Leaping Lizards

Before leaving Australia I'd wondered what sorts of creepy crawly things would torment me in Abuja.  Maybe it was my childhood memories of tropical cockroaches in Papua New Guinea or my dad's recent tales of rats in East Timor, but I was very much hoping that Nigerian nature and I could find a way to happily cohabitate.

So far so good...

I haven't yet seen a cockroach, although Stephanie reports a possible suspect last seen scurrying to hide in our kitchen.  And we haven't yet had to challenge my dad's rat trapping record, with our only rodent visitor being a mouse presuming he might join us for dinner one night.

Meanwhile, I've developed a small infatuation with our local lizards.  There's so many of them and they've got quite a personality.  Not to mention that their body language suggests they're absolutely petrified of me, which is something I find most appealing in a relationship with a reptile. 

As they sense me on approach during my walks, they bob their heads up and down trying to gauge the level of danger.  It's somewhat reminiscent of the "be alert, not alarmed" terrorism campaign.  One or two steps closer though and their adrenaline rush kicks into overdrive as they race off to safety.

One paid us a visit in a meeting this week and got himself in quite a state when he realised he was trapped under a boardroom table with human feet every which way he looked!

There's another who pays a regular visit to my office window, bobs his head, stares at me inquisitively and then inevitably freaks himself out and does a mercy dash.  The fact that we share this intimate moment daily and that I haven't yet made any effort to attack him seems of absolutely no consequence to his confidence.  Maybe he's shy and needs time to get to know me!