Mongoose welcomed home with open paws
The young mongoose was rescued by local snake man Jason Arnold after he became separated from his troop two weeks ago.
WHILE some animals like birds and whales are famous for their impressive repertoire of information-packed songs, it was a troop of banded mongooses on Longwoods Drive that stole the show with a cacophony of excited chattering last week as they were reunited with one of its family members.
The young mongoose was rescued by local snake man Jason Arnold after he became separated from his troop two weeks ago.
Once he was released, there wasn’t even a cursory look back at his rescuer but his troop’s reaction was touching and priceless. As Arnold approached the troop to release the young banded mongoose, the 15 strong troop scurried away, ceasing all sounds.
After the young mongoose’s dash to freedom, some of the troop ran towards him as they hid under the house. A minute later they ran into the bushes and the noise was akin to a long lost family member fielding numerous questions about their absence and revelling in their company.
“It was just fantastic to see. It sounds like they are saying ‘welcome back, we missed you’. Mongooses are a very social species, so to see him reunited was just wonderful,” he said.
“It was such a difference to see him reunited with the troop. When I found him, he was hiding under a bed, traumatised as the home he took refuge in had three large dogs. And he seemed totally transformed with his troop. After the article appeared in the paper, I got a stream of phone calls of people wanting to help.”
Arnold was contacted by a local Longwoods Drive resident who often feeds the troop daily.
“I’d like to thank the community for their outpouring of support and help and I’m glad this story has a happy ending,” Arnold said.
