Helping hand for baby
2011-02-24
Lise Beyers
A SMALL spotted genet (muskeljaatkat) was saved from certain death on a farm in Wellington last year. The tiny creature, at that time aged barely a month, was discovered in the corner of a washroom in a stable. The genet was barely alive, undernourished and dehydrated. Her saviour took her home and slowly but surely she was nursed back to health on a Bo-Vlei farm. First she was fed only with a tiny bottle containing kitten milk which was purchased from a vet, and then she was introduced to solid food. Her temporary home was made in a large wooden cage, but the emphasis was always on temporary. Being a wild animal, the genet’s adoptive parents knew that once strong enough, she would have to be set free. And so the day came, and with sore hearts, the door of her cage (which stood under an enormous oak tree), was opened and she was let out into the big, wide world. She immediately lunged into the oak tree, jumping from branch to branch, enjoying her new found freedom. And as the evening went by, her human friends bade farewell to her, thinking that it would be the last time that they would lay an eye on the hand-reared genet. But the following evening, as they were enjoying the cool of the early evening air, the genet scrambled down the oak tree to greet them. She would run back up the tree, jumping from branch to branch, as if purposely entertaining her human friends. This show has become a daily habit. Shortly after 19:00, the genet would appear to great her friends and put on a show for them. Genets are mainly nocturnal animals who roam alone. They will mate, but will never stay with a partner or a group of other genets. They are little hunters and will hunt for bats, birds, reptiles, amphibians, millipedes, centipedes and scorpions.
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