Coati Monday

The title is a pun on coatimundi, the full name for coatis. Today I learnt that there are loads of them at the Iguacu waterfalls on the border of Brazil / Argentina.  They have become tame, and run up to everybody  and try to get into your bags and pockets to get food! I think ours would take your finger off if you tried to get too close.

Tomorrow at the Nature Centre there is an inspection by a group that will allow the NC to join in further participation in breeding programmes etc. So yesterday, instead of staff trying to find tasks for us to do, they were lining them up. While I was doing a task for Neil, Kate came along to borrow me, and when I had just started Kate's task, Colin had one ready for me. So it was all go.  Ariane seems to have finished, which is a shame because we did not have chance to say goodbye. :-( (It's more fun having another volunteer to work with, so get volunteering!.)

I started off filling up various water troughs - first the mouflon (the lambs are growing up and look gorgeous with their caramel coloured wool), then the wallabies. I gave this trough a good scrub inside and out with a scourer. Thankfully there are various taps and hoses round the centre, so I do not have to walk far with buckets of water. When I do carry water around I invariably slop half of it down my leg, and over the ground.  The cameroon sheep also got a clean trough of water.

After that, it was over to the small mammals house (formerly rodent house), where I was given the extensive task of a full clean of the "off shows", ie the rodents behind the scenes. This involved emptying each tank of sawdust, water bowl, etc and dipping it in a bucket of soapy water, then drying it off. There are about 24 tanks of mice, including some empty ones, and then another lot of rats, and the mad lemmings (forever jumping up and nibbling their bars). It took me ages. It involved transferring the rodents into a fresh tank, before cleaning their tank. This took some doing, as some of them were not keen to go into the holding tube, to be moved into the new tank. They are so fast and tiny, the priority is not to lose any. I felt quite bad disturbing the sleeping dormice, but they are absolutely beautiful, with short tufty tails.  It was far harder to move the rats - they did not want to be picked up, and they did not want to move, and who am I to argue. One lot had babies - tiny blind pink things.

Once this mammoth task was over, I had to do the water in the "on-shows"- those in the tanks viewed by the public. Pippa, my favourite ground squirrel, was full of life and came up to the hatch to try to nip me (thanks, Pip!) There are 4 beautiful tiny harvest mice, who scurried away when I reached in for the water. And when I opened the hatch of the bizarrely named "sugar glider", its furry face and big eyes were right next to me! (pic: wikipedia)  Apparently they eat sweet sap and, like "flying" squirrels, glide through the air!

I was pleased to see the new arrivals on show: two large African Spurred Tortoises, and the mouse lemurs - so called because they are tiny! They are also nocturnal. Come and visit them!

I ended the day on a high: after putting the rabbits, peacock, turkey and delightful guinea pigs to bed, I braved Sid the goose (with a broom for safety). Sid must be getting used to me, as he walked obediently to his house. Little did I realise the door was shut, so he waddled off, and we had to have a second go, but in he went! No hissing, no attacks... I was very pleased :-)