As often happens when I travel, I wake up in the wee hours still in another time zone. Rather than toss and turn and frustrate myself, I get up and write. There was a scratching at the door, and Keiko the Jack Russell Terrier weaseled his way in. His mother was found nearly dead with malnutrition and starvation. She was taken into Twala, fed, and seemed to be recovering when she popped out Keiko. The effort did her in, and she died with two other puppies. So Keiko has been hand-fed his whole life, and he would like that to continue!
I have never lived with a JRT, but they are very unique. I had brought some dog treats to leave for the Trust to use, and after sharing some of these with him Keiko seemed to consider me his. We came outside this morning, and all the other dogs came to greet me as they do everyone. Suddenly, with all these other dogs he has lived and mingled with for years, he bared his teeth and cleared a perimeter of about three feet all around me. I have never seen a dog do that, and it was a bit frightening. He didn't hurt anyone, and then he came back and sat on my feet. Feisty Keiko; I would never have expected that from this sweet face.
After feeding, the tiny kitten likes to play. She eats milk and cereal; not really at weaning age yet, so staff are trying to fill in for the missing mom.
Maggie in the window, begging to be let in the house.
Baby baboon wants the camera. His mother was hit by a car and he was found and brought in to Twala by some passers-by. He was only 3 days old.
I got to feed this little guy one day, and suddenly while he was behind me, he flipped my hair up and started scouring for insects. At first I thought Becky, one of the workers, was trying to get a bee or something out of my hair. I turned around to look at her and there she was with her hands in her lap. Very human-like touch.
One day a week Twala takes a few bags of dog food and outdated milk they get to a nearby village to feed the dogs. There are about 6 kids who are orphaned but still are somewhat taken care of in the village. Twala got them all dogs and they have formed very special bonds with their "dog family". Twala is trying to help the dogs survive, most of home are minimally nourished.
Here Gakai and Richard are opening the truck bed and getting ready to prepare the bowls.
Portioning out the kibble and milk.
Everyone patiently waiting.
You can see how thin the dogs are. For the most part, they are well behaved, but you can see the dog in the lower left has already had his left ear attacked and was bleeding.
One of the little kids with his dog; they just hang out together all the time.
Chips is one of the regulars at Twala. He had mange so bad that his feet were like clubs and he could not see. With a patient treatment of special baths, yogurt in his ears, and then a coconut oil massage, he is on the mend. Probably will never grow all his fur back, but he is the sweetest guy ever. I got to give him his bath and massage him (with gloves, of course), and he was very appreciative. Then everyone got cookies and Chips was a hero for giving an excuse to celebrate.
Midday is definitely siesta time; too hot for anything else.
... except for Horace the monkey, who chooses to wrestle with whoever is a likely target.
Dog goes back to sleep and Horace wonders what to do next.
Picking bugs! A nice cool pass-time. Horace really thinks he is a dog.
This cobra was brought in from the wild with a nasty infection of his head and mouth. They presume he had been bitten by something he tried to eat (like a rat), which caught the corner of his mouth and then it spread. He could not see because his eyes were swollen shut, and he teeth had fallen out. Now he is recovered but they are waiting for his teeth to regrow before they release him back to the wild. He periodically needs to be soaked in water with sugar and salt, which he absorbs through his scales.
Katiki (small) was brought in after being abandoned by her pride when they were chased away from a kill. She was only 4 months old. Having been hand fed and accustomed to humans, she can never be released. She lived for awhile with a neutered male who was rescued from a breeding program, but he had been so inbred that he had many medical problems and eventually died. Not before she was well-bonded to him, and she began dragging around her bedspread wherever she went. The Twala workers believe that she had quite a severe grieving period.
She brushes up against the fence when anyone approaches, looking every bit like a house cat, as you can see here with Collin. He feeds her most days and she has gotten very used to him. She apparently is quite attached to Sarah, who rescued her, and this enclosure is right next to Sarah's house. It is quite a treat to hear Katiki bellow at night, and then all two dozen dogs began to howl in a chorus. Wonderful night music.
The lilac-breasted roller is a wonderful bird; I think he was my favorite.
There is another pair of lions up the hill. These animals were brought in from the wild, and their captive behavior is much different. You can see the lioness notice the airplane, and after that they would not enter the feeding area, so Collin had to feed them in their usual enclosures. Quite a pitching arm to get the food in.
Love the mane-shake.
Dear Becky keeps making me food, and I am too tired at night to eat. She is trying to fatten me up. But I am early to bed, no dinner.
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