Asian Palm Civet
Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
22.6748, 88.4619
Field Notes
Description:
Like a large rat (third photo) or a hyena as some have pointed out (first shot...no questions..definitely!...with a lovely long tail. Soulful eyes. This one is a sub adult. A slightly undernourished one.
Habitat:
Outside the window; my office room. This is the heart of the city...near a University, Police station, malls and petrol pumps. Massive traffic. I had just approached the tea table to cut the apple when I realized a furry friend had come to look for some nibbles. It is a good thing that the glass window (sliding) was shut...it is usually kept open. I regularly put out a little food every day...and I see civet cat droppings on the AC units. So I know they are around. This window opens to the rear of the building and there are AC-units side by side as you can see in the second last picture. The last picture is the first shot I took when I realized it had come scrounging for food. My (human) friend had spilled some dry savoury stuff (namkeen/chanachur) in the morning and instead of throwing it away, by force of habit, I had put it on the outside part of the window sill. The cub was hungry. Our office canteen is NOT fully functional yet after the lockdown and not much food is cooked and even less is thrown out...I left the four quadrants of apples on the window sill (its side)...it fled at the sound of the window opening but came back afterwards and like a shadow removed three of the four apple quadrants..one by one. I was watching BUT never caught a glimpse yet every so often when I looked one piece was gone. However, I did see it lurking under the AC units on the ledge.
Notes:
From Monday onwards it will get a banana a day like the civet cat(s?) that visit my terrace.
You can see the soap, detergent, disinfectants etc., all lined up on my side of the window sill (all Covid-era stuff) ...sorry the glass isn't too clean but monsoons are a few months away.
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