The monkeys enjoy feasts and fun thanks to our many helpers

This is a time of plenty for the resident monkeys as the many International Animal Rescue volunteers who walk or swim with them most afternoons now bring up more treats than they have ever seen before. All these are either put in empty plastic water bottles, or packed into a series of empty cardboard boxes, supplied by some of the local shops, so that they have to go to a lot of time, effort and thought to get to the food.

Ruby, who is probably the most mentally damaged monkey here, paid a surprise visit to the kitchen with her volunteer during the packing process. The result was massively stuffed cheek pouches, but not of the nuts, seeds or biscuits, instead it was one of the volunteers' lunches of potato salad, which we now know is her favorite food item. Ruby has a very short fuse, so no one dared to explain that it wasn't one of the items intended for the monkeys! Ruby has improved a great deal since she has been walking out with other people and although she normally has to be kept away from women, as she has always only tolerated men, she even got over this phobia and was actually grooming the hair of one of the ladies this week.

Ruby had had a hard life in captivity by the time she came to us, and had been owned by many people, but obviously never met another monkey. At some stage she must have made friends with a cat and still relates better to cats than to anything else.

A small step forward in the local market where International Animal Rescue has left cages in the hope that animals will at least be put in them, rather than just dumped. This week there were two five-week old kittens in a cage, but I found another three of the same litter wandering about elsewhere in the market. This means somebody must have noticed and picked up two and many animals now do get put in a cage which is a help.

Pixie is now sleeping out in one of the pens from late evening until 6 am. This is a big step for him but he does still have his dummy bottle to suck and does not seem to mind too much, although he is always ready and keen to come back indoors at first light. A new toy he enjoyed was a large canvas shopping bag hung up in his pen, which gave him hours of fun.

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Sad times for sick dogs and kittens but sunny days for the monkeys

In the same week that I collected 10 abandoned kittens on just one visit to the local town's fish market, I also encountered unexpected concern for one of the long term market dogs. The kittens ranging from only four weeks old were from several different litters, many had cat flu and, as the centre is overrun with healthy kittens looking for homes at the moment, the majority will be put to sleep, but, though sad, at least it is a quick and merciful end. The dog, one that International Animal Rescue had neutered seven years ago, I found collapsed in the vegetable seller's area, where he is always to be seen. He was unable even to walk and, as my vehicle was miles away and the ambulances out, I managed to secure a rickshaw taxi and driver willing to help me carry him and he took him up to the centre for me to be seen by the vets. The stall holders, often just selling a handful of beans or a few coconuts, were concerned about him because, although he is just one of many street dogs, he had become something of a fixture, and several of the ladies told me how they always gave him some of their rice at lunch times.

Unfortunately he turned out to have complete liver failure and nothing could be done for him. On my next visit a few days later, I was virtually mobbed by the ladies who all wanted to know how he was and were disappointed to hear he had not pulled through. Obviously it would have been better if someone had gone to the effort to phone us when he first got sick, but it is still nice to know he had made so many friends. Had he not been neutered and vaccinated, he wouldn't have been around long enough to do that, and maybe some of them will think twice about taking a more active role themselves next time.

The weather is back to the normal sunny days everyday and both volunteers and monkeys can't wait to get in the pool. Nora, who is now speaking to John again, has been doing her trick dives from the top of the monkey pen into the pool where she swims underwater for a circuit, before repeating the exercise. Pixie had a visit from his past carers, Lloyd and Cathy, and went into a class one langur greeting of screaming, baring teeth and hugs round the neck in his ecstatic welcome: he certainly never forgets his friends and, as Linda is due back for a visit soon, I am sure there will be a repeat performance then. Only one of the volunteers so far has been brave enough to face a Pixie welcome, once he has seen someone a few times he does a very moderated, but none the less scary greeting to them, and nearly everyone runs in fear at the sight, much to Pixie's disappointment.

