Two new arrivals at the tree house, the first a female Bonnet Macaque of about 2 to 3 years and the second a Rhesus Macaque of about the same age. The Bonnet Macaque is clearly an ex pet and either dumped or has escaped from her chain. She ended up at a big office block and John was called out to rescue her. Having been in captivity since a baby, this is when they are always sold, she would have no idea of natural foods or how to get them, or of life in the wild, not that there is any ‘wild’ left in that area. Also, even being female she would not be accepted into an established wild troop, if it had been possible for her to find one.
She was thrilled to see and meet other monkeys, possibly the only ones she has seen since being captured and quickly made friends with several females, particularly Nora. As far as humans are concerned she is more wary of close contact, having probably been hit for being naughty, we still hope we can convince her not all humans are bad. She has been named Lavender.
Kia, choosing what to eat the next arrival was the young female rhesus macaque. Again an ex ‘pet’ found loose and dragging a chain behind her in Bombay. Probably a bit younger than Lavender, Kia, as we have called her, has probably been used for street entertainment as she will willingly approach people and is used to being handled. She was taken in by a Bombay animal charity PETA, who did not want to keep her in isolation from other monkeys and realised she could not be simply be released into the wild, so contacted us for help. Rhesus macaques are not even native to south India but are again caught as babies in northern India and bought south to be sold, often by migrant workers. Again, as they mature they become increasingly frustrated by there unnatural and very limited life on a chain, and so become more difficult to control by there handlers.
Kirsty and Katrina we hope here she will integrate well with the other monkeys, particularly Katrina and Kirsty, our rhesus macaques.
Ella, who along with Evie, are the two youngest Langurs, somehow got her tail injured, and due to the resulting infection has had to have the end amputated. She recovered well from the operation and has adjusted to its new length. Langurs can’t use their tails to grip branches like some monkeys, but they do use them as a counter balance when leaping from tree to tree.
A dash out to a reported electrocuted Langur proved to be more bad news when we found it mortally injured and not savable. The power lines here are badly maintained and are often in a dangerous condition, and so present a constant danger to the wild monkey troops. Due to lack of habitat they are forced into more urban areas and to them a power pole is just a strange tree to climb, often resulting in fatal injuries.
Little Pugwash, the young rescued pug remains here under treatment for her long standing mange infection. She has been nicknamed Pugwash because of the constantly heard call of ‘did you wash the pug?’ She has at last started to adjust to life off a chain and runs around, as best she can, with the other dogs now. This proved a problem when at 6pm when it starts to get dark, she was no where to be found for her food. This is unheard of as food is still her main motivation in life. Being black and tiny and nearly always silent, finding her involved an inch by inch search of the garden by torch light which took almost an hour. As her feet are still sore from the mange she doesn’t like to walk on stony or rough ground, and had got herself into an overgrown and rocky corner, where she just sat down and waited for rescue!
