There is a stereotype of India, reinforced by works like the Jungle Book, that India is one big jungle with some villages and deserts. This is obviously untrue, but being in Delhi, a city with a population of eight figures, I had no idea I would observe so much biodiversity. There are a variety of animals everywhere roaming the streets and the skies. I have personally had upfront encounters with animals that are extremely exotic to me. Within the first few days, I encountered a snake charmer outside a Muslim shrine who was making a cobra dance. He let me film him up close, and after getting over the initial fear I was granted permission to touch it. It was slimy, but not at all bothered by my contact. A week later, when visiting a Mughal fortress, Tughlakabad, I approached a monkey who was sitting on the wall of a bridge to take a picture of it. I must have gotten too close, because right as my shutter was about to snap, the primate swung at me is if he was preempting an attack. It came to my understanding that locals with throw rocks at pestering monkeys and it was most likely that he confused my camera for a stone. My final noteworthy animal encounter occurred on the ride back from a night on the town. The cab I was in drove past an elephant that was casually roaming the street. I instructed the driver to stop so I could get out and approach it hands-on. I walked up to the behemoth slowly and carefully with the knowledge that elephants are intelligent creatures and might be able to pick up on aggressive body language. I came up to its midsection and pet it. It was surprisingly hairy.