I have a wildlife zoo

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Aside from the mating of lions, there were plenty of other matters in the zoo that needed attention.

The rescue center!

Fang Ye and Lin Ying hid behind the shelter of Maymay's enclosure, stealthily peering in.

Maymay's mouth had swollen from bumping into the railing during a frantic escape and had not been able to eat anything since.

Fang Ye had discussed with the veterinary team about trying to feed her some corn porridge, but Maymay, whether unable to eat the porridge or just disinterested in it, hadn't eaten for days!

These past few days, she only drank water, a lot of water, but didn't eat a thing.

So they tried throwing in some steamed buns, vegetable leaves, and even chopped apple today—essentially various things to try feeding her.

Fang Ye stroked his chin, pondering, and said in a worried whisper, "Is the injury that severe? It's been days without eating, if she continues not to eat, could she starve to death?"

Pigs have a very big appetite!

Haven't eaten for several days, Maymay did not seem to be in good spirits, lying listlessly in a corner, though her snoring was still loud.

Lin Ying speculated, "Could it be a fracture in the jaw? Maybe we should take an X-ray to check."

Fang Ye sighed softly, "Yeah, if it really comes down to it, we'll have to do an X-ray."

In cases like this, it's generally best to let the animal recover naturally!

X-rays and examinations definitely require anesthesia, and if surgery is needed, anesthesia will be required again. Given her already poor health, what if she dies under anesthesia?

As they spoke, they suddenly noticed Maymay move!

She got up from the ground, walked to where the food was thrown near the door, "huffing and puffing" with her nose, and then reluctantly opened her mouth, "awoo awoo," making a painful sound similar to a dog's bark, and began to nibble the apple, starting to eat in small bites.

She ate while making uncomfortable cries, but at least she could eat!

A smile spread across Fang Ye's face, "Oh! She's eating, she's eating!"

Lin Ying couldn't help but clench her fists, watching Maymay intently with a nervous expression, "Nice, keep it up! I shall call you the persevering pig!"

Maymay took an extremely long time to eat her meal, even a few small pieces of apple took an age to be consumed; after eating a few bites and gasping for air, she rested a while before continuing her meal.

Being able to feed herself indicated that her injury was gradually healing! Healing on her own was definitely better than undergoing surgery.

After secretly watching for a long time, Fang Ye and Lin Ying quietly withdrew.

Lin Ying said cheerfully, "Director, if that's the case, we don't need to consider X-rays for now. We'll just observe her for a few more days."

"Yes!" As Lin Ying was about to leave, Fang Ye called her back, "Wait a moment, there's another thing. How is Chocolate doing now? Is she ready to be released into the wild?"

Lin Ying was somewhat downcast, "Chocolate, well, she could have been released into the wild long ago!"

Naturally, a bird of prey also needs to be evaluated by veterinarians for health and behavior before being released into the wild. Before the last release attempt, observing Chocolate's behavior revealed nothing unusual; when humans approached, she would puff up like a ball and clap her beak, a typical wild display for a Eurasian eagle-owl.

Yet despite a positive assessment, she failed to fly during the release.

It was so strange!

Lin Ying spoke seriously, "Maybe there was a misjudgment last time, but for sure there's no issue this time! Lately, Chocolate has been able to hunt live food normally and seems to long for the sky. It feels like she can be released, but to be safe, we can observe her a few more days."

Fang Ye was resolute, "If it's possible, then let's release her tonight! We can't let her scrounge for food and drink any longer."

During their conversation, the two arrived at the enclosure of the Eurasian eagle-owl.

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The aviary was empty and deserted, which meant that in broad daylight, they'd surely be hiding inside the little house.

The small house hanging on the fence of the enclosure served the same purpose as natural tree holes and rock crevices in the wild.

Whenever staff members entered, if they saw the Eurasian eagle-owl standing proudly outside, they would chase it with a stick, scare it for a while, drive it into a corner to catch it, and only stop once they put it into the small house.

The intention was to teach it that it should hide upon seeing people, that it couldn't just stand around brazenly during the day, and instead had to hide inside tree holes.

It seemed that upon hearing Fang Ye's voice, Chocolate squinted sleepily from within the little house, then opened its eyes alertly and raised its two ear tufts, warily pulling its head back inside.

So, you brought someone to scare me again, huh!

Being harassed by a stick every day and living in constant fear, Chocolate was somewhat fed up!

It had thought that coming to the zoo meant a life of luxury, but it turned out to be even less comfortable than the wild.

"Chocolate? Chocolate?"

Fang Ye called out with a smile, and upon seeing it just peeping through the entrance of the little house, he said contentedly, "Good! You've made great progress!"

Lin Ying's eyes lit up when she saw a dark brown feather with black stripes that had fallen under the perch in the middle of the cage, and she walked in through the door.

Picking up the feather, she smiled and said, "Not bad, another one! Mr. Zoo Director, I'll be leaving then!"

Fang Ye nodded and replied, "Yeah, go ahead!"

He knew that Lin Ying was eager to deal with this feather.

For birds of prey, the most important ability to survive in the competitive wild is to fly, and feathers directly determine the quality of their flight capabilities.

Especially the primary flight feathers and tail feathers, which control vital functions such as flight direction, propulsion, and braking. If any of these feathers were broken, even if the bird could still fly, it wouldn't be able to survive.

Therefore, for raptor rehabilitation, preserving their feathers can establish a feather bank to aid conspecifics and same-aged raptors that cannot return to the wild due to feather damage.

The feathers in the feather bank come from birds of prey that died after being trapped in bird nets or those naturally shed during molt by raptors raised in the zoo or rescued at rehabilitation centers.

Lin Ying had also just started learning feather crafting, and with such a rare opportunity to practice, she was thrilled and scurried away with the feather in hand.

...

At night!

After darkness fell, Chocolate became active and flew out of the little house to perch in the middle of the aviary.

"Hoo~ Hoo~"

It started with a tentative deep call, followed by a series of weird noises, like a sinister, ghostly laugh.

"Ka, ka, ka, ka, ka..."

Fang Ye, Lan Li, and Lin Ying also came over. To avoid making Chocolate too nervous, Lan Li and Lin Ying stayed back at a distance, observing from afar.

Lin Ying, of course, came over to observe and take notes, while Lan Li was dragged along by her to join in on the commotion.

Seeing Fang Ye approaching, Chocolate seemed wary, hesitating whether to go back into the little house or not.

Fang Ye carefully opened the roof from outside the aviary using a rope.

Then, pointing at the ceiling, he said softly with a laugh, "Don't be scared, you are free now!"

Chocolate glanced at him with its big round eyes, flapped its wings, and soundlessly flew out through the roof, turning into a small shadow under the silver moonlight, blending into the dark night in the distance.