Dogs are well liked here and when I say that, I include Sikkim India, even stray ones seem to live relatively harmoniously with humans here. They adopt you when you walk and temporarily you become part of the pack. I would never attempt to touch one, they are not tame. I suspect they might try to defend you if they felt you were threatened though. They often wait till you catch up when they trot ahead, or they wait if you stop, its so funny.
I’ve seen them everywhere laying in the sun, snoozing on the rubbish heaps and in the road. Let sleeping dog lie! Some look in very poor condition and mangy, however I rarely see a really boney one, people feed them.
That all said, the down side is there is poo everywhere! Yuk!
There is a push in Kathmandhu to sterilise and inoculate them against rabies because so many people do get bitten.
There are owned dogs and sometimes the only way to tell them apart from the street ones is by a collar or tea shirt (yes I said T Shirt).
I’ve seen very few cats and the ones I have seen are thin and very short haired, usually sand coloured in Nepal these seem to frequent the roofs although, in Sikkim India I saw many more, the Monks seem to like them there and the colours are more varied there.
Cows are sacred in Hinduism and I have seen a number particularly on the Terai, at night they could do with lights as they are often on the road for some reason. The drivers are very careful around all animals.
Buffalo (domestic) is bred for meat, milk and for labouring. Not really that much different to a cow as far as I can see. I have been drinking buffalo milk the whole time I’ve been here, and semi skimmed milk does not exist so no skinny lattes here!
Then there are the ubiquitous goats! It’s weird to see them in the town. Often they are stood nearby the butchers while their kin are slaughtered. I showed Clare a particular place in Baktapur! There are no abattoirs and no protesters, it all just happens at the road side!!
I’ve seen Rhesus Macaques everywhere, particularly the temples where they can be a menace stealing food and once I saw one rip a waterbottle off a woman’s pack. They are very definitely clever, in the wild they team up with the deer, throw leaves down for the deer to eat and then both act as a lookout for each other responding to each others alarm calls.
In the Garden Of Dreams, Kathmandhu there are Siberian Chipmunks, I have no idea why! They seem to occupy a niche like grey Squirrels in the UK. They are very endearing and quite tame. I wouldn’t think there is much habitat for them in in the rest of Kathmandhu which lacks green areas and gardens.
Next my stay on a traditional farm…
The Travelling Bee 