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MountainPro said:great work Eoin,
Having studied the SMS for many years i was surprised to discover thier liking for peanut paste. The use of thimbles as a crushing implement is well documented however, but it has been mostly connected with the crushing of oyster shells and the rare fruit of the 'kara kara' tree which gives the otter its unusual but dustinctive stripes.
I feel compelled to discover more on the peanut behaviour of the SMS and will be taking leave to visit Madagascar to locate and further my study of this elusive creature.
A report will be filed in due course upon my return.
Farewell my friends, wish me a safe journey.
This reminds me of the famous quote from Sir Theodore Cook, commenting on Richard Clapham's 1924 book - 'Sport on Fell, Beck, and Tarn'....
[/font] [font=Times New Roman][font=Verdana]"Many men can do things of which they say little and write less. Many men can write whose personal experience has been so uneventful that they have nothing of original value to record. Fortunately for those who love sport in wild places, the author has been able to describe his experiences among the mountains of Lakeland in a way which will not only be a real help to those who propose following his example, but will also give great pleasure to the many who delight to read of the resourcefulness of the unaided sportsman among the solitude's of nature. The keynote of this book being that a comparatively poor man may, if he gives his mind and heart to his game, have just as good a time as the plutocrat, and better."
Obviously I'm not implying that MP is a 'poor man' (nor plutocrat), but merely expressing my overwhelming anticipation of his forthcoming account of otter observation/ interaction amongst the Kara Karas of Madagascar.
Good luck MP, and bring me back some oysters if the otters haven't yet finshed them off.[/font]
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