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New Entry for…Zoo Log: London Underground
November 15th 9:07am (Updated: 3:14pm)
We've had to improvise with Sherlock.
We had planned to keep him in isolation for a while longer, but as typical of the Holmes species, he did not respond well to being controlled by anyone other than himself (All attempts at training the British Holmes have failed spectacularly).
It's really not all that surprising. Sherlock has always been the more curious of our Holmes brothers, and unfortunately also the most destructive. Being locked away may have tampered with what some of the staff think to be the last few remnants of his sanity. (Reminder: Sherlock came to us five years ago, in a horrible condition, so emotional and cognitive trauma is to be expected).
But I'll leave the conjectures for later. What we know for certain is that, shortly after his placement in the isolation cell, he began exhibiting signs of unease. One moment he was pacing animatedly, the other he was perfectly still. His agitation was very obvious, even to our more inexperienced interns.
That was only Day 1. By Day 3, he had become totally inanimate, curled up and not responding to any of the keeper's efforts to attract his attention (ignoring all his favorite items, including both his pet Skull and his violin). Naturally, we're very worried over his obvious distress. Sherlock, when not distracted by shiny or decaying objects, has always been a tad unstable when of course, we should have seen that this was obviously a set-up for disaster.
Day 4, around midnight, Sherlock must have begun his destructive phase. When the night-keeper did his rounds, he found the overhead lighting in Sherlock's cell fully disassembled. The Holmes had also apparently removed his shirt, shredded it into strips, and fastened them into some sort of turban around his head.
Worried that he might have contracted some form of mange, the vet was called in, and with the assistance of two interns, proceeded to give him a cleansing bath. (To say he responded poorly is an understatement, though I am told Sam will suffer no permanent injury.) But I do not believe his shedding behavior is indicative of a physical ailment, but rather a reaction to a lack of mental stimulation.
So what option did we have, but to search for a new enclosure to contain him? Unfortunately, the Holmes do not room well with most of the animal kingdom, so we must be selective in our decision. In the end, we decided to place him in with Anthea, an assistant, as servile species are probably the most easy to share a space with. Hopefully all goes well!
…The attempt proved disastrous for all. Sherlock responded to her presence with all the same fury he usually turns on Mycroft. Oddly, that served as our inspiration for introducing Anthea to Mycroft's enclosure instead. So far, there has been no hostility between the two; Mycroft seems fully accepting of the British Assistant. We'll keep a round-the-clock keeper on watch, just in case.
Sherlock, to our relief, has claimed Anthea's habitat entirely. The way he struts about, it is obvious he views it as a prize won. Currently, he is occupied by inspecting every corner and rock within the enclosure. Hopefully, his curiosity with this new home will hold.