Animal House

One thing Gambia has plenty of are Animals! There are monkeys, lizards, crocodiles, birds, goats and on and on. There are exotic and beautiful animals like the hippos, fish and birds. Bird watchers flock to the Gambia to see the vast number of species here. For a long time I thought there were monkeys playing outside my room every morning. It turns out it's just a weird spiecies of birds! There is also a very irritating rooster that wakes me up every morning~luckily he woke me up this morning because I forgot to set my alarm!

There are also lot of farm animals everywhere. Cows roaming the streets, goats meandering through markets and chickens looking for food in restraunts. There are some garbage trucks here (I've seen one in the resort areas) but most people throw their trash in a large heap and burn it every once in a while. The animals dig through the piles finding the tastiest treats. It sounds like a great plan but the animals tend to find things that can make them sick, kill them or contaminate their milk and meat that people eat. They also leave little messes behind so you have to watch where you step. There was a public health study in Peru a few years ago that had one village put their animals in fences or cages and one village let their animals roam as usual. It was astounding how much desiese dropped when the animals weren't out, especially among young children who have a tendency to put everything in their mouths!

There are also lots of cats and dogs. They are often very mangy and sick looking and the only attention they get is being kicked or shooed when they get too close. A far cry from treating a pet like a member of the family, buying it treats and dressing it up! There are a few dogs that are pets, but very few. The Gambians tend to be scared of the cats. I've been asking why. One person told me that they are considered unlucky. Another told me that they have rabies. Who knows!?

The wild life is a constant source of entertainment for me. This morning I watched a family of monkeys gather breakfast on my way to work, a horse graze and check out a crocodile at lunch, and have been shooing a hen and her chicks while I've been writing this blog! I wouldn't call Gambia an "Animal Lover's Paradise"~ as most of the animals are mistreated. But it certainly is neat to see so much life all the time!