Baby Hippo and a Lion Autopsy; just life at the zoo :)

Whew what a week.

First off, if I may, I'd just like to say it is rediculously hot here. I think since the last time I wrote it's been at least 115 degrees each day (some days up past 120 F) and rarely falling below 95, the one exception was after a nice 'mango rain' we had (the good things about Niamey) it cooled the place down considerably- we're talking 105 during the day and even down to 85 at night for a couple blissful days. For the most part, I think it doesnt get any hotter here than in the bush of my last village, but it did cool down at night there to a comfortable sleeping temperature, whereas here, it never really cools down enough to stop sweating. Dont worry. I have it all worked out- I sleep in the back yard on a cot, and I've strung an extension cord out the window so that I can have my big stand fan (best thing Ive ever baught for mysef) blowing on me all night.. Ok, moving on.

So apart from the heat, it's been a good, though busy past couple weeks. Last week the Musee hosted an Artisianal Festival- we had artisans come from Burkina Faso and around, as well as bands and dance groups from both Niger and Burkina perfrorming during the day and at a big concert at night. I got some great video of the dance group that hopefully I can attach, but we'll see. The only obligation I had toward the festival, because it was artisian related and not zoo related, was giving tours saturday of the zoo, which was fun.

Few days after that, we got more big news: Up the river at a little fishing village the villagers had killed a large hippo that was ruining their fishing and causing problems- made me a little angry, but, the point is, they discovered the hippo had a baby who was still nursing, so the musee agreed to take him in. We just got him a few days ago and we're still working on getting him to drink milk from a bowl. He's about the size of a really large dog, which makes me just want to climb in with him and give him a big hug (dont worry, I'm kidding... sort of.. but seriously.). To make room for the new hippo, we moved our male hippo in with one of our females- personally I think 4 hippos is plenty... but who knows what'll happen.

A bit after the news of the new hippo was more drama. Our oldest lioness, Fati, got beat on by the male in the pride during feeding time. She was isolated and watched closely, but with the beating she took combined with her age, she didnt get up for a day and a half. That afternoon myself and the lion keeper were watching her when we finally both looked at each other and realized she was dead. After the initial sadness of the situation, I was excited that I would get to watch her autopsy. So the next morning behind the lion house, I got to observe as the vet took a sample of each of her organs for testing. Its times like these how disticly different Niger is and made me smile. Like, trying to get the eyeball out, two different people had their fingers shoved up the eye socket arguing about how to get it out, or, when the vet asked where the paws were- "they're inside"... "all four of them?" "no, just two.." "Two?? Where's the other two??" "Well, so-and-so took them because he wanted them..." and then after it was all over the Musee workers hovering and cutting themselves a bit of lion meat/fat/intestines/anything else.

Ok, last but not least, part of my big week- yesterday was May day and the big workers holiday! So, who knew, but here in Niamey they had a parade!! and I got to be in it! Basically every work organization/company got together in a matching pagnae outfit with their business logos and had banners and 'floats'. Yes, there were even 'floats'. The musee's float was a pickup truck with a hyena in a cage, and on top of that, a Jackal in a cage, and a crocodile in a cage. Then we all walked or rode in the truck. Besides our own float of course, I have to say I did enjoy the float that was a pickup truck with a operating table in the back, with someone laying on it, and a few people dressed up as doctors.. It was a lot of fun to be part of the parade and see all the other people representing their work.