Wildlife in the Vista, California area all know where is the best place to grab a drink and that’s in Jennifer George’s backyard. She set up a water fountain on her property and then placed an outdoor camera nearby to film all the animals that stop by for a little water.
She was not expecting just how many animals would begin showing up, however.
Jennifer first put up the water fountain after seeing a family of coyotes nearby on a hot day.
She put out a little refreshment for them and as it turned out, there were plenty of other animals nearby who were also in the market for a new watering hole.
It all started with just a metal bowl of water.
This brought in some birds and other animals, but then she decided to go a little bigger.
“It started with just a metal bowl of water,” George said to The Dodo. “We thought that would be a harmless way to get [the animals] in front of the camera. That brought birds at first — mostly scrub jays. Then other animals started showing up, and I wanted to improve the accommodations for them and bought a bigger bowl and a solar fountain.”
A wide variety of animals began turning up.
Seemingly, as word spread amongst the wildlife community about this new drinking place, animals of all types began showing up. Video from Jennifer’s fountain show rabbits, skunks, raccoons, and bobcats having a drink. There is even a snake who is shown going for a little swim.
“The birds particularly like the moving water, especially hummingbirds,” George continued. “Right now I’m hoping to see this year’s coyote puppies — we saw a pregnant female a few weeks ago.”
Vista, California is a rather dry place. Having a nice way to cool off and stay hydrated is great for the local wildlife.
“It’s always dry in Southern California, especially in the summer,” George said. “I do think they appreciate it — it must be a nice way to cool off.”
Jennifer partners with a local organization to improve wildlife conditions.
The fountain has become more than just a chance for wildlife to catch a drink, however. It is also allowing Jennifer to monitor the condition of wildlife.
For instance, she noticed that some of the coyotes who visit her fountain were suffering from health ailments.
“We’ve seen a couple of coyotes with bad cases of mange due to secondary poisoning from eating rats who ate poison in traps,” George said. “We encourage people to think twice about using those traps.”
Jennifer has since partnered with the Wildlife Care of Southern California organization to help monitor the health of local populations.
Jennifer’s fountain becomes a viral hit.
Animals aren’t the only ones who love Jennifer’s fountain. Human beings on the internet can’t get enough of it either.
Jennifer keeps a popular TikTok account titled “AnimalsThirstTrap” and posts videos from the fountain there and on her Instagram. Videos of a wide variety of wildlife having a drink have become hugely popular online.
You can view wildlife drinking from Jennifer’s fountain in the video below.
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