Picasso

Day: 25

Goomalling-Camp – 05.06.2000

Picasso greets me first thing in the morning. It is a lively, pretty kitten. Shortly after I left for Perth, the cat suddenly turned up at the camp and hasn’t left since. He shoots up the trees like a little tiger, only to dash through the camels’ legs moments later. He is not afraid of anything, least of all Rufus, who would love to chase him. He teases him incessantly and when he chases after him to catch him, one of his paws shoots forward to catch his sensitive nose with its sharp claws.

Although we know that cats in Australia cause enormous damage to nature, he won our hearts in no time at all. Cats are actually considered a plague here because they eat lizards and rare bird species. They were introduced by the white man and have developed into a real plague over the years, which they are trying to control by any means necessary. This is precisely why we can’t just leave Picasso here when we continue our journey. Tanja and Jo called Melinda who immediately agreed to take Picasso into the family.

In the afternoon I pack up our equipment and prepare everything for tomorrow’s departure. In the meantime, Tanja drives to Wundowie to hand Picasso over to Melinda.