Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Leopard's View's smallest stars

Forget “Meerkat Manor”, since arriving at Leopard’s View over two years ago we’ve been able to watch many a wildlife saga unfold. The stars, although smaller than most (20cm tall and weighing 150-200g), are undoubtedly the resident group of lesser bush babies.
When we first moved to Leopard’s View the bush babies could be seen leaving their shelter in the roof of the viewing tower to begin foraging each evening. Initial counts gave us a figure of 2 adults. That number grew to 6 when 4 babies were born to the group.
The next year 3 more youngsters were born. If adults are small, bush baby babies can only be described as miniscule, weighing just 10g at birth! The temptation to snack unfortunately proved too much for the barred owlet who is usually found roosting in the trees above the pool. Although he made a swoop for one of the youngsters, it was thankfully an unsuccessful attempt.
The family has since emigrated to a new location – the roof of the office! They seem completely unperturbed by all the comings and goings below them and are seen bouncing out of their refuge and over the wall at dusk. We are watching keenly to see whether any new faces will be joining the group this year and will keep you updated of their progress. 



Watch this space!

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