The volunteers also brought treat pots up for the monkeys: Pixie had his own pot and didn't take long to work out how to take off the lid, and was thrilled to find dozens of almonds inside - usually only a rare treat.

Manuel and Percy are both too timid to come out with strangers as yet so the volunteers have been going into the pen to get to know them first: on their own turf they are more relaxed and are pleased to meet new people.

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Trying times with the monkey troop!

The baby rats that we took out of the car were all moved on by morning, so a happy ending there, that will be repaid by them as they grow up and become a nuisance!

The new monkey pen division worked perfectly for the first week, before the resident troop learned to exploit the builder’s shortcomings. He was told that the long round bar that holds the dividing door shut would need to have the same exterior locking system as we have on the other cages. He obviously felt this was an unnecessary fuss, and so didn't bother. After watching carefully how it was closed, the monkeys soon wised up, and when no one was looking, in a flash removed it by twisting and pushing it back out. At first the staff thought they were going mad, till they caught them in the act, so until we can get the builder back we now have to tie it in place each time.

Now the tourist season is starting, several teams of IAR volunteer monkey walkers are coming up regularly, as there are never enough hours in a day for us to give all the monkeys the attention they need. There is only a proportion that behaves well enough to come out for walks with these well meaning, but as yet inexperienced volunteers. Generally the older males are too aggressive, also they all behave better with men than women, as there is automatically a respect for male authority. It's not easy to understand how to handle them, most behave better with someone who seems confident and in charge, just like horses! Weakness or fear is soon exploited, but the youngsters such as Baldric lap up any affection and attention and can't wait to be cuddled and fussed over, but even Baldric sometimes bullies any small children as he finds it all too easy to make them scream.

Spock and Daisy love to come out, but don't appreciate being chastised: they both seem to think of all humans as really their serfs, and only as long as you are following their wishes will they tolerate you. This is undoubtedly because they were handreared from a young age and didn't get the severe scoldings they would naturally get from the rest of the troop when growing up. Although I tried to keep them from misbehaving, it was clearly inferior and probably too soft a substitute for the real thing.

Spock in particular knows and hates the word NO and I try not to use it with him now he has big teeth - distracting him is a safer option. I was walking him in the garden this week when one of the staff called out to ask me about a job they were doing, I simply called back to them "NO" and so he bit me!

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It rains rats and frogs in Goa

We have been subjected to a long period of late monsoon rains - totally unexpected and out of season - and of course it started the day after we took the monsoon covers off the monkey pens. Temporary plastic covers had to be thrown over to give the monkeys some protection and we also put in more large plastic barrels that they can get into for some shelter. For the first few hours they seemed to be quite happy splashing and playing in the puddles, but as it went on and on the novelty soon wore off. The monkeys are not enthusiastic about walking around the garden in the pouring rain, as all the insects have gone into hiding and can't be found.

In one short break in the rains Angela, John’s secretary, took Pixie for a walk. His latest trick is to climb to the top of the tree over my parked car and then drop down with a mighty thud onto the roof. He got a real scare however while exploring around the small pond when he came right up to an unseen giant bull frog: although it took no notice of him he began jumping around it, screaming and swearing, but when it did finally move he soon ran for cover and took refuge, like a true coward, in Angela’s arms. By British standards the frog was enormous - about 112mm - but quite usual in India and harmless of course to a langur monkey. Pixie is not convinced and when going back to the same area is still constantly looking for it and very wary.

The heavy rains caused another wildlife encounter when staff reported hearing a tiny kitten crying in John's car: everything movable was taken out in an attempt to locate it, but what was eventually found was a nest of baby rats. The mother had obviously taken shelter from the local flooding and made herself a nest with John’s important papers. We moved the babies out, complete with the shredded papers, to a box beside the car and are now hoping she will come out for them and take them off somewhere more suitable.

