March• 2019 | 17ventured out of its cage. As Benjy
lay on the floor he would tolerate
the tiny mouse crawling all over
his body without turning a hair
(excuse the pun).
Needless to say, this was a source
of great amusement, not only to
family, but to visitors as well. We
likened it to Aesop’s tale of the
lion and the mouse, about mutual
dependence in spite of being
different sizes.Travelling In Style
RHODA SILBER
My husband Peter is an only child.
When he was five years old, his
beloved mother surprised him
with his first and only pet – a
terrapin – while he was visiting his
grandparents in Germany. These
unusual animals are a sort of mix
between a turtle and a tortoise as
they divide their time between land
and water.
His mother christened the
terrapin Minka, which means
strong in Polish.
Minka was born in
Germany sometime in
1956 and transported
to Johannesburg the
following year by my
husband and his mother
on their flight home, in a
carefully modified coffee
tin which sat inside an
overnight bag.
Minka quickly became a much-loved member of the household. For
the next ten years she lived in a large
customised plastic bowl, one half
filled with sand and the other half
with water. She was fed a diet of the
finest raw steak and roast beef.
Minka was quite mischievous
and would relish in playing hide
and seek, clawing her way out of her
bowl through the sand and hiding
under furniture until it was time to
come out for dinner. She was great
company and was always included
in family holidays. Thanks to her
trusty coffee tin-transporter and
strong and healthy disposition, she
went on many road trips around
Africa. She was a special choice for
a pet and will never be forgotten.ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES