It was a big animal, glistening black with slicked back wet fur. A round rodent face briefly looked at us, and it strolled across the tarmac, a wide leathery tail leaving a trail across the dry road. It was a beaver, taking a short cut between two ponds. We'd never seen one before, and I was amazed at just how large it was - the legs may have been short, but its body was as big as a large dog.
We reached for a camera, but it quickly vanished into some reeds.
A brief encounter with the wild.