Chapter 160: Chapter 726: The Mating Season of the Pallas's Cat
With the zoo closed to visitors, Fang Ye spent his days streaming live, interacting with the animals.
When not streaming, he would water the plants, tend to the garden, read a book on the lounge chair in the yard, or scroll through his phone, living a very leisurely life.
Fang Ye was engrossed in a book about marine animals when he heard a soft voice beside him.
"Open your mouth."
It was autumn and winter, the season for oranges, and they were at their sweetest during this time.
Lan Li peeled an orange segment and gently brought it to his mouth.
Fang Ye obediently opened his mouth: "Ah~"
His body leaned towards Lan Li, but the orange moved further away bit by bit.
Fang Ye snapped back to reality and saw Lan Li covering her mouth, giggling. He sighed, "Aren't you being childish?"
"I saw you were so focused on your book, I wanted to tease you a bit."
"You've really picked up some bad habits."
"I learned them from you."
Lan Li laughed sweetly and stopped teasing him, bringing the orange segment to his mouth.
Oranges were one of Fang Ye's favorite fruits, and the ones just taken out of the fridge had a slight chill, enhancing their taste.
Taking a bite, the sweet and tangy, cool flavor burst in his mouth, lifting his spirits.
"How is it? Tasty?"
"Very tasty."
Fang Ye took the orange and smiled, "Here, have a piece too."
Lan Li ate a piece of the orange, and the two of them looked at each other, faces full of smiles.
Hua Hua lay on Fang Ye's lap, curled up like a fat chicken leg, lazily basking in the sun.
Seeing Fang Ye and Lan Li looking so sweet, Hua Hua rolled over in exasperation.
Sigh, I'm just a harmless little cat, but you two are really something.
You show off your love in front of me every day without considering my feelings at all.
A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the Pallas's cats started their mating season.
The Pallas's cat was a key focus of the zoo's breeding program this year. Fang Ye had multiple discussions with Director Qi about it.
Breeding Pallas's cats is extremely difficult, even more so than breeding giant pandas.
As a national treasure, giant pandas receive a lot of attention and research, with many breeding centers accumulating a wealth of experience from numerous mating attempts.
However, there are very few zoos, both domestically and internationally, that keep Pallas's cats, providing little reference material. Moreover, the breeding practices in the US and Europe differ significantly, requiring continuous exploration and practice to find what works best.
Director Xi's initial attempts at breeding Pallas's cats failed due to a lack of funds, even unable to afford surveillance cameras, making it hard to identify and summarize problems without video footage.
In recent years, surveillance cameras were installed in the Pallas's cat enclosure, inner quarters, and breeding nest boxes, collecting valuable data and learning from failures, allowing the breeding efforts to make some progress.
The biggest challenge in breeding Pallas's cats is undoubtedly toxoplasmosis.
While the incidence of toxoplasmosis is low in the wild, Pallas's cat cubs are particularly susceptible to this parasite, which is common in domestic cats and can easily be fatal to the cubs.
Therefore, keepers must undergo strict disinfection procedures every time they enter or leave the Pallas's cat enclosure, and the cats must be medicated before breeding.
Additionally, Pallas's cats are highly sensitive and prone to stress, which manifests as nest-moving behavior.
When Sun Shang Xiang gave birth, she was disturbed by something and kept moving her cubs in her mouth, trying to find a new nest.
She carried the cubs around the enclosure several times, even jumping up and down, making Director Qi nervous as he watched the surveillance, fearing she might accidentally kill the cubs.
During the birthing period, Pallas's cats are extremely vigilant. The moment a keeper left the monitoring room and entered the corridor, Sun Shang Xiang would hear it and return to guard her cubs, leaving no chance to take them out for artificial rearing.
During the rearing period, there were issues like diarrhea and bloody stools. If forced to intervene, Sun Shang Xiang might even risk her life.
Sensitive and fragile, desensitization training had little effect on them.
The cubs were also very delicate, often suffering from various issues, vomiting, and diarrhea.
If a cub died, removing the dead body from the nest required a well-thought-out plan, involving a battle of wits with Sun Shang Xiang.
These problems were relatively easier for Fang Ye to handle.
The Pallas's cat enclosure had a high-altitude simulator, and he had won parasite-killing pills in a lottery that had no toxic side effects, ensuring the health of the cats and minimizing the impact of toxoplasmosis.
If the Pallas's cats experienced stress, he could come over and pacify them.
However, he still absorbed the breeding experiences from Director Xi and made thorough preparations.
Sun Da Sheng and Sun Yuan Xiao were in good condition, possibly more lively than usual due to the lack of visitors.
On the morning of February 10th.
Sun Da Sheng approached Sun Yuan Xiao's nest to court her, but she refused.
Sun Yuan Xiao disliked Sun Da Sheng, who often bullied her for food and scared her, relying on his strength.
You bully me all the time and now want to mate with me? Dream on!
She didn't want to stay with Sun Da Sheng. If there were other Pallas's cats to choose from, she would never pick this awful guy.
Seeing his courtship fail, Sun Da Sheng tried to force it, but Sun Yuan Xiao resisted fiercely!
She quickly ran up a tree in the enclosure, taking a high vantage point, ready to strike if Sun Da Sheng tried to climb up.
Sun Da Sheng, showing patience, paced under the tree all afternoon, unwilling to give up, making even the keepers uncomfortable.
After reporting the situation, they temporarily separated Sun Da Sheng, advising him, "Da Sheng, forcing it won't make it sweet!"
Sun Da Sheng was reluctant, thinking, "It may not be sweet, but it quenches my thirst!"
With Sun Da Sheng removed, Sun Yuan Xiao finally came down to eat and drink.
During the New Year.
Due to the pandemic, Fang Ye spent the New Year in Linhai, having a meal at Lan Li's house.
Lan Li helped cook several dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner. With her free time, she had been honing her culinary skills, trying new dishes every day, and her cooking had improved significantly.
Fang Ye felt he had gained a few pounds recently.
They watched the Spring Festival Gala for a while, though there weren't many interesting programs.
However, watching the Spring Festival Gala had become a tradition, a way to feel the festive atmosphere.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, they bid farewell to Lan Li's parents and returned to the zoo.
Fang Ye sat on the sofa, scrolling through his phone, sending New Year greetings to friends.
"Director Qi, Happy New Year!"
Director Qi replied with a cupped hands emoji: "Happy New Year, Director Fang! How are Sun Da Sheng and Sun Yuan Xiao doing recently?"
Fang Ye scrolled through his phone and sent two photos of the Pallas's cats: "Hehe, a few days ago, Sun Da Sheng tried to force himself on Sun Yuan Xiao, but it didn't work!"
"Haha, that's normal. Sun Simiao is also a scoundrel. Last year, right after Sun Shang Xiang gave birth, he was already fooling around with Sun Xiao Man outside, making Sun Shang Xiang so angry she almost couldn't keep the cubs."
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