Wednesday, February 20, 2013

A New Arrival


It’s not necessarily that amazing how much the atmosphere of a place can change as people come and go, but it is always surprising. Four short term volunteers left yesterday and the IPR seems so quiet now, with only six short termers left. Last night, instead of struggling to find somewhere to sit and then listening to the noise of people coming back from the pub, long- and short-termers alike gathered for a game night. Even today at work, things were noticeably quiet; during obs, I went for several hours without seeing anyone else. And the dorm (10 beds but only 2 occupied) carries an odd echo.  

The enclosure for Brandy is coming along very nicely. Sue hopes to eventually be able to integrate her with Anushka and Jethro, perhaps later adding Chino and Willow to the capuchin mix. For now, though, she’ll have her own space next to them.

Meanwhile, with Oma now removed to the other end of the sanctuary, efforts are being made to reunite Sussie and Spartacus. Therefore, my duties today (other than the early morning feed) consisted of keeping an eye on them as they explored each other’s shared space, while still having the ability to retreat to their own enclosures. They remind me of a couple that have nothing left to say each other: they live together but both wander around the house without so much as an acknowledgement. An occasional glance in the other’s direction, if you’re lucky. 

One other highlight of today was getting to hold Melvyn, as we have christened the 2 week-old bushbaby. He is so tiny, I was almost afraid of crushing him in one hand.

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