JC in India

India is certainly a menagerie of animal life. From the exotic to the domestic, the country is home to wild tigers, camels, rhino’s, lions, elephants, and there’s even snow leopards in the mountains – to name just a few. Closer to home here in Delhi, admittedly I’m unlikely to encounter any of these on a day to day basis, but the local collections include street dogs, cows, monkeys, lizards, and flocks of pigeons and other competing bird species.

It’s not far to travel to see the tigers from here; Ranthambore national park is a short flight away near Jaipur and is somewhere I’ve yet to visit but I’ve heard it’s pretty impressive. Similarly, a hop out to Jaisalmer as one entry point to the deserts of Rajasthan is primary residence for the camels. Although that said there are working camels here in the city, they are just not that prolific (I’ve only seen a couple).

Overall though, Delhi is teeming with life. The neighbourhood of Vasant Vihar where I live is very green in terms of trees and plants, which also means there’s plenty of bird life.

If you’re following along on Instagram (@jjfcarr) you’ll already have been introduced to Penny the Pigeon, who has created her nest in one of the plant pots outside my bedroom window.

That has been a bit of unfolding saga though… Initially I spotted one egg, then a day later there were two, then a couple days after that it was back down to one again. I can only assume that one of the other animal varieties around here stole one (poor Penny!), and she diligently sat on that remaining egg day in day out in the blazing sunshine. I’m no expert in Pigeon reproduction to say the least, but given the temperature has been averaging low 40’s Centigrade I did wonder if actually she was keeping it cool by protecting it from baking in the sun rather than keeping it warm. Google reliable informs me that Pigeon eggs take around 18 days to hatch, so this coincided with a day I was departing for a trip to Europe for a week so sadly I missed whatever happened, although I don’t think the outcome was positive. I got back from my trip to find two new eggs in the same spot…

So whether the first one was stolen, or hatched then stolen, or whatever I’ll never know. But I am now awaiting the outcome of round two of Penny’s egg laying story.

I suppose I should be technically accurate for any Pigeon fanciers who may stumble across this little story…. Actually Penny is probably two pigeons in reality, as apparently the male and female Pigeon will share time sitting on the egg, with one doing the day shift, and the other the night shift. So really it’s Penny and Percy Pigeon if anyone’s really asking!

For me though the most interesting animal story here in Delhi is the dogs. Street dogs are a thing in India, with a variety of breeds. The most common base breed is the Pariah, which is a fairly hardy lean mid-size dog, and the subsequent variants that come from breeding. There are thought to be around 35 million street dogs in India. And I have 5 of them living right outside my apartment.

There seems to be a turf that these dogs have and they set up in packs usually. The 5 that I have outside are a generally friendly bunch and while it’s advised against petting them (they are wild, so best to be careful given Rabies is not eradicated in India), they are pretty harmless and just laze around watching the world go by. Walking right past them isn’t a threat at all. They’ll bark their heads off at any other dogs that go by though. Interestingly there are quite a large number of pet dogs round here, and they’ll get their ‘walkies’ usually early evening when the sun goes down a bit. So there’s often fairly routine barking episodes that occur around that time (“Get off my land woof woof”) as the local pack tell any intruders what’s what. But it’s harmless and I’ve never seen any fights or genuine aggression. I think the heat makes them relatively docile and from what I’ve seen they spend most of the day sleeping in the shade and trying to keep cool in any places they can find out of the sun.

Once I saw somebody drive up late one evening and actually deliver food for them, and the pack seemed to be ready for it and knew what was going on. So I suspect there’s actually a bit of a network of people that support these dogs in some way, be it charity or city driven. Either way, they are welcomed and not really seen as a pest, and once you get used to it they just become part of the background. Pretty much everywhere you go, there’s wild dogs wandering around and they’re just part of the background buzz that constantly exists in India. Even the airport has approximately 160 of them that live on the airport grounds, and I’ve seen them milling around outside the terminal or lazing across our office gardens on occasion.

That’s not to say they are all in good shape and healthy. I have sadly seen a few pretty ropey looking examples, and have pity for the poor things. Yesterday I went with a friend to a famous local market in Delhi (the INA market), and throughout the narrow streets and alleys of bustling food stalls and other shops, a surprisingly large number of dogs were residing. And they didn’t look in the best shape.

Probably not surprising given the oppressive heat and overwhelming smells and assault on the senses that the market turned out to be. We didn’t stay long, instead retreating to Khan market which was much more of a pleasant experience. But the INA market dogs didn’t look that happy and I felt for them as their existence was probably lived out in that sweltering market seeking scraps from the food stalls.

These dogs need to be seen as street dogs though, and understood in that way. They are not domestic pets, and they know no other life. It would be a very different story if they were domestic animals that had been cast out and didn’t know how to fend for themselves. I’m sure that does happen, as it sadly does all over the world I’m sure, but the street dogs I’m referencing here are born and bred on the streets and the packs they make are similar to the wild wolf concept. They are truly wild animals, just of a form that we are more used to seeing in a domestic setting.

I’ve always loved dogs, and have spent most of my life with dogs in the house. So in a way back in Vasant Vihar it’s nice to keep my eye on this pack that lives outside. Every time I go out I do a quick count to make sure there’s still 5 of them, and thankfully so far there always is.

