Monkey taking care of estate goats

PALAKKAD (Kerala): Tending a herd of goats is no monkey business even if it is done by a simian himself, like at an estate-cum-resort on the slopes of the Western Ghats in a far flung corner of this district.

Three-year-old 'Mani', a monkey that strayed into the estate with bruises on its palm when younger, will never lower his guard as he shadows the herd sauntering in the sprawling estate from dawn-to-dusk.

Workers at the Greenland Estate at Palakapandy vouch that Mani's sharp eyes and ears can detect wolves or jackals that could spring from bushes or rocky clefts to feast on the kids.

If he senses some danger, the monkey will make a whistle-like sound to put the herd on high alert and to avoid the risk of walking into a trap.

When goats fail to reach tender leaves on trees Mani would jump on the branches and lower them by his weight so that the goats can eat to their heart's content.

When the herd takes a breather under the cool shadow of trees, he comforts them by picking lice or fleas hiding in the their furry coats.

According to Martin, an estate employee, Mani was found by estate workers when the monkey was a toddler. His palm was injured and bleeding and they had looked after him for a few days, applying medicines on the bruised palm.

They christened him 'Mani' and he was let into the forest when the wound healed. But he was back within hours to make the estate his home. A few months later, on his own, Mani made it his job to keep a watch on the goats without being instructed or trained, Martin said.

The only thing he "asks" in return is an occasional ride on the back of a grown-up goat, he added.