Chapter 170 The Ferocious Charcoal!
Zhang took a glove from his pocket, put it on, and took out a sheep leg from the box. He said to the visitors, "After making your way around, you should have observed quite a bit of the wolf pack's behavior. You may have noticed that wolves are animals with a strict social structure and clear ranks. When they greet each other, the lower-ranking wolves must tuck their tails to show their respect."
"So, when it comes to feeding, what behavior would you expect based on their status? Next, I will throw this sheep leg into the exhibition area, and you can all observe closely."
"Here, I must especially remind everyone that the animals' food is carefully prepared by us. Please do not feed them on your own. Last weekend, one of the older macaques in our macaque exhibition area nearly died after eating chips fed by a visitor, who has since been blacklisted by our zoo."
Although it was the chips that made White Brow feel ill and almost got him killed by Black Claws, there is a causal relationship between the two incidents, so it's not wrong to say so.
The visitors were shocked and indignant when they heard this, exclaiming, "No way, did that really happen?"
An elderly man said sternly, thumping his chest in assurance, "Rest assured, comrade animal keeper. I have visited here many times, and I know that feeding the animals is not good. We are people with standards!"
Visitors who were coming to Linhai Zoo for the first time and unaware of the rules felt a little embarrassed. They were secretly relieved that they had seen the food disposal bin at the zoo entrance and had dumped the food they had originally planned to feed to the animals. They were glad they hadn't done such a thing; otherwise, being blacklisted would have been embarrassing.
Zhuang Xiaobai felt a new appreciation for Linhai Zoo in her heart. In past zoos, she had seen animals waiting expectantly at the edge of their enclosures for visitors to throw food, which didn't look anything like how wild animals should behave.
Zhang finished admonishing the visitors and said, "Okay, I'm going to throw the sheep leg in now! Please step back a little, or it might land under the tower, which would be inconvenient for observation."
If it were to land under the tower, visitors would have to lean out from the tower and bend forward to see, which would not only be inconvenient but dangerous as well. What if someone accidentally got pushed and fell?
The visitors obediently made way, as Zhang lifted the sheep leg behind him and took a wide stance, his gaze concentrated.
He took a deep breath as if he were a barbarian about to throw a boomerang!
Whoosh~
From the 5-meter height of the observation tower, the sheep leg followed a beautiful arc through the air thanks to the height advantage, and easily landed on the grass about 10 meters away from the fence, a not too close but not too distant spot, perfect for observation.
After throwing the sheep leg, Zhang raised the whistle hanging on his chest to blow it, "Dudu~ Dudu~"
At the sound of the sharp whistle, the wolves scattered throughout the exhibit, whether playing or resting, perked up their ears and hurried down the slope towards it.
Every day when the zoo closes, to call the wolf pack back, the animal keepers use tasty meat as an attraction while blowing a whistle. So now, when the whistle blows, the wolves come running.
When the observation tower was being built, the concept of having animal keepers feed from there to allow visitors to observe the wolves feeding had been considered. Similarly, there's a balcony on the second floor of the tiger exhibit. Only animal keepers can access it, and food can be delivered into the exhibit via a pulley and rope mechanism.
The red panda exhibit's animal keepers can enter anytime to hang an apple or something similar, but for the carnivorous predators' exhibits where keepers can't enter at will, mechanisms are used to operate and make feedings showcase-ready when there are more visitors around.
Otherwise, if the meat is put out before opening, it would be all gone by the time visitors arrive.
Some zoos also have similar programs!
For instance, people can spend money to buy some meat, tie it to a rope, and let visitors stand in an elevated position to "fish" for tigers, as if they're angling.
Though this is considered a form of enrichment that increases the difficulty for the animals to obtain food and allows them to exercise more, treating predators as playthings for amusement undoubtedly does not foster respect for them among visitors.
Therefore, in order to distinguish between showcasing natural animal behaviors and entertainment performances, such feeding must not be charged for, nor should it be operated by the visitors. Meanwhile, the animal keepers should provide commentary, guiding the visitors to notice the wolves' feeding hierarchy and the tigers' climbing and jumping abilities in obtaining food.
Only then can we say it has enhanced the visitors' understanding of the animals and has played an educational role, rather than being an entertainment show disguised as educational enrichment for profit.
The visitors all looked down excitedly and anxiously, and at this moment, the nearest to the slope was Black Back!
Upon hearing the whistle, he ran over swiftly, bit into the sheep's leg, and looked up with a wary gaze. Continue your journey with empire
Zhang observed its fur and behavior, saying, "This wolf is called Black Back! Our wolves are now divided into two parts: one is the original pair, Charcoal and Mizzle, who are adult wolves, strong and robust. Some of the newly introduced wolves are plotting to join them, subtly forming a faction. Others still wander outside, without the intention to join.
"Take Black Back, for example, who is quite a character among the young wolves. He isn't very keen on joining them. Now that he has grabbed the sheep's leg, it seems like he wants to take it away and enjoy it in secrecy!"
Other wolves started running while he was explaining!
The fastest was Charcoal, whose eyes sparkled with excitement. He bared his teeth, his large tongue unrestrainedly flapping around his mouth as he leaped over rocks and logs with incredible swiftness, bringing gusts of wind with every bound!
Panting loudly!
Where was the meat! Where was it!
He had been the farthest away by the waterfall, but upon hearing the whistle, without any thought or hesitation, he ran over at top speed.
Seeing that a wolf had already snagged the sheep's leg, his eyes immediately flashed fiercely, and he showed his sharp teeth as he charged towards Black Back!
Black Back, upon seeing Charcoal's ferocious demeanor, had all the hair on his back stand on end.
Over these days of living together, the wolves in the wolf exhibit had come to know and familiarize themselves with one another quite a bit.
Without a doubt, Charcoal and Mizzle were the top dogs. Black Back felt he was no match for them. He quickly let go of the sheep's leg, lowered his head while showing his teeth, backed away, and tucked his tail between his legs, emitting a sharp bark!
His posture was tough but with an undertone of submission, somewhat reminiscent of a small-time thug in a martial arts novel, who, upon losing a fight, would bluster something like, "The green hills do not change, the green waters flow forever. Let's stop here for today; next time we meet, you'll see what's coming to you!"
You can't truly let the other think you're a fish on the chopping block, utterly powerless.
Charcoal placed one paw on the sheep's leg to claim it, his back fur also bristling, while he glared at Black Back with a menacing look, letting out a rumbling growl as if to say, "Scram! This sheep's leg is mine!"