I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 692 - 691: Dolphin Stranding?

After admiring the butterfly exhibit he had designed, Fang Ye was quite satisfied!

Once it was actually built, and butterflies danced among the flowers, the scene would definitely be beautiful.

However, even if the exhibit was finished, he would have to wait until the temperature rose in February or March and the spring flowers bloomed before the caterpillars emerged from their cocoons as butterflies, and only then could the butterfly exhibit officially open.

Having set up a good display of local animals and with the certificate from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, he could consider introducing some rare foreign animals!

The first animal Fang Ye thought of was the koala!

Koalas are also very popular animals, superstars of the animal kingdom.

With their plump bodies, round heads, and honest, cute looks, they hang motionless in the trees all day, giving off a lazy vibe.

Although their numbers in Australia are still fairly robust, as a national treasure and symbol of the country, the difficulty of bringing them in is extreme.

Like giant pandas, they are only for rent, not for sale, and the number lent out is strictly controlled.

Ordinary zoos generally don't have the capacity to keep koalas; they would need to regularly air-ship fresh eucalyptus leaves from Australia, which could mean an annual living cost of three to four million yuan.

Alternatively, they could establish a hundred-acre eucalyptus plantation to ensure logistics, either way, it's very expensive!

Previously, only two zoos in the country had koalas.

The koalas at the capital city zoo died several years ago, and attempts to bring them in again have never been approved.

A few years ago, Australia experienced massive bushfires, and the koalas' natural habitat was greatly reduced. Now it's even more difficult to bring them in.

However, as a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Linhai Zoo might have a chance to bring in a few.

If they could get koalas, of course, they would also bring in some kangaroos. Kangaroo husbandry is much simpler, and captive breeding is relatively mature. They could just buy a few from other domestic zoos.

Fang Ye started making contact with Australian zoos.

...

Approaching noon, Fang Ye sat at the cafeteria table ready to eat and casually checked his phone.

He saw someone had shared a TikTok video in the Zoo Practical Knowledge Group!

The background was a muddy seaside flat with large and small turbid mud pits, sunlight shining into the pits, producing a dazzling glow.

The camera panned, showing several animals with smooth black skin lying in the mud pits, their dorsal fins exposed, motionless.

The person filming exclaimed, "Damn, so many dolphins are stranded!"

"Ah, it really tugs at the heart."

Fang Ye shook his head and showed the video to Lan Li.

Lan Li's face showed a look of pity, "These dolphins look so pitiful!"

Fang Ye sighed and said, "Dolphin strandings are happening more and more often now. I saw one the other month, too."

Lan Li couldn't help but ask, "Why is that?"

Although Fang Ye didn't plan on keeping whales or dolphins at the zoo, due to the Chinese river dolphin still existing on Blue Planet, he had seriously studied related knowledge!

He explained, "The cause of whale and dolphin strandings isn't entirely clear, but marine biologists typically believe there are several reasons.

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Natural reasons include them chasing fish shoals into shallow waters during feeding or being weak from injury or old age and becoming trapped by the tide, accidentally stranding themselves.

Dolphin strandings are becoming more frequent, and, of course, there's more human impact.

Global warming, resulting in climate and ocean current changes, is causing them to alter their migration routes, leading to an increase in getting lost."

Pollution and toxins generated by agricultural and industrial production are transferred through the food chain and ingested by cetaceans, especially during algal blooms that cause red tides. These toxic substances accumulate in the bodies of cetaceans, poisoning and even killing them.

Various man-made chemicals also flow into the ocean, causing pollution that can lead to deformities in the fetuses of marine mammals, abnormal development of the nervous system, and an inability to orient accurately.

Furthermore, the increasing number of ships and underwater equipment raises the likelihood of collisions, while sonar can affect the echolocation systems of cetaceans, damage their hearing, and cause them to lose direction, ultimately stranding them on beaches.

Moreover, cetaceans are social animals, and some species sometimes form large groups, with individuals acting as guides, like the pilot whale groups. If the guide gets lost, and the rest of the group doesn't stop in time or tries to rescue a companion, they can all end up stranded."

"Oh~"

As he was speaking, Fang Ye saw someone mentioning him in the group.

Little Dolphin: "@Fang Ye, Zoo Director Fang, this is happening near Linhai, isn't it?"

Clouded Leopard: "Does Zoo Director Fang have any news?"

Fang Ye's eyes widened as he blurted out: "Damn! This is in Linhai!"

Lan Li also exclaimed in shock: "Ah!?"

The trouble had come to their own doorstep!

He quickly checked Douyin, and in the comments below, someone was asking where it was filmed. The uploader replied it was Linhai, and others were suggesting to promptly inform the police and concerned departments.

Nowadays, when people encounter anything, their first instinct is to take a video.

Last time they went to Xining to rescue the snow leopard, it was the same. The video of the snow leopard spread in local groups first, and then they contacted Zoo Director Qi.

Immediately after, Fang Ye's phone rang with a call from an old acquaintance, Officer Wang.

His voice sounded quite anxious: "Hello, Zoo Director Fang, there's a big situation! A group of dolphins is stranded in the East District. We need your zoo's professional support!"

Fang Ye said solemnly: "I'm aware! I just saw the video. Let's prepare, and I'll bring people over immediately."

"Hurry up, our police cars are also heading to the zoo to escort you! Let us know if you need anything!"

Fang Ye thought for a moment and replied: "Cetaceans can overheat very easily, and they must stay in the water. It's the middle of the day now, and being exposed to the direct sun in the air could be too much for them. They might not hold on until we arrive, so ask the nearby people to prop up umbrellas and pour water on them!

Right, I need to find out the exact type of dolphins. There's only an outline in the video, so I can't tell. Are there any more photos?"

"I'll send you the number of the person who reported it immediately!"

Fang Ye indicated he was the director of Linhai Zoo, and he quickly added the person on WeChat!

He received a few close-up photos, sent them to Little Dolphin in the Zoo Practical Knowledge Group via private chat: "Brother Dolphin, urgent! I need a consultation. What is this? What should we prepare for the rescue?"

"Little Dolphin" runs an aquarium and is experienced and specialized in this field.

After a brief examination, he said: "This is a melon-headed whale! Look at its head, there's a blowhole, and the head is pointed, shaped like a melon."

He then sent a lengthy voice message with detailed instructions on what to prepare for the rescue.

The system prompt also suddenly sounded: "Ding, a new task has been released!"

[

Task: Rescue melon-headed whale (0/7)

Task time: 8 hours

Description: A group of migrating melon-headed whales is trapped in the shallows, their lives hanging by a thread!

Reward: The task reward will depend on the completion rate of the rescue mission—the more successfully rescued, the better the reward!

]