Clouded Monitor

This is an update on the Clouded Monitor I told you about yesterday that has been living in our garden for the last two days.

I asked Neem if she had seen him today and she said that she hadn’t. Neither had I, but a friend reported having seen him twice, just wandering around as if he owned the village.

“He’s looking for food,” said my wife.

“Well, he’s not going to find many beetles walking down the road,” I replied.

“He’s not looking for beetles, they’re too small… he’s four feet long!. He’s looking for baby chickens”.

“It says in the book that clouded monitors eat beetles, not chickens”.

“I don’t care what it says in your book, if they only eat beetles, why do farmers hate them? It’s because they eat chickens and dead dogs and bite small children, causing their hands and feet to swell up. I can tell you now that if your friend doesn’t get out of the village soon, someone will kill it”.

Anyway, he was last seen crossing the road outside the front of our house and entering our neighbour’s front yard. I can’t see her putting up with it like Neem did, she will probably have it destroyed, but perhaps it has already gone elsewhere, because my office faces her house, and I haven’t seen a band of jubilant hunters in there yet.

I told Neem that it is an endangered species, but she said it wouldn’t save it. People are more concerned about their children and their chickens than the existence of Clouded Monitors. This is perfectly understandable, any parent would agree, but what we from the UK forget is that we killed off all our dangerous animals centuries ago, and if something escapes from a zoo, we can phone the RSPCA, and it will be returned to captivity.

However, those facilities or organizations don’t exist here, so the volunteers that you phone to have an animal such as a Clouded Monitor removed from your garden, will kill and sell it to cover their costs. Farmers know this, so they kill the animals themselves and enjoy a free meal.

Sad but true.

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All the best,

Owen

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