Help! It's a rat......

The odd rat is not an unusual occurrence here and, I suppose living on a farm and quite close to the river, especially with the huge amount of rain we have had recently,  I should expect more but some of the rats that appear here seem to have some incredible audacity. No chance to use rat poison as would be too risky to the other pets so have tried distributing camphor, the smell of which they supposedly hate, but without any great success.

On numerous occasions they have got into the car/ truck engines and seem undeterred by the heat and remain there throughout journeys only to be discovered when returning home and only then because the dogs follow the vehicle and must get a whiff of a hot rat inside!  At that points it’s all eyes and, in dogs’ cases, noses in action to try to flush out the offender. Shaka, the Ridgeback, is an excellent executioner providing he is quick enough to catch the escapee.  Most times they are caught but the odd one gets away.  In one of the vehicles they had built a huge nest before we realised the problem in that wires had been severed by their sharp teeth and it was not only housing parents but also a large family of babies and the amount of twigs and straw which was concealed within the engine compartment seemed endless to remove.

Dear Annie( RIP), my small Havanese, was great in identifying where the rat was in hiding but never fast enough to capture them herself so often it has turned into a team effort.  Just recently a nest was identified under the eaves of the aviary in the garden – this followed finding a couple of dead babies on the covered terrace early morning and it was spotted by Margo on a routine walkabout and dismantled by Tuly whereby 2 full size rats ran and one hid in a water pipe until Annie succeeded in flushing him out for Shaka to kill whilst the other got away.

I had a small one in the living room some time ago which was eventually caught by one of the cats but, far worse, was one which took up residence in my bedroom one night having presumably entered via a six inch opening of the lounge window left as such for Annie to use as a dog flap.  I heard slight commotion by one of the cats but the other seemed unperturbed so I went back to sleep but in the morning Annie showed us there was something in the area of the large chair which when moved revealed a large furry fellow who somehow managed to avoid Tuly and escape the house by climbing the wire netting on the back door gate.  He didn’t however get far as Shaka saw him go to the bottom garden and between Tuly and Shaka this one was soon caught and disposed of.

So, in conclusion, I was sitting here at my computer last night and saw George, the retired ratting cat, with a fixed stare at the window behind me.  Lo and behold, there was a really cheeky one right on the window bars and looking straight in at me!  Where he is now, I have no idea but there was no evidence that he was caught although Shaka bounced at the window until I thought it would break - have made mental note to shut windows and doors early tonight.

The workers....

Tuly and Margo are my workers at the finca.  Tuly works on the farm, tends the animals and keeps the gardens and pool in great order whilst Margo helps out in the house 4 mornings a week.  

They have their own small casita on the property so they are also my ‘security force’! The rusty part of the the roof has been replaced since this photo was taken and they are more fortunate than many 'campo' (country) workers as it is concrete built with three bedrooms, kitchen and small indoor living area as well as the outside terrace where most of their relaxation time is spent. It has running water with a proper toilet and shower and free mains electricity (when it is on which is about 12 hours in every 24!)

Tuly and Margo saved their money and bought an inverter and batteries so they are considered quite 'posh' in being able to play their TV, music and have lights on even when the street power is off.  

Their home is accessed via a separate track which runs along the most western side of the property and they always receive many visitors, especially on Sundays.

Just beyond their home is a tributary of the large River Yasica from which water is pumped across three fields up to my house and also to theirs.  Despite some long dry spells the river has never dried up on us as yet!  Some parts are wider and deeper providing a great place to swim and playtime for dogs.

The locals drive their cattle down the track to drink twice a day and their donkey makes his daily trip returning heavily laden with recycled plastic one gallon bottles filled with river water for use in their homes.