This past Monday, as the rain gradually soaked us all, there was a lot of fond reminiscing among the volunteers about the heat of summer. We’re a fickle bunch of desert-dwellers, aren’t we? We forget that last summer dragged on well into the fall, and we complained daily that it might never end.
 In fact, I recall another Monday, last September, when the calendar officially announced it was the Last Day of Summer. The forecast called for a mild 105, and as the volunteers arrived to clean and feed, we quickly discovered there was no water!
Southwest Wildlife operates from a well and the water is cool, clean, and plentiful. There are two large water storage tanks to ensure that we don’t run out. Occasionally, there’s a problem with the pump, and the tanks run low and must be refilled. This is usually only a brief inconvenience.
This particular Monday, however, was different. The volunteers agreed to clean only and not dump any water until the tanks were replenished. The morning wore on, but the tanks refused to fill. Was there a leak under the faucet by the barn? Lots of digging and some plumbing repairs followed, but still the tanks wouldn’t fill. Obviously, there was water leak somewhere, but where?
The javelina enclosures are at the back of the Southwest property. It was early afternoon before one of the volunteers arrived at the javelina pens with a wheelbarrow filled with fresh greens and fruits. What a surprise he found! Apparently wishing to mark the Last Day of Summer, the javelinas had scheduled a pool party!
 Somehow they popped a valve off one of the automatic waterers, causing a stunning fountain and creating a large brown pool of cool water. Those javelina looked so pleased with themselves, lounging poolside awaiting the arrival of the “cabana boy” with their afternoon snacks. Care for a drink with an umbrella anyone?
Needless to say their summer fun was soon over, and we parched volunteers once again tramped from enclosure to enclosure to dump, clean, and refill water containers, dreaming of a cool, wet day in our future.
story and photos by Kris Wheaton
Did you know…? “Javelina” (have-eh-LEEN-ah) is the commonly-used name for the collared peccary. Javelinas resemble pigs but are not closely related to pigs. Javelinas, like all the animals brought to Southwest Wildlife, are fed, doctored, and provided whatever is required to return them to the wild. An individual javelina could not survive long in the desert, as they need the protection of a herd to establish territory and discourage predators. Find out how Southwest Wildlife goes about Creating Javelina Herds. |
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