I have a wildlife zoo

The little swans paddled their feet hastily, swimming swiftly forward, reaching the side of their adoptive goose father.

Then they started grooming their feathers, rubbing their backs with their fluffy necks, and chafing their wings!

Seeing this, the experienced Old Mage's spirits lifted, and he raised his voice, "Water play is coming! They're going to play in the water!"

As expected, the adoptive goose father set the example, diving headfirst into the water, his bum in the air, with only his bottom visible on the surface, and his tail feathers wavering non-stop.

The little swans followed suit and plunged down headfirst!

With the plunge, their entire bodies submerged underwater, leaving no trace on the surface.

"Ah, they wouldn't sink, would they?"

The netizens were somewhat worried!

One by one, the little swans dove into the water; some did so silently, while others, as they entered the water, kicked a few more times with their feet, splashing conspicuous sprays.

Soon they resurfaced, appearing as if nothing had happened, and people let out a sigh of relief.

The Old Mages, accustomed to such sights, wore smiles on their faces, taking nonstop photos, "Hey yo, so beautiful!"

"Look at that little fella, full of energy!"

"Look at this one!"

"Saw it, saw it! Gorgeous!"

"Liuzi, this single dad is doing a good job raising his kids, very responsible. I like Liuzi just for that."

"And Little Hu, really, coveting someone's beauty, breaking up a good couple, the goose morals are lacking!"

It's quite enjoyable to come over here and take pictures of the birds every day.

Watching the elegant flight of the swans, witnessing these lively and lovely little ones grow up, truly brings joy to one's heart and mind.

Beyond photography, you can also chat about the life and times of these water birds with like-minded old pals.

A mallard duck came flapping over and landed nearby.

A little swan, upright as a little penguin, flapped its short wings in the water, took a couple of steps, and then dove back in, causing the Old Mages to exclaim in surprise with its peculiar diving posture.

"Director, when will the little swans be able to fly?"

Fang Ye thought for a moment, "Hmm, probably around three months after birth! These swans are only a month old now. In another two months, you should be able to see them line up to practice flying. Everyone is welcome to visit then.

In fact, we've recently introduced whale-headed storks and penguins! They'll be on display after a while."

"Shocked! Whale-headed storks!"

"Wow, that's awesome! I've always wanted to see whale-headed storks!"

"The variety of animals at the zoo is increasing, which is cause for celebration! By the way, Director, have you considered introducing more polar animals, like creating a polar exhibition hall with polar bears, Arctic foxes, Arctic wolves, and the like?"

"I think the Arctic fox is nice, super cute!"

"Aren't penguins native to Antarctica? Wouldn't it be too hot for them here?"

"No problem; we can make the penguin enclosure indoors and install air conditioning. That'll solve it!"

Fang Ye shook his finger, "Penguins don't all live in the frigid polar regions; they are distributed in temperate and tropical zones as well. The Galapagos penguin is a tropical species, living near the equator where temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees. They can still survive and thrive."

"That's it, I've just exposed my lack of knowledge again!"

"Haha, no problem, I don't know either!"

Fang Ye said, "The penguins we've introduced are African penguins, a temperate species living in the southern parts of Africa! Despite living in Africa, it's not hot every day; sometimes cold currents pass through, and they can tolerate temperatures from 4 to 26 degrees. The ideal temperature for them is around 18 degrees.

Here in Linhai, although summers are hot, our zoo is located in the suburbs surrounded by a large expanse of forests, which makes the temperature about three degrees cooler than in the city itself.

Moreover, the Penguin Pavilion has a pool, and the temperature in the pool is even lower than on land. With cooling mist sprayers and a shade-providing rockery constructed from large stones, staying outside is completely okay for them.

If the temperature gets too high, we can add some ice blocks or retreat to the back sheds to turn on the air conditioning, so don't worry about them suffering from the heat.

As for the Arctic bears and such, we are currently not keeping them!"

A netizen, puzzled, asked, "Why not?"

Fang Ye explained, "When we keep animals, it's not just about having them, gathering them in the zoo—it's more important to keep them well.

Arctic bears live in a world of ice and snow. Coming here, either we'd have to keep it indoors with air conditioning on all the time, where they wouldn't see the sun and would have very limited space to move around, which could easily lead to stereotypic behaviors.

Painting icebergs and snowscapes on the wall behind the exhibit—do you think that would look comfortable to you?

Or we could keep it outdoors, but as true polar animals, while temperate penguins can roam freely, Arctic bears can't—cooling off by soaking in water would still be distressing for them.

Our environment here just isn't suitable for keeping Arctic bears."

"Oh, okay~"

The netizens felt a bit of regret.

However, they could understand; not keeping animals you can't take care of properly is taking responsibility for them.

People like Linhai Zoo perhaps initially because of the warm interactions between Fang Ye and the fierce animals, but later they also begin to discover the cuteness and beauty of many more animals.

Beyond that, there are deeper issues, like how humans and animals can coexist harmoniously and the sense of responsibility humanity should have. These are more profound matters.

It's not just external beauty; there's beauty on the inside too.

Walking along the shore, looking towards the distant island, it seemed as if there were black round bulges scattered about.

A curious netizen asked, "Director, what are those things? They look like water tanks buried in the ground?"

Fang Ye laughed and said, "They don't just look like water tanks; they are indeed water tanks!"

"Ah? Is this some kind of enrichment?"

"Here at Waterfowl Lake, aside from swans, we have mallards, ruddy shelducks, and other animals.

These water tanks are provided for these ducks.

Not only do they offer shelter, but they also protect from wind and rain, ward off predators, and with some dry straw inside, they make perfect breeding nests.

Doesn't that sound wonderful? However, this was our first year trying it, and it was somewhat of a failure. There were over thirty eggs in the tanks, which shows they were actually used, but the hatching number was low."

Fang Ye gestured with his hands, "When we placed them initially, we didn't consider everything thoroughly, not realizing we needed to angle them. Some tanks got flooded with muddy water when it rained, which drowned the eggs. Some eggs never hatched, and some hatchlings that did died from being soaked."

He sighed with a tinge of regret, "But after all, it was our first time, right? Next year, we'll have the experience."

"Running a good zoo really isn't easy!"

"Indeed, it's so technical! It requires a lot of professional knowledge. I used to think it was as simple as just shoveling poop and feeding them /cry-laughing"

Fang Ye leisurely strolled around Waterfowl Lake, sharing with the netizens the delightful sight of the water birds frolicking.

Then he snapped his fingers, "Didn't you say you wanted to see an elephant eating durian? Let's go."