Foster, Ella and Evie, the three youngest of the Langurs had been sleeping in my bedroom till just before I left, so it seemed very strange initially not to have them to constantly care for and worry about. They all seemed pleased to see me back however and started the whistling greeting call as soon as they heard me. However, when brought out of their pen by the member of staff who has been caring for them, although I got a big cuddle and a thorough inspection from them all, I was pleased to find they were also quite happy to go off for a walk with her when asked. It is important they keep this new found independence, which was so hard won in Ella’s case.
Dennis having a dip in the pool Dennis is still a real menace, but I think he was pleased to see me, even if it was just to pull my hair, his favourite torment. Tom, the volunteer who was looking after them in our absence has made good progress with him regarding the pool. When we left he was still frightened of the water, following a scare he got from a “know it all” volunteer who although told not to try and get him in the water, dragged him in out of his depth and pulled him under. Like some children, he needed to take his own time to build up his confidence in the water and swim, and this thoughtless incident only resulted in setting him back. I was very pleased therefore to see him dive straight in and swim happily under the water too, but, being Dennis, he also got hold of Ruby’s lead and pulled her straight in, she had been reluctant due to the relatively cold water at this time of the year.
We are lucky to have two full time volunteers here at the moment, Laura and Nichola from the U.K. As well as willingly joining in with such grotty jobs as cleaning out the pens, at this time of the year you are often nearly up to your knees in mud and monkey pooh, they have been able to spend time with the babies giving them walks in the garden as well as the sessions of grooming which they love. Dennis has also been getting extra attention and behaving relatively well. He needs to know who’s really in charge, so will be even naughtier with a timid stranger.
The rescued Goldfish the rescued goldfish, put into our pond, is also doing well against the odds perhaps ,as snakes are frequently seen in there. It has virtually doubled in size and because of the regular feeding for it I had introduced for the monsoon, it now comes to the edge every morning for breakfast.
Sadly Tash, the youngest of market kitten rescues didn’t make it, she contracted some horrible virus and had to be put to sleep shortly before my return. In this climate, and with such a poor start in life it is all too often the outcome for these tiny rescues.
Persil the Beautiful White Cat problems too with Persil the cat, another market rescue three years ago. Now he is mature he has decided he wants to be top cat and has been having big fights with all the other male cats here , who are all tougher than him! This has resulted in him spending much of his time lately in one of the small cat pens while his substantial wounds heal and he can’t start any more trouble. The cats here are far more territorial and very aggressive when fighting. They have to be tough to survive at all in a country where there is little human support or supplementary feeding even of the so called “house” cats. Being a long haired white cat it should be possible to find him a good home even here, where he can happily be the top cat, and although we shall be sad to see him go, the other male cats in residence wont.
