12 October 2002 8:30 a.m.
Animals, all of 'em!

Ha has just told me something very interesting, but that's just my humble opinion. She went to the zoo this morning and spent some time at the clinic. Most of the animals there are babies, or young ones, because those are the ones that are easily hurt by older, bigger animals.

The first case she told me about made me cringe, which is quite feat, cos I'm not known for my cringing. Anyway, there was this monkey, right, and it was a young one. I don't know where it had been before that, but it was introduced into the zoo's monkey community. Barely a few minutes after it was put into the cage, the alpha male made its way over, grabbed a paw, and took a chomp out of it!!! Amazing or what.

So now, the baby monkey is recovering in the clinic and learning to deal with life with only four fingers and two thumbs.

Oh, right, there's a sad story too: the zoo's remaining cheetahs, all two of them, have died. Apparently, it happened a while after they were moved to a new compound. Methinks it was the concrete enclosure that did them in, because they were staying in this fenced-in area before they were moved. It was nice and airy and all open-like, except that it wasn't of course.

Another patient at the clinic was a case that was more of a tragic-comedy, IMHO. See, it's a siamang. And it's completely bald. I know, I know, I was mean to laugh when she told me about it, but the idea of a hairless monkey was hilarious to me. She says that it's some sort of fungal infection that started on its face and has spread. Is there no cure?

So, it looks weird, being all bald and hairless and shrunken and wizened and all that, and in Ha's own words, 'exactly like a little old man.' This thought generated the theory that maybe all those sightings of mysterious beings in the forest are perhaps bald siamangs.

rolls around laughing at the thought of a bald monkey

To add insult to injury, the baby orang utans are afraid of it! They're curious about their flat-mate (as it is) cos it looks so weird, but they're afraid of going over to have a proper look at it. Instead, they're content to observe it from a distance. I have a feeling that if it were to see its reflection, it would surely kill itself.

And you think I'm mean.

::back:: ::home::