I have a wildlife zoo

Otter exhibit.

When we arrived, an otter just happened to be crouching beside a fallen tree trunk, arching its back, tapping its feet on a stone twice, and something thin and long also fell from beneath its buttocks.

Afterward, its hind feet scratched the ground quickly, covering the feces with soil, while the sharp tail also swung along, sweeping twice.

Sneaking under the trunk, it turned back to sniff, changed direction, and continued to scratch the soil with its hind feet, the tail sweeping to and fro, then dashed away in a flash.

"This is the first time I've seen an otter poop!"

"Such a warm welcome for us."

Fang Ye laughed, "Otters can defecate on land and in water, and they typically have some fixed defecation spots on land!

In the wild, camera traps have captured leopard cats, red foxes, Thorold's deer, wolves, and stray cats, stray dogs, all within the otter's activity range. Many times, they are there to lick the otter's feces.

Because the otter's feces contain salt residues, which can supplement their intake of salt."

"Holy shit! That's some strong taste."

Fang Ye said, "That goes to show the relationships among animals are more complex and close-knit than we imagine. The disappearance of one animal could unknowingly have what kinds of impacts."

The otter exhibit has a varied landscape, with a complex network of horizontal logs and vegetation, where the otters burrow through and climb up and down, enjoying themselves immensely.

In the pond, one moment you can see an otter's head surface, the next it dives underwater.

There's also a gravel-filled shallow where an otter lies on its back, to the sky, turning a smooth river stone over and over in its paws.

This is one of their favorite pastimes.

"Wow, they seem to be having so much fun!"

"They've even polished the stone!"

"Treasure hunters, but you can't do it like this, it smells like underarms!"

"I remember otters use stones to crack open shells!"

Fang Ye explained, "Otters play with stones, but using stones to smash shells is a characteristic behavior of sea otters! Otters and sea otters are two animals people often confuse.

The most typical feature of a sea otter is floating on its back, drifting on the surface, hugging shells, sea urchins, or their own young in their arms.

Because they live in the sea and often dive for food, they are quite round, with a layer of fur that is both warm and appears fluffy and full of air. Moreover, adult sea otters will coat their fur with oil, improving its waterproof qualities, which is why you see them with their floating posture on the sea surface.

Another characteristic behavior is using stones to smash shells and other sea products.

Otters just live by the water and don't stay in it for long periods, so their fur isn't as fluffy, looking sleek, shiny, and streamlined. Their bodies are agile and swift in the water.

Their tails are also different; sea otters have flat tails, like paddles, which can help them turn in the water, while otters have sharp, conical tails."

For these two easily confused animals, there are also explanatory panels in the otter exhibit to help visitors distinguish between them.

Having toured the otter exhibit, we came out of the native wildlife area.

Fang Ye asked, "What does everyone want to see next?"

"Director, didn't you say you brought in a whale-headed stork? Let's go see the whale-headed stork!"

"Okay!"

Waterfowl Lake.

In summer, the lotuses by the shore bloom like sunflowers, with pink and white petals unfurled, revealing their beautiful hearts and blossoming boldly.

Now that autumn has arrived, they have withered, and the petals have fallen on the water's surface, exposing the lotus pods.

However, the floating petals, undulating with the ripples, also add a unique view to Waterfowl Lake.

Every so often, you can see black and white swans gliding across the sky above Waterfowl Lake, contrasting against the blue sky and white clouds, flying gracefully in circles.

At this moment, on the grass across the lake, a family of black swans is flapping their wings, as if warming up for something.

"Hee~Hee~"

The pleasant and loud calls resonate.

The young black swans had grown over three months and now had progressed past the fluffy cygnet stage, their plumage turning to black.

The Old Mages gathered to watch and photograph, engaging in spirited discussion, "Looks like they're about to fly, eh?"

"They must be!"

With preparations complete, the adult black swans raised their necks high and let out a couple of proud calls before striding toward the lake shore.

The little swans followed in small groups, some flapping their wings as they walked, seemingly eager to take flight!

"Make way, make way! Don't block them!"

"Don't stand so close!"

The Old Mages consciously stood to the sides, managing the order in passing.

The black swan family made a splash as they entered the water and, with necks bending and stretching, appeared to be communicating something with each other.

They then swam in a neat line forward, passing through the emerald lotus leaves by the shore.

After swimming for a while, they changed formation into an inverted triangle.

"Fly, fly!"

"Let Little Joy lead the flight!"

It was unclear how the Old Mages had come up with their names.

Fang Ye patted a Mage on the shoulder and asked curiously, "Which one is Little Joy?"

The Old Mage was eagerly anticipating the swans' flight and was a bit displeased by the interruption!

But when he turned his head and saw Fang Ye, his expression softened into a smile, "Oh, the Director! This is live!"

He enthusiastically explained, "Little Joy is the eldest of Black 2 and Winter Rain's family, the big brother of these little ones, the biggest in size, quite mature, and also the first to master the skill of flying. In recent days, we often see Little Joy leading his brothers and sisters in flight practice."

As he spoke, Little Joy lifted its upper body in the water, stretched its neck, and under the sunshine, spread its wings to reveal the normally hidden white feathers!

Seeing this, he momentarily forgot about engaging with Fang Ye and quickly raised his camera, finding the best angle to shoot, excitedly announcing, "It's going to fly, it's going to fly!"

Little Joy rapidly trod the water, stretching its neck forward in a straight line, its red-flat bill connecting with its neck and body, resembling a poised arrow ready to launch!

Even though its eyes were not visible, one could feel a certain determination radiating from it.

Its wings began to beat, the frequency gradually picking up, and it strode forth, its feet splashing through the waves.

Gradually leaving the surface of the water, it took to the skies!

The wind swirled the lotus leaves and reeds, brilliant golden sunshine poured down, and the water shimmered. Little Joy soared above the water's surface, painting a beautiful picture.

"Wow!"

The tourists by the lake exclaimed in unison!

Following Little Joy's takeoff, its younger brothers and sisters also flapped their wings and flew into the air!

One of them, not as skilled, did fly, but its feet kept tapping the water's surface, needing a kick to accompany every few wing beats, trailing at the very end.

Wait for me, wait for me!

After chasing for a while, its wing strength waned, leading it to fall back into the water with a splash.

The online viewers were thrilled.

"They even fly in formation; they're like a squadron of fighter jets."

"So cool!"

"One of them isn't doing too well."

The little black swans weren't flying very high, just one or two meters above the water's surface, and after a short flight, they all gradually landed.

Little Joy had even learned the adults' landing technique, placing its webbed feet gently on the surface as it approached landing, gliding for a distance and stirring up a lovely white spray.