So, you think I'm being silly, huh? Well, truth be told, I took a "snap" of the little bugger before the actual incident.
You see, monkeys here have a pretty good life (provided you overlook the fact that we came around and invaded their habitat); they have access to food--though usually it's stolen out of the trash or, even more daring, out of the hands of people preparing their meals--plenty of shelter in trees and open-air hallways in buildings, and a population that never leaves them far from a gang of support! Today I hand my first direct contact with a monkey. Caught in the act of rifling through a large trash can filled with remnants of biscuts, bananas, coffee, the monkey posed perfectly for a capture of his curiousness and audacity! After getting the snap, though, I was sure that the College of Nursing staff would be disappointed that no one intervened. I figuerd he needed only to be scared away, and the trash bin which he had easily overturned was lying on its side, open away from me. I went and tapped the bottom side of the large bin, which made it boom and startled the poor animal. It ran 10 feet further away and then turned and stared at me with an attitude of defiance. I, of course, was pleased that the intervention had worked to a degree, so with my American mentality of "if big is good, than BIGGER is better", I once again approached the back of the trash can, this time giving it a firmer tap. (No kicking here...besides, that would have created a bigger mess with all the garbage inside.) The theory didn't work. Not only did it not work, it seemed to create an opposite response--I had provoked him! A count of about 2 seconds from the time of my 2nd tap and the monkey reared back its head, bared its white teeth, glared its beady/angry eyes, and jumpe toward me. He made two leaps; I scurried backward with a "whoa, whoa, whoa!" On his second leap, he landed on the side-turned garbage can which rolled to the side, unstable from the disproportionate weight distribution of his impulsive leap. Thank goodness it did. My story wouldn't be quite as funny if I were now getting treated for a nasty monkey bite! Needless to say, I took quick refuge inside the computer lab full of nursing students, all of whom, I am sure, were either as frightened as I about the ruckus I was making or were trying really hard to stay in their seats, laughing as hard as they were. :)
|
