I have a wildlife zoo

After visiting Lemur Island, Su Hui asked Yan Ganghui, "Shall we go see the red pandas? I heard they are very cute too, and I haven't seen them yet."

On the way over by tour bus, she had seen a piece of verdant and serene bamboo forest by the roadside and became somewhat curious. Could there be a panda exhibit inside the bamboo forest? But if Linhai Zoo really had giant pandas, it would have been widely known by now.

From the tour bus's announcements and the roadside signs, she learned that the red panda exhibit was actually inside the bamboo forest.

Yan Ganghui offered a different opinion, "Dear, let's go see the ferocious beast exhibit! Their ferocious beast exhibit is also exceptionally well-built. To see the red pandas, we'd have to double back, and if we go back now, it will definitely be crowded.

Plus, our visiting time is limited. Look, we spent over an hour just on Lemur Island. I think we should visit the larger exhibits first and then see the red panda exhibit before we leave."

In fact, it wasn't just for that reason; deep down, he preferred the powerful and majestic tigers and lions over the cute and adorable ring-tailed lemurs or red pandas.

After thinking it over, he added, "Oh right, there's a little White Tiger in the tiger exhibit here too, which is very cute!"

Su Hui didn't have much of an opinion of her own and felt that visiting the ferocious beasts for a thrill sounded good after hearing his suggestion, "Alright, let's go to the ferocious beast exhibit!"

…

"The White Tiger is really too cute!"

"Aiya, if we weren't on holiday, I would suggest that we come to the zoo and take a tour every day!"

"Yes, yes!"

After visiting the tiger exhibit, as they followed the stream of visitors towards the lion exhibit, they couldn't stop expressing their admiration.

Up ahead was the lion exhibit, which appeared to have an open viewing point across a moat-style barrier.

At this moment, a large crowd was gathered here, pushing against the outer railing of the shrubbery isolation strip, leaning their bodies forward.

Everyone seemed extremely enthusiastic, eyes shining with fervor, staring intently at the scenery inside the exhibit, taking photos with their phones or cameras—snapping away—shouting excitedly. The scene didn't resemble a zoo visit so much as it did the welcoming of an international superstar at the airport.

Among the crowd, there was a bald foreigner with a shiny head that stood out under the sunlight like a light bulb. He was excitedly shouting with his companions, and his voice stood out from afar: "OMG, OMG!"

"Simba, Simba!"

What was going on?

"Could it be that the lions are right across from us?" Su Hui couldn't help but speculate as she saw how excited the crowd was.

Yan Ganghui was a bit puzzled; although the visitors opposite the moat at the tiger exhibit were cheering and jumping for joy, they didn't seem this excited.

"I don't know, maybe the lions are fighting?"

After passing through the tree barrier obstructing their view and arriving at the moat, the view suddenly cleared up.

What caught their eyes immediately was an enormous, majestic rock, onto which the splendid golden sun shone. From afar, it looked like a golden beast sprawling across the vast plains, its presence stunning!

"What a spectacular view!"

Su Hui's eyes widened as she murmured.

In her mind, zoos were just about concrete and iron cages, with lions and tigers inside, lying listlessly on the ground all day long.

Better environments, like the Peafowl Lawn, allowed some mild-tempered herbivores like deer and alpacas to graze and wander around.

Lemur Island had already shattered her preconceptions; after visiting the tiger and wolf exhibits and being continuously awed, she hadn't imagined the zoo could come up with so many different displays, with each view around the wolf exhibit being unique.

Now, she felt an unprecedented shock: she had never thought that a zoo could create such a magnificent landscape!

Yan Ganghui was not only shocked but extremely excited, with goosebumps all over, he blurted out, "Pride Rock!"

He finally understood why the visitors here were so animated.

"Pride Rock, what is Pride Rock?" Su Hui asked, puzzled.

Yan Ganghui turned his head in astonishment and said, "The Lion King, haven't you seen it?"

"I really haven't seen it, but I know the little lion is called Simba," Su Hui pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and said excitedly, "That's right, I think I have some impression of The Lion King's movie cover, it's that stone, right!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Yan Ganghui excitedly raised his hands, gesturing a high-lifting pose, "When Simba was just born, animals from the African savannah came to celebrate, and at that time, the mandrill shaman lifted him up on this stone, elephants and giraffes and such all knelt down below, well, maybe, I don't remember the details too clearly, but anyway, this stone is called Pride Rock!"

At that moment, the crowd gasped again!

A muscular and golden-maned lion began to run across the savannah and arrived at the base of Pride Rock.

Then it looked up, gazing at the brightly lit peak of Pride Rock, and jumped up from the stones beside it!

Next, it treaded with light steps, strolling up the slope of Pride Rock, gradually reaching the high point.

Its majestic, maned head overlooked the grasslands below and the tourists who were exclaiming in awe!

A pair of brown-yellow eyes, as large as brass bells, shimmered with an intimidating glow under the sunlight.

Lions are already incredibly formidable beasts, and they're one of the most popular animals in the zoo.

The majestic and powerful lion, standing at the spectacular peak of Pride Rock, had an attraction that was not additive but multiplicative, ensnaring everyone's gaze like a magnet!

The golden sunlight draped over it, the lion gently swished its tail, creating a picturesque scene, like a world-renowned painting.

The tourists gaped with eyes wide and mouths agape, speechless, even forgetting their exclamations for a while.

"Roar!!!!"

Suddenly, an earth-shattering roar emanated from Pride Rock, a deafening lion's bellow that soared to the heavens, like rolling thunder, as if scattering the clouds in the sky, resounding unceasingly through the air!

Roar!!!!

The other corners of the lion exhibit also echoed with roars; the lions started howling to the sky, responding to each other, just as those on the savannah would!

Hearing the profoundly shocking roar, some timid tourists' pupils contracted violently, and their faces showed signs of terror.

Su Hui couldn't help but hug Yan Ganghui's arm, as if it could provide her some sense of security.

Yan Ganghui's hands trembled, his brain also quivering, as he snapped photos non-stop!

It wasn't out of fear, but from an excited shiver!

This is the lion!

As a child, he watched The Lion King animation and wildlife documentaries; the lion was also one of his idols, and he dreamed of becoming a lion on the savannah, the mighty King of All Beasts.

As an adult, he could say his dream had come true, a programmer, an "engineer lion," if you will.

He used to clamor to his parents to take him to the zoo just to see the lions.

His parents agreed that if his grades were good, they would take him to the zoo!

However, when it came time to go to the zoo, the lion he saw was locked in a concrete cage, lacking any majestic aura he had imagined, leaving him quite disappointed. After that, he lost interest in going to the zoo.

As he grew up, this notion gradually faded, but today when he came to the zoo, he still harbored some expectations!

Now, seeing the lion on Pride Rock, bathing in the resplendent golden sunlight and roaring mightily, his long-dormant memories were suddenly awakened.

In his childhood imagination, this was exactly how a lion should be!