Dakari Bush School and Wildlife Orphanage are a local NPO that provides education to children and hosts orphaned wildlife. When Gill arrived at Dakari she was assigned a room where a family of bush babies had already settled. She learned to live with them wandering around. Luckily they were not too messy, she says. However, her peaceful room soon became a playground after the family was joined by more bush babies.

“As I’m about to tell you the story of me and the Bush babies, I wanted to inform you that Popcorn was also my love story,” said Gill.

After work, Gail spends time with her roommates, but when the sun goes down, they jump out and hunt bugs and fruit. Gail describes her friends as jumpy, funny, curious, and mischievous. “They are energetic and playful and use the canopy on my bed as a trampoline.” They make sure she wakes up early, she says. As wild animals, they are not tamed, but the relationship between Gill and the bush babies has allowed her to pet them from time to time.

Also read: Rescued Popcorn loves his life in orphanage

She says there is especially a male, named Fred, that is a regular visitor on her shoulder. “Living with wild animals also teaches you to recognise noises. I have noticed that the high-pitched call they are known for is for emergencies, and the deep loud ones are reserved to ground the misbehaving babies.” She concludes that at times it feels like living in a wildlife documentary.