I have a wildlife zoo

At this moment, on the lawn, one could see the figures of four adult green peafowls.

Each of the two families was out with their little ones, the males patrolling around, occasionally lifting their heads to look around.

Green peafowls are wilder, more cautious, and have worse tempers than blue peafowls.

Especially during the mating season in spring, the males would call out loudly every day, using their calls to confirm their territories with each other and to attract females at the same time.

During the breeding season, green peafowls are highly territorial. Young males might invade other males' territories to challenge for those areas, or for mating rights, necessitating the intervention of their owner to prevent an inevitable fight.

When fighting, the two peafowls would move around like martial arts masters, circling each other, fluttering their wings, waiting for the opportunity to leap, aiming pecks and sharp spurs on the backs of their heels to attack until one concedes defeat and flees.

Therefore, the two male green peafowls each occupied their separate territories, and it was unusual to see them in the same frame.

But peafowls are naturally social animals!

Once the breeding season was over and the youngsters were grown to a certain age, different peafowl families would come together again to collectively defend against danger, alert each other of threats, and repel intruders. During sleep, they would also cluster together.

The Peahen Mother finished grooming her feathers and hopped down from the tree trunk, and the little peafowls followed suit.

Seeing the animal keeper throw a handful of chopped vegetable leaves onto the grass ahead, they dashed over with quick little legs "whoosh whoosh whoosh", competing for the food, fast as thieves.

The Peahen Mother, however, walked with elegant steps, not hurrying at all.

Fang Ye was pleased to see the healthy and robust growth of the little green peafowls.

"Tsk tsk, the gloss on the feathers of these green peafowls is truly incomparable!"

Fan Peng exclaimed in admiration, as if remembering something, and took out his phone to snap a couple of pictures.

Li Xing watched intently, with an expression of joy, "Such elegance in their demeanor."

Seeing the two looking fondly at the green peafowls, Fang Ye smiled and said, "How about I send you a tail feather later?"

Li Xing expressed surprise, "Wouldn't plucking it out hurt the peafowl? No, no need!"

Fang Ye and Fan Peng burst into laughter, leaving Li Xing utterly confused!

Fang Ye explained, "After the breeding season, the males shed their feathers, blue and green peafowls alike…"

During this time, one could often find "big eyes" scattered on the lawn.

For several weeks in summer, the tail feathers of the peafowls would look uneven as they shed quite a bit.

They wouldn't all fall out at once, but rather in turns.

By the time they have fully regrown, it will be the next spring, and when it's time for courtship, the peafowls would display themselves in their prime condition.

So, the tail feathers for sale near some zoos' peafowl enclosures are not torn from the birds' tails, but are naturally shed and do not harm the peafowls.

He doesn't plan to sell them as souvenirs for now; he's sent two to Xinghe University and is keeping the rest.

"Oh~"

After hearing Fang Ye's explanation, Li Xing laughed somewhat sheepishly!

Initially feeling that such a gift might be too precious, Li Xing was planning to decline, but considering that the feathers are replaced every year, eventually decided to accept it.

For if one missed this opportunity, there might not be another.

Fang Ye asked the animal keeper to fetch the tail feathers, and Fan Peng took one in his hands, examining it lovingly and unable to let go.

The tail feathers of the green peafowl shimmered like jade, refracting a layer of elegant, profound gold in the sunlight—stunningly beautiful!

He exclaimed, "The tail feathers of the green peafowl, these could be a family heirloom! Must be well preserved."

Upon leaving the bird enclosure, Li Xing said, "Zoo Director Fang, thank you for your gift. Shall we head out now? I'm going back to adjust the sound frequency, hoping to get the two gibbons to matchmake successfully at the earliest."

"Are you in a hurry? Have you booked your flight tickets back home yet?"

"Not yet! We didn't expect to record the love song so smoothly before coming."

Fang Ye warmly invited, "Then there's no need to rush. How about soaking in a hot spring? Our zoo's hot spring hotel is widely praised by tourists. We can also talk about the stories of the gibbons."

Fan Peng was astonished; what kind of zoo was this, to even have a hot spring!

He thought Fang Ye was joking during their WeChat conversation.

He hurriedly waved his hands to decline, "No, no, talking about the stories of the gibbons is fine, but let's really skip the hot spring."

In the guest room, sitting on the sofa, Fang Ye took out a can of homemade rice wine from the mini-fridge and said with a smile, "I brewed it myself, try some!"

He poured a cup for each of them.

Li Xing took a sip and felt the taste fresh and fragrant, with a mild hint of alcohol, cooling and pleasant, seemingly lightening his mood considerably.

He praised, "Delicious!"

After tasting a sip of the rice wine, Fan Peng also opened up and slowly began to speak.

After completing his Ph.D., he decided to study the evolutionary history of gibbon mating and chose the hoolock gibbon as his research subject—a research endeavor that lasted for over a decade.

Studying the hoolock gibbons of Gaoligong Mountain, he found they lacked the white beard of the eastern hoolock gibbon. Was this individual variation or a difference in the population?

Further research confirmed that, in terms of morphology, genetics, and dentition among many aspects, they were significantly divergent from the eastern hoolock and needed new nomenclature.

After much thought, he felt the need for a name that would resonate, strike awe, and draw more attention to this species.

Finally, he chose a very cool name: Skywalker hoolock gibbon.

First of all, the gibbon is a typical arboreal animal, spending its lifetime in trees, and wild gibbons do not come down from the trees.

"Skywalker" aptly describes their lifestyle in the forest canopy, moving agilely through the trees.

It also leeches off the popularity of Luke Skywalker, the legendary character from "Star Wars," drawing global attention.

In Chinese, there is also the saying, "As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-perfection," which aligns with Daoist beliefs in natural law and resonates with current ideas on wildlife and environmental conservation.

On the other hand, gibbons, living apart from human strife and never damaging crops, have been considered "gentlemen" since the Han and Tang dynasties, and there is hope that this species will persist and survive tenaciously in the natural world.

Fang Ye nodded, "Indeed, it's a great name! It sounds very powerful at first hear."

Then, Fan Peng continued with stories from his research journey.

When he first started his studies, he knew nothing about them—where they were or how many there might be.

In the 1990s, his mentor had conducted a survey on hoolock gibbons, estimating about 50-100 groups, roughly 200 individuals, but the survey was not comprehensive. Back then, they used mules and horses to carry supplies for fieldwork, food was limited, and many remote areas were out of reach.

By the time he started his research, they conducted a thorough survey of the potential hoolock gibbon habitats and discovered only 30 groups, with 8 or 9 groups added based on interviews with locals who had heard their calls—an optimistic estimate was less than 200 individuals.

Many places with previous records had no gibbons left when revisited; areas known for about 20 groups yielded only about 10 upon investigation. It was clear that many small populations had become locally extinct, and the decline in numbers was sharply evident.