The heaviest monsoon rains for many years are still pretty relentless and possibly the wettest for 100 years. In the breaks the monkeys take full advantage, even swimming in the pool in memory of the good old days. Kochi, Dennis and Dixie care not about the cooler pool and swim any way, but they have to do this without Nagesh or the volunteers coming in with them for proper games, as they are all too chicken about the slightly colder water.
Trips to the wholesale market for monkeys fruit and veg are ever more dirty and difficult, as all paths turn to squishy mud slides and any fruit left out for us get washed away or stolen by the roaming cattle, who don’t seem to care about wading through it, and also make it worse with their weight and hooves. The mango season has now finished and indeed the monkeys have already changed to “where are the mangoes ?’ as they search in vain through the food bowls, just a few weeks ago it had very clearly become “ not mangoes again”. No more mangoes now, other than a rare imported one, until June.
Always in season are Papaya and water melon, but because they are nearly always in good supply, they are all the monkeys’ least favourite fruits. They would be very lucky to get them in the wild, and couldn’t afford to be so picky as our spoilt lot.
This month’s visit from the wild, a 3 foot monitor lizard inside Snatches pen, eating those same papayas. The monkeys were just keeping out of its way, but didn’t bother with warning calls as they do with snakes. They all had to be moved out while we herded it back to the wild, and filled in the hole under the wire it had found.
Only one call out rescue for monkeys, this an adult Langur, attacked by village dogs. Damage was too bad to save him.
The wild cat, which just appeared on my birthday morning in the kitchen, is still on the mend from his wounds, but he is now loose at the Tree House during the day. He doesn’t tolerate the dogs going too close, but generally ignores the other 17 cats, so his recent castration must be working already. Birthday boy, as we called him, Is now a real softy with humans and even purrs when we treat his wounds. I am sure he must be thinking “I didn’t know humans could be like this”, as yet another bowl of sumptuous and free from any effort food, is just placed in front of him!
Tansy continues to improve in her mobility, and can shuffle round the garden quite efficiently, when the weather allows it. It is hard to believe that 7 months ago it seemed she might never walk again. She can’t be tempted in the pool yet, too cold she says, this would be excellent exercise for her, but come the warmer weather we will be able to get her swimming again, and hopefully continuing the improvement.
Jill In Her new Home
On the dog front, Jill, the bouncy youngster dumped at our gate, has found a good home.
Even when she first came, she fitted in well with the other dogs and cats, and the macaque monkeys soon accepted her being around, she even played with Kochi nicely. The Langurs however always regarded her as a stranger and would not come out for walks unless she was shut away. When one of the staff had a relative looking for a family pet, we decided to give Jill a chance. She loves people and was always desperate for affection from visitors or volunteers. She proved to be the ideal pet for them, and loves the children and individual attention she now gets masses of. A happy and lucky ending for this particular dumped dog.
