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Old Man Grey

Old Man Grey

For the last six months or so, we have been seeing this grizzled old warrior around the place, always on his own, and never moving fast. He is big for an Eastern Grey, as big as they ever get, but very gentle. He has become quite used to us, and when you come too close he just hops very slowly away to another part of the garden.

He’s too old now to compete with the strong young bucks of the mob that lives out on the other side of the common a mile or so away — he probably fathered half of them — but when he was in his prime he would have been the alpha male: he’s certainly big enough to have been a formidable creature back then before age and arthritic old joints caught up with him. Now he just wanders quietly around the garden, always alone, nibbling on the grasses here and there and staying out of trouble.