Tess: Easy Cleaning

A sliding door has been put between the big room of the big guys and Shege’s enclosure next door. A preferable alternative to the 7 chimps sleeping with the big guys and not being able to escape if necessary. Cherif and Gentil might not be too happy having their space invaded… But the sliding door has solved the problem. Shege is now in with Kalume, and the other 4 back with the babies. Yongesa has a go at Felista every other minute… I think they are establishing who is the alpha. Yongesa is turning into a little madam! Every time I walk past the cage, she cries for me to hug her. So I do. Then I have to leave and she screams at the top of her lungs, then chase the nearest chimpanzee and bites the leaving daylights out of it, causing the utmost havoc! I’m not sure she will have many alliances soon!Both the big boys seem to love the room next door, so cleaning it completed with ease nowadays. Getting them back into the big enclosure can be the problem now though!

Tess: Red Tails become Ten

There was a guy staying at the guesthouse from Bukavu, who revealed he had a monkey at his home and would like it to e brought to the sanctuary. True to his word, he brought an adult red tail. He was put in a cage, food was prepared, and when the food was taken to the cage…. It turned out he was smaller than he looked as the little monkey had escaped and headed off in the direction of the departing car! The sentinel worked quickly and grabbed him before he could run to far thankfully! Jimmy will be soon to join the other red tails once his quarantine period is over.

Tess: Les Tortues

After having two tortoises arrive, we also had an arrival of 2 terrapins to join the reptilian crew. And shortly after arrival of one of the tortoises, it was discovered he had a dead leg so Carmen swiftly amputated the rotting flesh… he still walks fine even with a bit of a limp!
I had an incident with big bad boy Cherif recently (for those of you who know him, Cherif is the double of Billy Styles in the animal kingdom!) I was being nicely groomed by the more gentler Gentil, and being away with the faeries was unaware as Cherif came charging up the enclosure, grabbed my head through the bars and smashed it against the metal! My own fault really! No permanent damage… well we’ll see next time I have to do something mentally taxing….