I have a wildlife zoo

Chapter 597 Visiting Red Bean



``` Rescue Center. Lin Ying entered the cage, picked up the pellet the owl had regurgitated, and did some cleaning. The owl, originally groggy with one eye open and the other closed, resting on its perch, became alarmed when it saw someone enter, flapping its wings and flying to a corner. This was the same owl that had been tragically hit by a car but had a strong will to survive! As the number of animals rescued by the center increased, newly arrived animals were no longer named unless they had special treatment like this one, despite its grave condition. Only animals with notable stories like the Milktea wild boar, covered by the media, were given names to facilitate identification. After surgery to recreate a pair of wings, the owl seemed unaccustomed to its new wings, dropping down after a couple of flaps. Plus, with its cerebral hemorrhage not fully recovered, it continued to recuperate in the zoo for a month. Now that it had gradually adapted and had been assessed by the rehabilitation therapist, its condition met the standards for release. Fang Ye quietly observed from outside the cage and felt very reassured. Seeing it fly, indeed, it had recovered nicely! When Lin Ying came out of the cage, she exclaimed, "To recover from such a severe injury, it's practically a miracle!" Lin Ying smiled, "Then our work hasn't been in vain! Other than the joy of newborn cubs, there's nothing as gratifying as seeing rescued animals regain their health." Fang Ye nodded in agreement, "For birds of prey, regaining the blue skies and a new lease on life are no different." They discussed the timing and location for the release, planning to proceed with it the day after next. ... The volunteers in the group had also heard about the owl's story, and when they learned about the release, they expressed a wish to come and watch. But really, there's not much to see in releasing birds! The moment the transport box is opened, or the towel covering their head is lifted, the bird swiftly "whooshes" up, flapping its wings into the sky—that's the most thrilling moment of a release. It's hard to see their movements with the naked eye; it takes photographers to "click-click" and capture some snapshots of the moment they leave the cage so everyone can enjoy them later at their leisure. Especially with releasing owls, which are typically done close to dusk when the sky is already dark, it's even less eventful to watch. Releasing large animals has a bit more interest: seeing the momentum of wild boars springing into a run as they exit the cage, or the cautious and lingering look of snow leopards during their release. Although Fang Ye tried to dissuade them in the group chat, some volunteers were still as enthusiastic as ever, not minding the trouble and wanting to bid farewell to this resilient owl, even offering to drive there themselves. So on the day of the release, more than a dozen people showed up. They didn't proceed with the release immediately upon arriving at the planned spot but took a moment to rest and prepare. Lin Ying conducted a thorough inspection again to check the owl's condition, making sure the wings were not loose, as it would be quite troublesome if they came apart during flight. This step was done to stabilize the bird's mood, so everyone except Lin Ying and Fang Ye retreated to the side. After a while, Lin Ying placed the owl back in the box and gave an "ok" sign. Fang Ye nodded, and everyone's spirits were lifted! They positioned the transport box upright, and the collared scops owl could be seen shrinking into the corner of the box with wide, round eyes, turning its head to take in the surroundings. Its expression was a mix of shock, disbelief, and confusion. Where was this? Spreading its wings, it took a couple of steps forward like a penguin, gazing out at the scenery beyond the transport box. ``` It then jumped out of the box, landed on the ground, and turned to glance at Fang Ye and Lin Ying behind the box. It looked at Lan Li, who was taking pictures to document the moment, and then cast a look at the volunteers half-squatting in the bushes, revealing mysterious smiles. Uh oh, an ambush! Flapping its wings a couple of times, it shot straight up into the sky. A group of people foolishly looked up, watching the owl become smaller and smaller against the gloomy sky, flying further and further away, higher and higher, staring in the direction it flew off for a long time. "Bye-bye~" "It's gone! Gone home!" Even though the volunteers had made the effort to follow it here, and only witnessed this brief scene, they still felt happy for it. ... The training for the rescued cinereous vulture to learn how to fly never stopped at the zoo. The first step of understanding the purpose of the target stick had been mastered; when the animal keeper pointed with it, the vulture knew to follow. Next, it began the second step of jumping onto perches, able to leap from the ground onto a low 10cm high stump. However, as summer arrived and the weather gradually became hot, many animals didn't want to be active during the day, preferring to rest in shady spots instead. The vulture also lost interest in training, behaving like a student who daydreams during class, looking around aimlessly while training. With such inefficiency, the animal keeper had no choice but to put the training on hold, planning to continue when the weather cooled down in the fall. At the small farm, the rice ears turned from green with a hint of yellow to a pure golden color, ready for harvest by mid-July. It was just in time for the students to finish their busy semester and start their enjoyable summer vacation, allowing them to see for themselves what the rice they had planted looked like grown and to do the harvesting themselves. Fang Ye recently had a lot more free time. He strolled and wandered through the zoo each day, watching the green peafowl parents walk their chicks and getting close to the animals. What he was most concerned about was when Red Bean would give birth, but it should be soon! He went to the red panda exhibit to visit Red Bean. Carrying a basin of apples into the birthing room, Fang Ye softly called out, "Red Bean, I've come to see you~" Red Bean poked her head out of the nesting box, saw it was Fang Ye, and slowly climbed down from the perch. During the previous mating season, Red Bean and Chestnut had mated in the indoor enclosure! Now that Red Bean was about to give birth, she had been moved to this specially arranged birthing room. The room had air conditioning, keeping the temperature between 22-25 degrees because the hot weather in Linhai could cause a mother red panda to move her cubs around after giving birth, trying to find a cooler spot; this process could unintentionally result in the cubs' death due to excessive handling. Chestnut was also kept away so as not to disturb Red Bean during birth. Chestnut wanted to visit Red Bean every day during the training when let out of the cage but seeing Chestnut approaching caused Red Bean, who had recently become sensitive and uneasy, to hide in the nesting box, not wanting to see him. Red Bean's belly seemed to have gotten rounder, although she was already chubby, so the change in her appearance was not notable. Her movements had become much slower, and she didn't rush over upon seeing the apples, strolling over leisurely like Grandma Mingming. Coming over, she buried her head directly into the basin and grabbed a piece of apple with her paw, munching away. Fang Ye gently stroked her head and laughed, "You don't even greet me first when you see me, nor snuggle up! I spoil you for nothing; at heart, you're still a little foodie."

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.