A hectic new year with 3 baby monkey rescues in just 2 weeks, and two more that were attended but past help.
The first rescue, a little Langur female of about a year old who was spotted and bought in to the rescue centre by a local man, seeing her helpless on the road side. Initially she was thought to be a traffic casualty but closer examination showed that she had in fact been electrocuted on the power lines. Still suffering from major nerve damage she was partially paralysed, although from the start willing to take food and water from us. The vets advised it could take 10 days to recover the use of her limbs, and our invaluable volunteers Tytti and Esa actually moved into the tree house to give her the 24 hour care and nursing. Sadly, despite all the long hours of care and the many times our hopes were raised for her recovery, she died. Needless to say, this was devastating to all of us.
Dixie settling in at the Tree House just one day after her arrival, a phone call came in of a tiny macaque monkey being dragged round the local tourist town. John dashed off and was there to see her being used for begging from tourists. With a cord tied round her neck, her handler/ abductor was swinging her on it, from the ground to the all too willing tourist’s shoulders, for a photo. The baby was so terrified it was trying to bite her handler, but once in position, she froze in terror, allowing that perfect holiday snap. These were educated western tourists and how they could have failed to have understood the traumatised state she was in, is hard to believe. Not only was her whole body shaking but she was making a heart reaching cry almost continually. Most of these babies after seeing there mother killed , then being used in this way, only live a few days, the handlers know this, so work them as many hours as possible all the time they are still alive.
John quickly arranged for a local supporter to pose for a photo and then both jumped into a waiting car and away. Like circus personnel, the street entertainers who illegally use animals in this way are not averse to violence against anyone interfering, the police normally will only act slowly to the situation, which allows the perpetrators to simply move on.
Dixie , as we have called her, is about 5 months old and the most traumatized baby macaque we have had , on arriving at the tree house we found she had violent and debilitating diarrhoea , from stress and her unsuitable diet, and would bite any approaching hand as hard as she could.
Thanks to the help of our volunteers we have been able to give her support and comfort 24 hours a day, and at this time she is sleeping at night cuddled up to John in her soft blanket, and is even going for short walks outside, and she now allows herself to be handled by her new human friends. We have not been able to get a nappy on her as yet, which is a problem when she still has diarrhoea!
Two New Baby Monkeys Playing Together any one shows you their holiday snaps of ‘me with a baby monkey in India’, please tell them what you think.
Within a few days of Dixies arrival, yet another call for help with a baby Langur, this time in South Goa. The caller had seen the mother killed on the road and the baby knocked down, and had managed to catch her. She is about one year old and not badly injured. At the time of writing she is still traumatised and is finding it hard to adjust to not only life without mum, but a complete change of everything she knows. Langurs are highly sensitive and babies often succumb to illness due to stress. Dixie is doing her best to comfort her and would like to be friends, and at the time of writing she has started eating and drinking, if reluctantly.
Flash the squirrel was happily installed in the perfect release environment just a day before the first baby monkey arrived. Grandma’s Kitchen, a well known Goan hotel and restaurant, very kindly offered to take him for release. With no cats and extensive gardens it is the perfect place for him. He has his cage at the base of his own banyan tree and can take his time to explore and yet return for food and safety in his cage, till he feels he is ready to go.
After the kindness of many people in calling our emergency number and even catching and bringing animals in for treatment, the contrast of some unbelievable self centred cruelty in others. We received an emergency call of a baby Langur knocked down on the road, and on speaking to them were told its legs were injured and to come quickly. Every thing was dropped of course to dash to the rescue, staff with a day off called in to cover, equipment, cages, drugs and pain killers loaded up etc. On arrival there was indeed a baby injured Langur outside a small group of well to do houses, but it had been dead for at least 12 hours. Further discussions with the home owners bought out the true story. The baby had been knocked down 3 days before, but no one could be bothered to call it in, unable to move it had laid there for two days before dying. That morning it had begun to smell, so a discussion took place as to who was going to move it away from there homes. The easiest solution, phone it in as emergency to the monkey people, and they will come and take it away.
I will award this group of car and mobile phone owning people , the 2014 first place award for being total *******, fill in your own blank!.
