Keeping the Zoo

Every morning, the first thing the zookeeper (Christine) does before eating breakfast herself is feed the “starving” animals. Snowy, the young feline, gets a small scoop of dry cat food mixed with some water. Snowy gets special treatment as an orphaned kitten and is allowed to eat indoors safe from the new dog. Although Snowy is already close to 5 months old, she still likes to crawl onto “momma’s” lap and snuggle with her.

Next comes Oreo, the energetic canine (half lab and half bush dog) who can leap over bushes with such ease that it makes one wonder if she has some greyhound in her. She gets a large bowl of homemade mash. Christine makes a huge pot of mash every couple of days and keeps it in the fridge. Dogs in Niger are content eating the gruel, which is a mix of various ground grains and beans (corn, millet, sorghum, white bean, peanut pulp). It’s actually quite nutritious and smells like peanut butter! Mmmmm. I add some dried fish while it’s cooking to make it even more appealing to the dog (and the cat). Oreo found a foster home at the “Mattimoe Zoo” – her owners are in the USA for a few more months. She had been living in the countryside with another missionary family, but they (and their neighbours) didn’t appreciate her particular craving for live chicken!

Finally comes Mango Cream (MC), the Senegalese parrot that can imitate the kitten’s meow perfectly. Poor Mango lost 2 of his long tail feathers the day Oreo arrived at the “Mattimoe Zoo”. Mango has learned to move quickly to the centre of his cage whenever Oreo is around (thanks to the extra bamboo poles that Tim stuck in there). Mango is the easiest to feed: a handful of millet and fresh water in his bowl. He loves a good neck scratching when Tim or Christine come nearby, but he sometimes has a bad attitude and likes to tip over his food and water dishes. A heavy rock in each doesn’t deter him either, so now we’ve resorted to tying the dishes down with wire!

Feeding times are twice a day. Play times and training are in the afternoons and evenings. Tim and Christine have spent many days and evenings working with Oreo and Snowy to help them learn to be friends. The main problem is that Oreo is too hyper and her quick moves scare the cat. Progress: they have gently touched noses, Snowy has given Oreo’s nose a playful swat, and they even eat out of the same bowl from time to time.

Each animal has their own nickname. Snowy is “Squeaky” since she usually has a small squeaky meow. We also think she fits the name “Miss Piggy” since she’ll eat anything, even the dog’s mash! She sometimes doesn’t know when to stop eating and ends up with a large round stomach afterwards! Mango Cream is “Squawky” for his raucous sounds, and Oreo is “rangy” since she is a bit too excited to play and chase anything. She adds her voice to the chorus of neighbourhood dogs barking in the night!