Early last Thursday, 6th February 2025, I was awakened by the pathetic crying of a baby animal in the darkness of the wee hours. I did a search when dawn broke and found a civet kitten, apparently left stranded, on the edge of the 3rd storey roof. It appeared nervous and crying in distress. I waited for the mother civet to appear but when she did not, I called Animal Rescue but the call was not picked up as it was still early morning. I then decided to gain the kitty’s attention by calling it out gently. To my surprise, it responded …it looked back and slowly crawled over the roof tiles towards me and onto the balcony! I thought I could gently pick it up and place it in a cosy box for comfort until I managed to contact Animal Rescue, but it snarled and slowly walked back onto the roof. Just as I was about to panic over losing the kitty, the mother civet suddenly appeared. She sniffed her baby and to my relief, picked it up and ran off quickly in the direction of the other houses (probably where her nest was located)!
This was our 2nd encounter with wildlife in two days. Two days earlier on Tuesday 4 February 2025, my wife was reaching out for her Staghorn’s fern when she quickly pulled back upon seeing a snake well camouflaged on the branch below the fern! Just as surprised, the snake quickly slithered away among the plants. I was told that the snake was a Painted Bronzeback Dendrelaphis pictus (Identified by Francis Seow-Choen). A snake visiting on “International Birthday” (7th Day CNY) in the Year of the Snake?
ChatGPT interpreted the visits by the civet cat and Painted bronzeback as below:
In Chinese culture, both snakes and civet cats can carry symbolic meanings, which may affect how people interpret these visits as auspicious or not, depending on context.
- Snake: The snake is often associated with transformation, wisdom, and sometimes, mystery. In Chinese astrology, the snake is seen as a symbol of intelligence, intuition, and subtle power. Its appearance in my garden could be seen as a positive sign, indicating a period of personal growth, a good omen for an upcoming change, or the unveiling of hidden knowledge.
- Civet Cat: Civet cats are less commonly symbolized but can still have symbolic value in Chinese culture. In some places, they are seen as clever, resourceful, and alert animals, with an association to good fortune. Given that the civet visited the roof with her pup, it could symbolize protection and familial ties, suggesting a nurturing and prosperous energy.
Since all this happened during the Chinese Lunar Year, a time filled with meaning and the celebration of new beginnings, these visits could be seen as especially auspicious, heralding wisdom, protection, and growth in my personal or professional life.
Would you agree with this interpretation, or do you feel there could be another layer of meaning here?
Read more about the civet cats from the blog posts below:
https://besgroup.org/2024/01/25/palm-civet-cat-predated-spotted-neck-dove-eggs/
https://besgroup.org/2023/06/16/pineapple-thief-identity-unmasked/
https://besgroup.org/2016/12/14/wildlife-in-my-garden-and-warnings-of-lurking-cobras/
Read more about the Painted bronzeback in Francis Seow-Choen’s book titled:
A GUIDE TO LAND SNAKES OF SINGAPORE
Published November 2024
Natural History Publications (Borneo) Sdn Bhd in association with Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore.
The book provides a clear and concise identification key to the Dendrelaphis species on page 59. Superb images showing details of scale colours and patterns of the painted bronzeback can be found on pages 73 and 74.
Professor Tan Teck Koon
10 February 2025
