Little monkey

HG was tired but happy after an exciting morning out with Ima and Uncle Ivor at a local monkey sanctuary earlier this week.

She eagerly explored, staring long at hard at the antics of the various primates, identifying the ones she knew and fascinated by new species.

Monkeys weren't the only animals there though, the centre has a little petting zoo too. She much enjoyed the ducks and geese, spending almost as much time with them as the monkeys, and was enthralled as usual by peacocks freely roaming the grounds, one of them even obligingly opening his fine tail for her, much to her delight. Then there was the donkey she brayed to, the cat she mewed to (it seemed to take a shine to her as well) and the goat she baaed at - it responded in startled surprise, circling its pen anxiously and looking for the "other" goat.


But monkeys were certainly the highlight for her, as well they should be. She particularly likes to see "Imas and babies" of all species, but especially primates. She loves pointing out which are the Imas and Abbas and which are the babies, whether any babies are nursing, playing or being carried by their mothers, and whether any of the adults or babies are eating or drinking. She was truly charmed by some of the tender displays of motherly concern and affection amongst the monkey Imas and their babies, and it was these that held her attention the longest, refusing to budge until the happy families had moved on.

She is also a keen mimic and listened to the different primate calls with interest, trying to copy them. When stumped she reverts to her default monkey noise, something like a high-pitched "hi, hi, hi, hoo!" It varies in volume and tempo depending on her mood, sometimes more of a squeak, sometimes more of a squeak and hoot. Now she knows that baboons bark, though mastering such a deep sound seems a little too difficult for one so little.

Monkeys, well, primates in general, are one of her latest big interests and she is busy learning the names of all the different types of monkey. She loves sitting for an hour or more with the big mammal book her uncle gave her for Hannukah, poring over the section on monkeys and asking for the nearest "reader" to go over the names for her.

Then every so often, out of the blue, she triumphantly announces another name she has gotten the hang of and asks Ima or Abba to bring out "mammals book" and show her the picture of the monkey whose name she has just mastered. So far these include marmoset, gibbon, mandrill, lemur, baboon, aye-aye, two types of tamarin and most recently barbary ape, which she was repeating mantra like on the way to the park today.
Uncle Ivor was bowled over at the speed with which she is memorising the book he brought. He has wanted to take her to see the monkeys for some time now. She loved it beyond anyone's expectations - so much so, that as you can see from the prostrate picture below - she lay down by the exit and refused to leave!

That's what you call getting carried away...