Author: Tom Hirst

Sadly the latest little Langur baby did not make it, and has left all at the Tree house devastated at her loss. Despite the sadness, the other monkey residents are still in need of our time and efforts and thanks to the presence of volunteers this month, much progress has been made on several fronts.

Some nice long sunny spells in the midst of the heavy rains have made the monsoon easier than usual for the staff and monkeys. The local rice farmers on the other hand are not so happy, needing all the rain they can get. The pool, which is usually little used by the monkeys in July,

With the onset of the rains, relief from the oppressive heat, but hallo mud and sometimes particularly disgusting sludge, with the added frustrations of even more power cuts than normal. The sludge on the footpaths and tracks, particularly around the markets, can be pretty revolting at times because any open ground is still used by

In May, with the approach of the annual monsoon, the temperatures during the day time are 40c / 104f, and even at night, 25c / 77f, added to this is humidity of around 77%, it becomes uncomfortable for both humans and animals. All but a few of our volunteers have returned to the U.K for

Following the tragic and unexpected death of John, our work here for the monkeys goes on as before and although the monkeys here will receive the same high standard of care, I Just hope that Johns hard work and time, given to improving conditions for all monkey rescues in India, will continue to enlighten other

John Hicks, passed away on 27th February 2015. John had been recovering from a Cancer Operation, but was rushed to hospital and died hours later with Jo at his side. His IAR GOA blog last month highlighted a news clipping from 1989, one of the many things john has done over the last 30 years for animal

A young adult Langur was found injured and semi-conscious on the road-side. Kind locals took it to the government veterinary clinic for examination and treatment. Unfortunately the staff there were not used to handling monkeys, and it managed to not only bite one of the staff quite badly, but escape loose in the clinic! John

More games of ‘musical chairs’ with our monkeys, as more friends fall out. Nora has mothered ‘Kia’, a rhesus female, since she came in as a youngster, and in return for all her care has now been so bullied by the teenager Kia we have had to separate them. Kia has joined other female Rhesus,

Unfortunately, there have been more Langur monkey rescues since our return from England, and several past help. These are mainly youngsters either knocked down on the roads, or knocked down by power cable shocks. It’s not just the cutting down of the few remaining mature trees in much of Goa that is affecting their survival,

On a rainy evening, we were informed that an injured Langur was laying on the side of the road in Camurlim village. As we arrived, it appeared that he probably got electrocuted on the electrical line and fell to the ground after the shock. The poor monkey was fully paralysed and could just barely move