A new rescue was collected today, a baby bonnet macaque, he has lost his tail some time ago, but is otherwise fairly healthy but very frightened of course at the moment, and hiding himself under a blanket. The reason for his needing our help is not very clear, but he was spotted being mobbed and attacked by a number of older monkeys , and ran into a crowded bar for safety. One of our staff who lives nearby was notified and was able to catch him. He may have been an abandoned or lost “pet” as he seems used to humans and let us put a collar on him and took food we offered.
Nora and Tilly enjoying a cuddle with extra monkey walkers due to the return of regular volunteers for the holiday months, Nora and Tilly the two monkeys we hope will make good enough friends to share a pen, have been able to meet up again in the garden, still taken out separately, but at the same time. It would be too much for one person to manage if a fight did break out. They seemed thrilled to be together again and much cuddling and grooming went on. Of course, when it comes to sharing a meal together, their competitive monkey manners may well spoil any friendship, but the more they meet the better the chance so whilst I have two monkey walkers able to handle them, this will be a regular thing. Poor Nora, who gets bullied by every other monkey, especially doesn’t like to be alone, and misses a monkey friend, and John, her favourite monkey substitute!
Dennis, our youngest male macaque, is as full of his own importance as ever, has been learning some new tricks from our volunteer Esa. He loves to do this for any visitors and obviously relishes their appreciation of his talents. His trick involves launching himself with a suicide leap from the highest point he can find, landing safely in to Esa’s waiting arms.
A surprise visitor to the tree house gardens recently, and not seen here before, Is a porcupine! Ruby’s frantic warning calls at night alerted everyone, and all the other monkeys started to join in the danger call. A search by torch light quickly showed up this visitor by Ruby’s pen. Don’t think just a more prickly sort of hedgehog here, they are the size of a small dog and can weigh up to 40 pounds! It had clearly got into the garden somehow and was now unable to find a way out, the monkey’s calls only adding to its confusion, but we opened all the gates and it soon found its way back into the wild. None of our staff who live locally had seen one before in Camurlim, unfortunately they are killed and eaten if spotted, so those left have learned to be very wary of human contact.
My fruit and vegetable scrounging for the monkeys at the local whole sale suppliers has been paying off in bounty of late. In fact I now get donated so much from them that I have problem getting it all in the van. Today I was filled to the last inch with mainly exotic and expensive to buy fruits, in all over 30 varieties, including dragon fruits, custard apples, melons, mango’s, grapes, papaya and pineapples. There can’t be many monkeys in India who get such a varied and luxuries’ diet!
On the dog and cat front, no more losses to the monitor lizard, but Coaster the cat has not been seen again. Old age is catching up to many of the 17 resident cats, and those still surviving ones , rescued in the early days in Goa, are all now elderly. One of these, Polo, has always lived and slept on the top of the kitchen fridge, but is now unable to jump up to get their by herself, so I made her a small bed at floor level. This she felt was not good enough and so took over Chicco the dogs cushion! Chicco is the boss dog in the house and none of the other four dogs will argue with her right to be so, but she was unwilling to take on tiny Polo in a challenge for her bed, and night after night, I had to move Polo into hers, while Chicco just sat by it, looking pathetic and waiting for me to move her. This became ridiculous when I found Polo on the cushion and Chicco, actually sitting on top of the cat bed, which is barely big enough to take her backside, with her front feet out on the floor, and clearly trying to make a point to me, that this is just not acceptable, and look what her life has degenerated into!
