samedi 23 février 2013

Bats in the belfry...


It all started late December with some noises coming from the ceiling... Because the roof is made of corrugated iron, it echoed... Probably lizards, and I quite like them, as they feast on mosquitoes, so I hardly took any notice! Except I am now back home after travelling for a few weeks, and the noise only got worse. Now it wakes me up at 5am, and tonight, the dog was looking inquisitively at the ceiling, then at me, wondering, if I would do something to protect him... 
I asked Adama to come and listen. Was it a fat lizard snacking on too many mosquitoes, a cat, a bird? A mouse, but then it must be a rather big mouse? In fact, yes, Adama confirmed, it must be a rat... What to do?! I can houseshare with a lot of living creatures, but a rat... Adama suggested, we found a ladder, then look for a gap in the ceiling... - Then we get up and see... - Very well, but see what? What do we do next? Tame the little fellow, poison it, set a mousetrap? - No, no, it's ok, two of us can catch it - Catch the rat... Then what? I don't really want to get acquainted or anywhere near it...  - No, no, then we catch it and we eat it!
Well, of course! Why did it not cross my mind! I was indeed taught some weeks back at a game farm  in Koubri that Gambian rat is the most profitable, then aulacode, then porcupine is the third most profitable to breed... Lion is not a good investment, as you need half a goat a day to feed it. So at least, we have no lion in the attic... And if bats ever move in, at the market in Accra and Abidjan, I noticed that nicely smoked, they are worth more than chicken these days! Bon appétit!

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