“Last time I saw you was near the Mahoora Tented Safari Camp in Wilpattu, and the time before that it was in Yala. Still walking around with that camera eh? Good good. Me? Well I’ve given up peddling snake venom. Too much effort and you don’t get repeat customers. I realised quite late in life that people don’t have the same immunity to venom that Ruddy Mongooses have. I’m still good at taking down snakes though, but I’ve opted for… a more peaceful way of life. That’s why I travelled up to the cold Horton Plains National Park. It’s easy to find half eaten carcasses and they stay quite fresh thanks to the cold weather!”

“I heard, through the jungle vines, that you met my cousins Sidney the Stripe Necked Mongoose and Cholomondely-the-uptight Indian Grey Mongoose? The word is that they were ashamed to be associated with me and how I look. But look at me, I’m the real deal! My brown coat with black and white specks is the perfect camouflage for dry forests and grasslands. I am the supreme champion of preying on insects, small reptiles, rodents and even birds! Hah, they just envy me! Oh, would you look at the time? Got to be going. The missus and our four wee little ones - third litter for this year, very proud - are waiting for me to bring them lunch. Bye, I’m sure I’ll run into you soon!”

Dilum ran into an old acquaintance during a trek at Horton Plains National Park. Rodney and his species are a common sight in the jungles around the Mahoora Tented Safari Camp in Wilpattu as well as in Yala.