I have a wildlife zoo

It wasn't just the alpacas that had a problem!

The penguins, who were used to being watched by people, seemed quite puzzled when they couldn't see the familiar visitors.

They would look around from their stone platforms, trying to spot the shadows of the visitors.

Visitors~ visitors~ where have you all gone~

In fact, the penguins weren't exactly lonely; they were just used to the presence of visitors, and it took some time to get accustomed to their absence.

Other animals like giraffes, elephants, lions, and tigers showed similar signs, always standing still, looking towards the viewing areas, wondering when visitors would appear.

Not all animals felt downcast with the lack of visitors, though.

Waterfowl Lake's birds, such as pelicans, enjoyed themselves thoroughly, eating when it was time to eat, flying for a bit when they felt like it, swimming when they got tired, or basking in the sun on their perches, and they would still curiously peck at something passing by. Sometimes they would peck at a swan's head, inevitably leading to a major scuffle.

There wasn't much difference in their behavior compared to when visitors were around.

Some animals were even happier and more comfortable, like the red pandas and giant pandas.

Hawthorn and Brown Sugar, the two cubs, usually played near their parents and got startled by the stares of the visitors.

Now they were much livelier, running around the grass, using Red Bean as a horse saddle, and playing leapfrog on Red Bean's back.

Cloud and Zhuangzhuang ate well, slept soundly, and played happily every day.

Once upon a time, the two giant pandas "Yingying" and "Lele" from Ocean Park Hong Kong tried to mate for 9 years in a row, starting from the age of 5 when they were capable of mating, but each year they failed. However, when the park closed due to the pandemic, they mated successfully on their own.

From this, it's obvious that the visitors' observation and noisy sounds actually caused quite a disturbance to the giant pandas, who prefer quiet and solitude.

There are also many other animals that are not willing to mate in front of visitors. So, some zoos would put them in the back or at a special breeding base. During the breeding season, they would not be exhibited to visitors, providing them with a quiet environment for courtship.

This closure might also be an opportunity; perhaps Cloud and Zhuangzhuang could achieve victory on their first try and directly birth a pair of cute giant panda cubs.

The ones who were truly disheartened were the macaws!

Macaws have a high intelligence, so providing enrichment for them is also a test for the animal keepers; they constantly need to think of new ideas, otherwise, the macaws quickly grow tired of the same games.

They are also the most sociable creatures in the zoo. They once had issues when the birdhouse was temporarily closed due to the green peafowl laying eggs, demonstrating a collective depression, which scared the keepers into thinking they might be suffering from a contagious disease.

Now that they couldn't see the visitors, they were downcast again.

So Fang Ye decided to organize an entertainment event for the macaws, to have some fun with them.

During a meeting with the animal keepers, someone pointed out that there's no need to explain to the visitors, so everyone had suddenly become much more relaxed.

Besides their routine animal care and meetings, they had free time to stroll around the zoo, play cards, soak in a hot spring, or enjoy a hot pot meal.

Hearing about the opportunity for such fun, everyone discussed it excitedly.

Yang frowned, deep in thought: "An event for the macaws? How should we do it?"

He Yifei stroked his chin and laughed, "Why do I suddenly think of a school sports day."

Nie was seriously contemplating just a moment ago, but then his eyes lit up: "Hearing you say that, I suddenly have an idea. It feels like we could have the macaws participate in some of the activities from human sports days! Like a tug-of-war competition or something—simple rules, but with a competitive edge."

Xin said excitedly, "If we're talking about competitive games, soccer wouldn't be bad! We could set up goals on both sides, and whichever parrot gets the ball into the goal wins."

Bao said, "I think that might be a bit difficult! With tug-of-war, you just split the parrots into two teams, and as long as they don't run around after the start, it's fine. But with soccer, can they really understand which goal to take the ball to?"

Fang Ye laughed, "Our parrots are actually quite smart; we could consider this one! After all, the rules aren't the key point. What's important is that the parrots have fun and find joy in the game. I think both these ideas are pretty good. Does anyone else have other suggestions for games they could play?"

The macaws that had drunk spiritual water were extremely clever. With a simple explanation of the rules, they could understand them almost perfectly.

The other juniors might have a bit more difficulty understanding, but they greatly admired their leaders and were very obedient!

Just watch how the leader does it and they should be able to learn quickly by following.

"Hmm... how about a flying competition, where we set up some obstacles, and they have to fly from one point to another? See who can fly the fastest?"

"Let's add a relay race too, add some elements of cooperation! One team of parrots flies from the first point to the second one, then the next team takes the relay baton and flies to the third point!"

"That sounds a bit too far-fetched! It's just a thought, but how will the parrots understand the concept of the relay baton? They must grasp that they can only fly after they receive the baton, and which points to fly to, or else they'll just fly all over the place."

"Haha, but it does sound fun. If it could actually be done, it should be very interesting."

"Hey, I've got one too! It's similar to the soccer game—how about a bean-clipping competition? We see which parrot can clip more beans within a set time."

"Since we have so many parrots, it's best to stick to team games, right? That way, everyone can join in, and it would also be less of a hassle to track individual scores."

Everyone spoke freely, coming up with all sorts of activities, but in the end, they felt tug-of-war and soccer were the most reliable options!

As for the competition equipment, tug-of-war was simple—a rope was enough, and this was something often used for enrichment at the zoo.

The soccer game required a small ball suitable for parrots. Walnuts were a natural option, but giving walnuts to parrots was like delivering food right to them...

They could only ask the crafty animal keepers to carve a few out of wood.

...

Organizing activities for the parrots was such an interesting thing, of course, it had to be live-streamed.

Once the competition props were ready, Fang Ye called Lan Li, and they started the live stream!

"Here we go!"

"Ugh, it's so tough being stuck at home every day! I feel like I'm going to get moldy!"

"Who isn't? Now we can't even go out to have fun!"

"Only the adorable animals can soothe my wounded soul now!"

"Zoo director, do more live streams during this time. Haven't you all closed the park? You should have plenty of free time."

"Right, right, live streaming for 8 hours a day isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Fang Ye said with a smile, "During this period, it isn't just everyone who feels bored, but with the zoo closed and no visitors around, our animals also appear a bit uneasy. Especially the parrots—they're looking rather downcast.

Today, we're planning to have a competition for them to let off some steam and rediscover the fun!"