In our younger days, my cousin and I would oft discuss what we wanted to be when we grew up. I recall her wanting to be a doctor; she never truly wavered in this (admittedly her charges are not the homo sapient kind), and has become one of the most respected vets in Goa. Veterinarians and conservationists get along famously and, thusly, I cannot emphasise enough how happy (and proud) I am of this turn of events. One of Dr. Loveleen Vaz’s responsibilities is the Bondla Zoo and its denizens, many of whom have been rescued from horrible fates and cannot survive in the wild. Recently, I imposed on her good nature and spent 3 glorious days in the Zoo and adjoining Sanctuary.
Lady Doctor in her office © Nisha Maria DSouza
Travelling the 52 kms to and from Mapusa (North Goa) to Bondla (middle of nowhere) involved a ride with the Zoos’ Vegetable provider (supplier of essential minerals, vitamins and roughage for the past 26 years), and Butcher (Savior of carnivores for the past 20 years), the official Zoo driver (who picked up several live chickens as a treat for the leopards, along the way; fowl company), local buses (rattlers of bones since the dawn of public transportation), a rickshaw ride (questionable drivers since the invention of three wheelers), and some routine bi-pedalism AT 4:30 IN THE MORNING. A time that should not rightly exist.
As ‘Lady Doctor’ and I traipsed around the Zoo, the animals, with their distinctive personalities and odd quirks, responded endearingly to her voice (I say endearingly rather liberally here, more than one has been poked in the bottom by her; there was a definite air of apprehension). We spent a couple of hours at the leopard enclosure with Julie, a year old orphan cub rescued from a nearby sanctuary (had she been human she would have been diagnosed with ADD), and Jenny, a juvenile rescue leopard (with some weight issues).
Jenny was my favourite © Nisha Maria DSouza
At a year old, Julie is an energy ball, rarely sitting still for even a minute. She has the most unique and expressive eyes of any animal I’ve met © Nisha Maria DSouza
Rana, the Royal Bengal Tiger, surveys his domain © Nisha Maria DSouza
Sandhya, the female tiger of the zoo, is a gentle soul © Nisha Maria DSouza
We kept Raju the Sloth Bear company; he sat proudly in his hibernation hole, we sat nearby watching him, and some wild Malabar Flying Squirrels watched us from the trees above (there was an universally accepted awkwardness in this arrangement). As the sun set and the creatures of darkness went about their business, we prowled around with no great stealth or grace to observe what the animal folk were up to. The Palm Civets were up and about, padding around their enclosure, occasionally stopping to nose each other affectionately. Rana, the Tiger was gently snoring, looking for all the world like Hobbes. The snakes were alertly following all sounds, heard and unheard by human ears. And, the ungulates were giant slumbering piles, an assortment of limbs poking out here and there.
Raju the Sloth Bear built himself a hole © Nisha Maria DSouza
The Palm Civet was doing his best impression of Angry Bird © Nisha Maria DSouza
Four-horned antelope are expert leaf eaters (in whatever state the leaves might be) © Nisha Maria DSouza
A gorgeous Lady Amherst Pheasant was recovering at the clinic © Nisha Maria DSouza
We got down to the serious business of investigating the killing of a juvenile sambar by a wild leopard, and the mysterious sudden death of a pea hen, pondering over the bizarre violent dislike for women harbored by a (now caged) lemur and considering his fate, and ensuring that Krishna the elephant received his medication. In addition to playing Sherlock, we indulged in some avifaunal stalking. Bondla, being in the Western Ghats (a recognized biodiversity hotspot), hosts an extraordinary bird life, and during our dawn treks we identified over 20 species, and saw several more (to our consternation most of them were bemusedly staring at us before we ever spotted them)!
As the last day drew close, it was more than a little difficult leaving Bondla behind (and not just because I had no idea how to get back). Despite its remoteness, this is one job that is in no danger of ever getting boring! With Lady Doctor in charge there remains a safe and happy sanctuary for Goan wildlife.
Examining the carcass of the juvenile Sambar that fell prey to a wild leopard © Nisha Maria DSouza
A Pompador Green Pigeon © Nisha D’Souza
A Paradise Fly-catcher © Nisha Maria DSouza
Chestnut headed bee eaters © Nisha Maria DSouza
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo © Nisha Maria DSouza