Tribewanted: Vorovoro

The end of the dry season is upon us here and everyone is focused on saving water. Looking at the hills you can see the effects of the weather in the color of the vegetation. Being able to grow our own food as well as our weekly food runs to Labasa means that we aren’t really in trouble of running out of food or water but the other animals on the island aren’t so lucky. We have, and probably will remain a reliable source of food for the few rats that share the island with us. Most of the Fijian villages have cats to keep the rats at bay. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, there is never an easy answer. Cats, when introduced to an environment tend to decimate the local bird population. Living closely with nature means that we become aware of many things that we would never have to think about if we were to stay tucked up in our holes. In another month or so when the rains return the rats will make their way back to the bush where they prefer to be but until that time we are taking measures to discourage our little friends from disturbing our sleep .

So, besides rats, who else is sharing our island with us?

Spiders…I’d like to personally thank these tireless members of our island ecosystem for keeping the bug population in check and also for selflessly offering themselves as food for the beautiful blue tailed lizards we have here. It’s an amazing thing to watch a small lizard take hunting a spider. They might scare a few people, but being scared of these guys is like being afraid of butterflies. They are completely harmless.

Ants…Again, a big vinaka for cleaning their help in keeping our island clean.

Mozzies and snadflies…Having been here almost four months, I’ve seen quite a range in reactions to these guys. For me the itch for about five minutes and then disappear. Other people cant stop itching and end up looking like they’ve been shot with a shot gun. They don’t seem to bother people much these days though I hear they get a bit worse in the wet season. Bad reactions to mozzies can also indicate an imbalance in your diet.