The detectives of Hopper, Hopper and Hopper Agency were tired. They had been hopping around the globe solving ‘mysteries’ for quite some time without a break.
In the heat of the afternoon, the three detectives dozed fitfully in the shade of the trees of the Okavango delta. Now and then, Rana the frog looked through his binoculars to study colourful birds and animals that he had never seen before.
“Oh, no,” he shouted in distress as he saw something through it.
“What’s wrong, Rana?” asked Let-it-be, the grasshopper.
“It’s them again,” he shouted, purple with rage.
“Surprise! Look who is here!” called out the cheerful Asadu, Achchu and Pichchu.
None of the Hopper detectives seemed pleased to see the three rhesus macaques from the Sundarbans.
“What are you doing here and why are you following us?” thundered Rock.
Asadu threw away a half-eaten baobab fruit. “That’s too sour for me. Anyway, we have a mystery for you to solve and being smart, we can help you crack the case.” Achchu and Pichchu nodded enthusiastically.
Thieving ghost?
Asadu continued on, “There is an evil thief who lurks in the wetlands of the Okavango. Wearing a bright yellow jacket, he stealthily comes out in the night. He picks up eggs and chicks from nests of birds in the swamps and tucks them into his jacket.”
Achchu rolled his eyes and added in a whisper, “What’s scary is that he is able to walk on lily pads and make his escape quickly.”
“I think he is a ghost!” said Pichchu in a trembling voice.
Although they were annoyed with the monkeys, the detectives were indeed fascinated by their story. They made a plan to watch the wetland nests at night and to catch the egg poacher red-handed. By late evening, they took their positions behind trees and brush, armed with a flash light, a whistle and a camera.
Hours slipped by. The night sky turned inky black, with little stars winking away cheerfully. The marshland became quiet. And lo and behold, there he was! Just as Asadu had said, he tucked in chicks and eggs that he took from the nests into his yellow jacket.
“Stop, thief!” ordered Rock, as he shone the flashlight on the ‘thief’.
A surprised Rana called out, “He is a funny looking bird with brown wings, long legs and five extremely long toes that spread out like a fan. Why would he want to raid the nests of other birds?”
Even as the big bird looked puzzled, a little chick leaped out from under his wings. He landed on a big lily pad from where he squeaked, “Don’t you dare call my dad a thief. He is a wonderful father who has built a nest for my brothers and me. He keeps us warm, gives us food and protects us from danger. Now, say hello to my dad Jacana!”
“Hi, Jacana,” greeted the three monkeys.
“Who or what is a jacana?” asked Rana. He did not believe the little chick story.
Let-it-be surfed the net. “Yes, the chick is right. Jacanas are wading birds that make the nests in swarms in tropical regions. The father takes care of the chicks. When he senses danger, he tucks them under his wings and runs across lily pads on his long wide-spread toes.”
Rock nodded wisely, “That’s why he is called lily trotter, isn’t it?”
Rana looked at the three macaques. “Now the mystery is solved. Shouldn’t you go back to Sunderbans?”
“We will think about it.” They joined the grasshopper to sing ‘Let it be, let it be…’