Similar to the plentiful dogs, it’s a common occurrence for the cows to hold up traffic as they amble along the road.

Most people are aware that cows are deemed to be sacred in India, hence are protected. The truth behind that is the majority religion in India is Hinduism, and Hindu’s are vegetarian and consider the cow to be a sacred symbol of life that should be protected and revered. As a result, cows are basically given free rein in the country, and it’s a very common sight to see them just lazily wandering around the streets. I’m not sure if they have set turfs they stick to like the dogs do, but there are a few near my apartment that seem to be the same ones and stay nearby. They are completely docile and harmless, although they can be pretty big beasties so best to stay clear.

Less welcome in the area though are the monkeys. I’ve yet to see one close to my home, but I did catch a glimpse of one only a few hundred meters away a few days back, so they are around here, but there’s not many in this neighbourhood for sure. These (cheeky) Monkeys live in troops, and can be right terrors. They’ll steal food, and can be known to bite so best to avoid and keep a fair distance.

At the airport we’ve just opened a new arrival terminal on one part of the airport, and apparently a local troop of Monkey’s were causing such a nuisance that posters of a different type of Monkey that was actually a predator/enemy Monkey to this troop was put up to scare off the little blighters. Apparently it did the trick!

I’ve yet to see any Spiders here – I’m not sure if there are any major ones of any note around here, but I’ve not heard talk of it. Tarantula’s do show up on the ‘spiders in India’ google search, but let’s hope they stay away.. What I have seen running across the floor of the apartment instead is the small lizards that are prevalent around here. They are just a harmless variety though, and so just need ‘encouraging’ back outside every now and then. Here’s one caught in the act for example…

One thing I haven’t seen much of is cats. Which is fine by me because they’re evil! 😉

And while we’re on the subject of animals, I’ll finish with a little word about my boy Bailey. I have two dogs back in the UK (Bailey and Barney) who live with me when I’m there, and with their ‘mum’ when I’m not.

Leaving them to come here was really tough, as I’m very close to them both. Having never had children, in some way these boys are my equivalents really, and I’ve a very close bond with them both. We’ve had Bailey since he was six weeks old, and Barney from when he was four years old. Barney is now ten and Bailey is 16 ½ and is realistically therefore in his twilight years, but still going strong.

He’s got a bit of doggy dementia (yes that’s really a thing) and has tablets to support him with this which are doing a great job. He’s also got some kidney issues, but again on good medication for this too, and he’s going strong and is still a happy little chap, even if he is slowing down notably now. Last week though we had to get his teeth attended to by the vet, as they had got to such a bad state that they needed cleaning and a few extractions otherwise major infections could set in – plus it was likely uncomfortable for him. Obviously dogs can’t tell you when they’re sore but we were getting the sense that all wasn’t right with his mouth.

Being so old, and being on Kidney meds though meant that putting him under general anesthetic to do the work was deemed a risk. But when I took him to the vet on the Monday morning while briefly at home that week, the vet basically said that the time had come and the work had to be done despite the risks. So we did all we could to give him every chance of success in the procedure, and the vet took him in for the day on Wednesday to do the work, and gave him fluids for a few hours before to flush through his Kidneys and all the other special care required to help him through.

Meanwhile I had to be in Norway for the week, and had a series of meetings there that I couldn’t just drop out of. I had weighed up whether to abandon the work trip to stay with him, but there was little I could do and he was in good hands there at his other home, and the vets surgery is a top rate practice in the UK so I decided I’d just press on and trust he was looked after as well as he could be. We were ready for the call to say he’d not made it through though, and had steeled ourselves for that. Going about those meetings that day was one of the toughest work days I can remember, having to put on a brave face and focus on work while in my head I was sick with worry about my little chap and whether he’d make it.

So when I got the call to say he was out and fine, and all had gone well I was so very relieved. He’s done really well, and in the couple of days since has made a full recovery and apparently is acting like a new dog, with a whole new lease of life. 🙂

So he must have been sore and having sorted out his mouth he now is acting happier and as the vet said afterwards, it’s always a risk at that age but if it goes well it’s worth doing as it’ll mean he’s much healthier and happier as a result. So I’m glad we did it now, and I can’t wait to see him again in a few weeks when I next go home. Maybe I will get to spend another Christmas with my little Bailey after all, and his partner in crime Barney too!

Overall India is a vibrant country in so many ways. The street dogs and cows provide a constant backdrop to the neighbourhood and it’s surprising that after a few months of being here it feels completely normal now to just walk around a cow that’s just sitting on the side of the road as I stroll to the shop. I think if I went out and the pack of dogs that live outside weren’t there I’d get worried, as in a distant way it’s quite nice having them around.

I expect Indians that have lived their lives in this environment may actually find our less intermingled existence with animals quite sterile.

Being here immersed in this wildlife on a daily basis does make for a more fulfilling experience, and actually enriches the overall experience. It takes a bit of getting used to admittedly, but it’s actually quite fun having a plethora of four legged friends around, and gives life a more rustic feel in a way.

And right now I’m hoping that Penny delivers on her second attempt. We’ll know in a couple of weeks!