attack in defense, so making sure we leave them be as much as possible means keeping the peace.

As for Birds, we don’t have to make our presence known: Appreciating them through the lens of our camera will suffice, as photographer Ross Rawolle explains in an interview with Janina Castro about Birds in Laguna. In another write-up, Janina tells us how to give a warm welcome to Birds who are just visiting from miles away. Simply switching off the lights at night helps these winged creatures travel safely, for instance.

Have you ever tried introducing new food to your feline companions? It’s not as simple as dumping new kibble into their bowls, according to Nyza Faustine Ho’s piece on commercial cat food, where she shares lots of tips.

Lastly, the group I’m about to mention needs no introductions: BTS! Cacai

Buenviaje, a big fan (as I am) of the group hailed as the top band in the world, writes about the Bangtan boys’ animal companions, including those who have already crossed the rainbow bridge.

With this interesting lineup, we hope that Animal Scene makes quite an entrance in 2022. Enjoy our first issue for this year, borahae!