Describe A Time When You Were Really Close To A Wild Animal- IELTS Cue Card

You are judged on four sections in the International English Language Testing System or IELTS exam– reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In part two of the speaking section, test takers are given a topic on a cue card that needs to be talked about. A strong recommendation is to have a structure in mind before speaking about the topic. Describe a time when you were really close to a wild animal is a common IELTS cue card topic that needs clear understanding to speak.

Describe a time when you were close to a wild animal: Sample 1

My trip to the National Zoological Park in New Delhi, India comes to mind to describe such a time. The zoo highlighted the diversity in the natural habitats with a range of animals– mammals, reptiles, and birds.

Out of all the animals, my best experience was while I observed the Royal Bengal Tiger, a beautiful yet strong creature. I still remember it was sleeping inside as the crowd hooted and made a lot of noise. Someone from the zoo maintenance team had also thrown a piece of meat inside to get the tiger moving. This made the tiger move and gave us a peek into its beauty. 

I clearly remember the haughty look on its face. It was slow and steady, and I watched it go up to the piece of meat and relish it nonchalantly. The behavior of the tiger was different than I had expected. Perhaps the years in captivity had changed it to a mellow and tamed animal.

So, while the tiger ate the meat by himself, I thought of how these animals should instead be out in the open rather than in zoos, with people around. This thought still haunts me as I swore never to go back again.

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Describe a time when you were close to a wild animal: Sample 2

I recently went to my grandmother's house, who lives in a remote village in India. Indian villages are home to several animals, both domestic and wild. While I was used to seeing many domestic animals like cows, buffalos, and goats in the village all the time, this visit was different. 

The village was facing a lot of monkey attacks off late. Understandably, people were scared to step out or leave doors and windows open. My grandmother too had strictly asked me to stay inside and not wander outside on my own. I was so bored in a few days of my stay there that I needed a break.

So, I quietly went to the terrace of our house to look around. As I opened the door, I checked for monkeys and found nothing. Thinking all was safe, I sat on the edge of the terrace, gawking at strangers.

Suddenly, I felt a crunch in my ear, and as I looked back, four monkeys were behind me. I was scared to death, thinking this was my end. But I remembered what my grandma had said– don't move if you see them, stay still and let them pass. So that is precisely what I did. I acted like I was finding my businesses, so they stared here and there in search of food and left in a bit. 

Although this started as a scary experience, I remember it fondly as it was the first time I had seen them so up close. In the city, such events are rare.

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