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We say goodbye to Jambo while Rolo and Spock cause monkey mischief

Despite Jambo's brave struggle, this week we had to accept he wasn't going to pull through this time and he was put to sleep. He had started to lose more weight and suffer from additional problems that didn't respond to treatment. Steve from England, who has been working here with the monkeys, had been nursing him throughout this latest illness, spending all his evenings and spare time with him, and was probably hardest hit by losing the fight but we all agreed it was the only humane decision.

Jambo was one of the original batch of rescued baby macaques, and the only one who didn't make it. In 2005 we began getting reports of children touting baby monkeys to tourists on the beaches of Goa. Over a period of about a month our staff managed to rescue six of them. This was either through the tourists who had bought one, via confiscation by members of the IAR team, or when possible through the Goa Police responding to our reports. They were all far too young to have left their mothers and consequently were sick and totally traumatised when we got them. This trade is illegal in India and involves trapping or shooting the mothers in order to snatch the infants to sell as pets for a few rupees. These babies usually die soon afterwards: those that do survive spend the rest of their lives on a chain, literally being driven mad. There is no happy ending as even escape is no answer for a lone monkey without natural skills. Our intention is to re-introduce the monkeys that are fit enough into the wild in stable groups, which is the only way they will ever live a natural life again.

More problems this week when one group of ex-captives we are trying to establish got out of hand. Rolo the lead male decided that he was not going to tolerate other males near 'his' females and attacked Steve and one of the other staff when they were trying to clean the pen. Monkey attacks are very difficult to counteract, as they are very quick and painful: not only do they have very sharp teeth, they also scratch and of course can leap and jump with great agility. In one way it shows success in that in the wild he will need to defend his troop, but it does mean that we have had to pay to have the pen divided in half so that they can be shut in one side while the other is cleaned to avoid any more injuries. The job of putting up a central division took four days, during which we had to play musical chairs with all the others, moving everyone around so the builders could work in the pen. It really has been pretty chaotic. Thankfully, the work has now been completed and all is returning to order. Pixie had to be moved, but this gave him the chance to play in one of the bigger pens for the first time and, as there was plenty of space to escape, Baldrick was able to join him and they had a grand time.

Spock, who is the number one escape artist, managed to get loose twice. He doesn't of course run away, as this is his home but he does run around turning over flower pots, pulling out light fittings, and generally having monkey fun - and he doesn’t allow himself to be caught until every possible mischief has been done!

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All kinds of monkey mayhem - and an influx of giant winged invaders

Jambo had his ultrasound: our chief vet managed to get a doctor friend to do it for us but, fortunately or unfortunately, it showed no abnormalities. We had hoped to find a reason for his continued digestive problems and, of course, something treatable, but it served only to eliminate some possible causes. They did suggest some further blood tests that could be done, so these are going ahead. Jambo still has a healthy appetite, especially for insects, and long hours are spent taking him round the garden in search of this good source of protein. Hoping to boost this without the need for hours of searching, I got him some beef mince, rolled it into little balls and hoped he would accept it, but no luck. The next idea has also been a failure so far. I gave all the staff with children a small pot with a lid and told them I would pay 2 rupees each for any insects their children could catch, preferably big fat grasshoppers. The next morning one was returned and 6 rupees paid for 3 tiny butterflies: monkeys discard the wings so not much food there, but Jambo was very excited at the sight of them, so much so that he snatched the pot, ripped the lid straight off and before he could grab one, they all flew away!

Pixie's increased size and strength is becoming a problem indoors: although he sleeps peacefully sucking his dummy bottle and perched on the top of the curtain rail most of the night, he does have a few mad flings where he throws himself round the room, bouncing off the walls and windows, swinging on the light fittings, and generally creating chaos especially now he is heavier. In one night he managed to kick the television off the table, pull out two wall lights and trash the satellite receiver box!

