I have a wildlife zoo

This incident undoubtedly brought about many changes.

Because of social distancing measures, many people stayed at home and didn't go out, resulting in a significant reduction in the use of cars, buses, and trains. Within two months, the atmospheric particulate matter in the air visibly decreased, including the emissions of other pollutants.

As the air became cleaner, various respiratory diseases also became less common.

Noise pollution saw a significant decline, and birds seized the opportunity to sing to their hearts' content.

Some people discovered that they had never noticed the many birds in the city, nor had they ever heard their singing. Now, one could hear the loud songs of birds and the sound of their wings flapping throughout the day.

Many people discussed on social media whether the birds had recently become louder or whether it was an illusion born of idleness at home, with nothing else to do.

In fact, scientists have specifically studied this.

When Fang Ye was interviewed on TV, he cited the example of a person shouting to a friend across the street, which naturally becomes louder amidst the vehicular traffic.

This phenomenon has a name, called the Lombard Effect.

Researchers originally thought that if the environmental noise in the city decreased, would the birds' singing also diminish?

The research results were quite unexpected, the birds' voices not only became lower but the low pitches became deeper, their range expanded, and they conveyed more information. Some low pitches had never even been recorded before.

To anthropomorphize a bit, their chirping songs became more pleasant to the ear and more romantic.

For example, at a noisy party, one must shout to be heard, naturally leaving no mood for singing. However, in a quiet, empty garden, it is possible to convey profound discussions or tender whispers.

Even if the singing is soft, because the environment has become quiet, these songs can travel farther, reaching twice the usual distance.

Many people feel that the birdsong has become louder, but it is not that their calls are louder, rather that more bird calls can be heard—up to four times the normal amount.

This year may be the first in these birds' lives that they can communicate without straining their voices.

Not only the land but also the oceans have become quieter.

Marine ecologists say that just with the cessation of cruise ship operations, the global ocean noise immediately decreased, a phenomenon not seen in decades.

The noise generated by ships and other maritime traffic increases the stress hormone levels in marine life, which in turn affects their breeding success. Whales and dolphins even learn to stop singing when cargo ships are near and continue after the ships pass.

This year is probably the quietest and most comfortable migration period in the lives of these whales and dolphins; no need to worry about the noise of ships, no need to fear being chased, with sonar undisturbed and not losing their way.

In the words of researchers, when we hold our breath, nature breathes a sigh of relief.

Nature is an endless book, and most people have only read a few pages and think they know it all. This lack of knowledge about nature, the condescending attitude, and various prejudices are also reasons why people do not know how to treat nature kindly.

Having experienced such a disaster, it is also the best time for people to reset their attitudes and understand nature.

After the TV interview, Fang Ye had some vague ideas.

He had always planned to set up a city wildlife exhibition area, but the idea was not very mature and was slowly developing.

The native wildlife exhibition area, themed on the animals living on the land of Linhai, focused more on capturing the historical changes of the animals, their past conditions, the changes they have undergone, how they are now, and provoking thought about their future.

The city wildlife exhibition area, however, would be themed on the relationship between the city's wildlife and humans.

There are actually many wild animals in the city that are very close to people; it's just that normally, people do not pay attention to them.

Like the bats during this incident, people knew very little about bats and had never noticed their presence in the city.

I don't know why they look like this, what to do when encountering bats.

In special situations, they might make the wrong responses.

It is the responsibility of the zoo to stand up and proactively educate the public so they can have an objective and rational understanding of these animals and dispel myths through scientific popularization.

Most animals like bats have never received the attention they deserve, but their role in the ecosystem is irreplaceable.

In the future, when building urban animal exhibit areas, we might include a bat exhibit.

But that will have to wait for the pandemic to end, given the current sensitive climate.

There are also issues such as bird strikes, and stray cats and dogs, which are common problems in cities.

The urban animal exhibit area is currently focusing on these aspects. It aims to prompt visitors to reflect on how to coexist with these animals around them, how to build a better ecological city, and make the environment they live in more beautiful.

...

The zoo is desolate!

There were already few visitors, and then we received a notice from the higher-ups to close the park in January.

The announcement was released simultaneously on the official WeChat account and Weibo, with online ticket buyers offered refunds.

The zoo's fans also expressed their understanding and support.

"I won't ask for a refund for the ticket I've already bought, don't starve the animals!"

"When you reopen, I'll come to see the cute little animals, everything will get better."

"Hang in there, let's get through this tough time together! If you're short on money, remember to call on us to donate."

The comments are still very heartwarming.

Linhai Zoo is still quite financially secure, able to last for a good half a year without any problems, far from being in such a dire situation that it requires donations for support.

However, the animals in the zoo are becoming lonely without visitors, which has led to problems!

Animals like Carslan, who often interacts with visitors, is the zoo's most beautiful alpaca, with pure white fur, large eyes, and long eyelashes, and she is a favorite among the visitors.

Usually surrounded by crowds of people, there is always a bunch of visitors around her taking photos and feeding her.

Carslan gives off the impression of being elegant with an aristocratic demeanor, rarely taking food from others, because she is usually the first to be fed every day.

Now she seems depressed, finding food tasteless and lacking appetite, always gazing wistfully in the direction of the zoo plaza.

Why have the visitors stopped coming? Didn't they all like me?

The other alpacas, due to the alpaca walking activity, could occasionally go out for a stroll, nibble on some grass by the roadside, see some fresh scenery, and greet other animals. But now, they can only sulk in their enclosures, visibly uncomfortable.

They all appear somewhat unhappy.

Of course, there are those completely unaffected, Brother Aotian still adopts his cool demeanor every day, gazing into the distance, quite disdainful of his companions' behavior.

傲天,with its independent nature, is unfazed by the solitude.