Wildlife Center in Thailand
Nocturnals and Other Animals
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Volunteers and Staff
Jan 14 2009
Ray and I were assigned to Nocturnals this week. That means we got to
know several more animals, although most of the time we saw them they
were sleeping. Our duties started at 6:30 AM, just as they did for the
monkeys and bears. In the morning, before they wake, we clean their
cages and give them fresh water. We are becoming expert at removing all
kinds of poo. This will go on our resume. In the late afternoon we
prepare and distribute their food. Sometimes this is a bit tricky as
they are waking and active so we have to be quick.
The tiny Slow
Moving Lorises win the cute prize. With grey or light brown fur and huge
dark eyes they look like a cross between a kitten and a squirrel. Their
name is apt. They seem to feel their way down their sleeping tree to
their food, rather than leap from branch to branch like the other
monkeys. Their paws have individual fingers and opposable thumbs for
clutching food or branches. Their food, a combination of fruits and
vegetables, must be cut up into small pieces. They also like grubs so
one day Billy, one of the volunteers, got a whole bowlful of huge, fat
grubs from the elephant compost pile. Yum! Most of the lorises are
curled up into a small ball at the top of a tree when we come by but one
small one is usually active and curious as to who is coming with the
goodies. As a defense mechanism, a loris produces a musk which they
lick onto their fur. The musk can cause an allergic reaction if touched,
so no petting these animals.
Loris
Wild leopard cat
There are several wild leopard cats to feed. They sleep
during the day and wake to feed at night. About the same size as a
domestic cat and spotted like a leopard, they like a diet of cat food
and raw chicken, much as your pet kitten, but they are wild and would
bite if petted.
We have to peel and chop all the fruit and
veggies for the civets. There are both Common and Masked Palm Civets at
the center. They remind me of a raccoon with a slightly more pointed
nose and longer, slender tail. When alarmed, a civet sprays a secretion
from an anal gland, like a skunk. We have not witnessed this at the
Wildlife Center.
Masked Civet
Binturong or Asian Bearcat
Sandee is a Binturong, also known as an Asian Bearcat. She is similar to
a civet, only bigger and all grey instead of striped. Binturongs, like
the civet have a scent gland under their tail but it is not as fould
smelling. Both the civets
and Sandee have small trees and logs set at angles in their enclosures.
These animals are arboreal and love to climb.
Besides the
nocturnals, there are many other animals to care for. A gang of us had
the privilege of cleaning Sam the horse’s pool one day. Sam was
discovered abandoned on a beach near here in very bad condition. He had
earned his keep as a Beach Pony, taking tourists for rides. When he got
old and sick, he was abandoned to die. The Wildlife Rescue Center took
him in thinking he had no more than five months to live. That was five
years ago, but he is ailing again. At least he had a pleasant last five
years of his life.
the porcupine and Sam are friends
Olivia and Ollie have their own pond
Ollie and Olivia are otters. They have a nice
enclosure complete with pool, washing tub and slide. Olivia was found,
kept in a small cage with no access to water. Usually the mother otter
teaches her babies to swim, but Olivia was taken from her mother at too
early an age. Ollie took over the role of the mother. He taught Olivia
to swim by floating on his back and supporting Olivia on his chest. It
worked. Olivia now swims like a pro.
Dundee the crocodile had a
strange existence before coming to the Center. He lived as a pet in a
suburban backyard, until one day he escaped. The neighbours called the
police and Dundee was relocated to a new home at the Center.
Dundee
Miao
Near the nocturnal area lives Miao the tiger in a large enclosure filled with
shrubs and trees. His first home was chained behind a gas station, not
an ESSO station. He was fed very poor food and suffered nerve damage as
a result of the nutritional deficiency. When he was first taken to the
Center he could not sit up or walk. Eventually he recovered but still
cannot walk properly. He can often be seen lazing in the grasses near
the fence or on a hot day, submerged in his pool.
Also in the
area between Meow and the nocturnals lives a Golden Jackal. He rarely
comes out during the day but Ray spied him one late afternoon prowling
along the fence waiting patiently for the Thai staff to deliver his
dinner.
Oh, did I forget the 19 dogs that need to be cared for and the large
aviary housing many species of birds, many with special needs. We got a
chance to work with both.
Randy the hornbill
Planting trees
A recent addition to the Center is a reforestation
horticultural project. Seeds of several different trees are collected,
germinated and planted at the beginning of the rainy season, which was
July this past year. Part of the project is funded by a new
not-for-profit organization based in Bangkok, Plant-a-tree-now. Several
of the volunteers were recruited to help Sue, a Thai specialist working
for the organization. This was the six-month visit to check on the
condition of the saplings planted. Our job was to measure the width of
the root, the height and breadth of each tagged tree. Later in the week
we had a chain gang to water the saplings as it is now the dry season
and we have not had any rain since arriving here.
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