Baldrick had to be taken to the centre to see a vet when a small bottle cap got stuck in his pouch. Macaques store food in their cheek pouches: their idea is to grab every thing they can so no one else can get it, stretching their cheeks out like a hamster, then sorting and eating it in a leisurely fashion later. Somehow he had managed to get the plastic cap in, jamming it on his teeth and wedging it solidly in place. Trying to open his mouth to see how to extract it was impossible, and he was becoming unable and unwilling to eat, so a trip to the vet and a light anesthetic was essential to get it out. He spent one night indoors being cosseted, and rejoined the troop in the morning. His mouth was slightly cut and very sore so he will need to be watched closely till it heals, but he seems none the worse for it at the moment.


I have two American humming bird feeders on the balconies which the many tiny and brightly coloured Indian sun birds use: they are also nectar feeders and so drink the same sugar solution .Over the years several types of insect have also clued on to the easy supply, particularly one type of giant hornet, originally a rarely seen individual, who has now passed on the information, or is multiplying faster as a result of the food supply as there are now more of them than the birds. The birds are quite wary of them and wait on the side lines to feed. The hornets are fearsome to look at and are quite aggressive so I can imagine one day soon they will be taking over our house, if not the entire planet!

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Pixie grows up, while John gets the cold shoulder from Nora!

Our return to the monkeys was rather low key to start with: unlike the dogs who threw themselves at us in unrestrained joy, the monkeys all take a while to think about whether they will forgive us for going away.

Pixie has become totally attached to Linda, his substitute mum and wouldn't even say hello for an hour or so, finally he reconnected and as Linda is still here, now accepts having two mums. He has grown considerably and both the shape of his face and his fur have changed more towards the adults' appearance. He also happily spends time in his pen now. As expected he got too much for Baldrick and Manuel who refuse to join him in there anymore. Pixie has also turned into a 'guard monkey' and when a stranger appears, such as the plumber this week, he takes up a warning call and watches their every move.

Sadly Cedric, the youngest rhesus, died while we were away, and Jambo continues in his struggle with the infection that so many of them suffered from last year. It left him underweight and susceptible to infection and an injury to the end of his tail that wouldn't heal meant the vets had to amputate a piece at the end. This is also healing slowly and needs dressing continuously. He also has to tolerate having a small bottomless bottle strapped to the end of his tail so that he can't pull out stitches or pick at the wound. Luckily he takes all this in his stride and, as he has to be kept away from the other monkeys feels very superior to his old friends still in their pen. On chillier wet days he wears a baby vest that Linda bought him as he feels the cold. Next week he is booked for a trip to the capital of Goa, Panjim for an ultra sound which we hope will give us more information on his digestive problems.

The weeks away are a long time in a monkey's life, and new alliances and behaviours have developed in our absence. Nora, always infatuated with John, now views him with disdain and has switched her affections to Chives, her long time monkey partner, whom she previously despised. Chives as a result of having won the war for Nora’s affections, now won’t allow John in the pen at all! Previously they both used to come out with him for walks.

The monsoon rains are now only sporadic. All the monkeys hate the rain, and their pens are covered with a polythene shelter throughout. These covers have provided much amusement to Pixie, who loves to run over them, bouncing on the plastic, annoying the resident monkeys underneath and showering them with the collected rain puddles.

When I left, Linda took over my visits to the local town's open fish market to collect any kittens and puppies that had been abandoned there. The ladies coming in for the market with a few vegetables to sell from surrounding areas all too often bring unwanted litters with them and simply leave them in the fish and meat area, where they imagine they will live on the scraps! As Pixie is now staying in his pen, Linda has been able to go almost daily, so nearly all of the market's resident animals have been sterilised as well. On my return we went to the market together and, as well as several kittens and one puppy, we also found a sea snake that had clearly come in with one of the baskets of fish! Luckily it went into a cat basket with just a little encouragement and after a vet check at the centre was released back into the sea. Although highly poisonous, they rarely cause deaths as their fangs are in the back of the jaw, so getting hold of a piece of a human is not easy!

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