A big fall out between Butch and Hobo left them both with wounds needing to be stitched, and the problem of separating them means we need yet another pen now. Both are escaped or released ex pet male bonnet Macaques and Butch was released, probably at our gate, as he simply turned up here and started to fight all our resident through the mesh, biting fingers and causing fights. He had to be re-caught, and was. He has been living happily with Hobo, another young male ever since. Hobo was making a nuisance of himself as he was again dependant on humans and raiding people kitchens and tables. Both were ‘luckily’ released where there are no resident troops of bonnets or they would have been attacked and killed straight away. We had hoped in the absence of females they would continue to live happily together even when they matured, but unhappily this was not to be! At present they are confined to small cages while being treated for their substantial bite wounds. The problem of the lone, aggressive ex-pet males is a major one.
No actual nesting from the Giant Hornbills as yet, but this is usually in September and they have visited the box everyday since spotting it. The battle with the Langurs goes on however, some days the Hornbills chase off the Langurs, but more often it’s the other way round. This pair are already breaking all the experts rules, as on reading up the bird watchers ‘facts’, they have never been recorded in Goa in May ever. I have a feeling if we told them a pair was interested in nesting only yards from our balcony they would be stunned and our house over run with bird watchers!
We are already over run with ticks at the moment, because of the hot and humid weather. All the “Spot” treatments and powders for the dogs have become ineffectual as the ticks develop immunity. Daily removal seems the only solution till the monsoon arrives, and I have even so removed 97 ticks from one dog. When I think of the past horrors in England of finding even a single tick on your dog it does seem a big contrast. The street dogs, who have no human intervention must be suffering even more, and long for the monsoon rains. The ticks will attach themselves to humans too, and sneak into any skin creases and latch on, leaving a painful sore when removed.
