Chapter 571: Green Peafowl Laying Eggs

After visiting the elephants, they strolled through other pavilions.

Lin Hao was quite reluctant to leave, taking many photos.

Before leaving the zoo, they planned to stop by the souvenir shop to buy some creative clothing and plush toys as gifts for when they meet up for a defense meeting and reunite with roommates.

The creative products sold at Linhai Zoo had good reviews.

The hoodies customized previously were now too hot to wear in the summer, and recently, a new batch of shirts, cool and breathable, was introduced.

Comfortable to wear oneself, they also make great gifts for others.

Passing by the alpaca enclosure, they couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight inside!

The alpacas had received a major transformation after being sheared.

There were bald styles, pony styles, square-headed styles, lady styles, and Beatles styles.

A group of oddly styled alpacas gathered together, looking hilariously adorable.

Lin Hao was drawn to an alpaca with a square-headed style. Its sheared limbs and neck appeared long and thin, topped with a squarely shaped head, making it impossible not to laugh.

He tapped Da Wu, "Look at this alpaca, it's like it walked right out of Minecraft!"

The alpaca looked at them with an innocent gaze: I'm so square!

Da Wu, unable to contain his laughter, snapped photos, "Who did the alpacas' haircuts? They're so playful!"

Lily, doubled over with laughter, exclaimed, "Ah, Aotian! Aotian, how did you turn into a horse!? My goodness, these alpacas are just too cute!"

Aotian, currently daydreaming in the activity area, heard his name being called and couldn't stop laughing, immediately turned his head, giving an unfriendly glare!

Humans, are you mocking me?

He didn't care much about the tuft of hair left on his back, but the fact that his bangs were shaved off infuriated him!

Lately, seeing visitors laugh at him would prompt him to spit at them, but today he was too tired to spit any longer.

Out of sight, out of mind, he simply ran off towards another alpaca.

And indeed, excluding the lack of a tail, its galloping did resemble a little horse!

Caslan, meanwhile, stood tall and elegant, chewing grass.

Naturally white and beautiful, the alpaca looked cute and fluffy with its thick fur.

Now shaved, it appeared much slimmer, and with rings of fur left around its neck and feet like adornments, it looked even more graceful.

Lily, regretting seeing Aotian run away, then spotted a bucktooth alpaca nearby.

She almost burst into laughter, "Bucktooth? What, going for the Beatles look now?"

Bucktooth's large front teeth were very conspicuous, making it one of the few alpacas she could recognize.

Bucktooth smiled mysteriously!

It leisurely approached the fence, its newly styled hair seemingly making it happy for no reason.

Poking its head through the wooden fence's gap, it appeared to inquire, need me for something?

Lily, excited, requested, "Come on, Da Wu, take a photo of me with Bucktooth!"

...

Lin Hao, carrying bags of souvenirs, left the zoo reluctantly.

He didn't know when he would be able to return next time.

Fang Ye had been busy with various matters recently.

Top priority for the zoo was that the green peafowl had started laying eggs!

A female peafowl laid 4 eggs, which was even more surprising than a panda getting pregnant.

After all, panda breeding bases do have quite a few pandas that could be sent to zoos.

In domestic zoos, these four are the only purebred green peafowls.

While overjoyed, Fang Ye was also a bit nervous. What if a visitor took the green peafowl's eggs or damaged them?

He thought about relocating the green peafowls but worried that changing environments might discourage them from hatching the eggs, or alter conditions so they couldn't hatch. The bird pavilion still seemed to be the best environment.

Artificially hatching green peafowl eggs was uncharted territory, with no reference materials available, and baby peafowls also needed parental care.

Mainly because green peafowls are so rare. Other birds also breed in the bird pavilion, and nesting boxes have been prepared for them. If the existing nesting boxes aren't used and they choose their own spots to build nests and lay eggs, that's also acceptable.

Eventually, he made a decision: to ensure the green peafowls could peacefully hatch their eggs, the bird pavilion would close for a month, not open to visitors.

He figured visitors would understand.

Another matter was the recent arrival at the zoo of red-crowned cranes, crested ibises, Oriental storks, and other birds, beginning their quarantine.

Initially, when Fang Ye and Lan Li visited other zoos and saw the beautiful Oriental storks living in dirty ditches, beside belly-up dead fish, looking utterly disheartened, they felt immense pity.

Thinking about when his zoo would have these birds, promising to take good care of them.

Now, the zoo finally had the conditions to welcome these beautiful large birds.

On the upcoming May 20th, the zoo planned a special event.

520, synonymous with "I love you," a sweet day beloved by couples for showing affection, sending red envelopes, or even getting married.

Besides, May 20th is also World Bee Day.

After all, affectionate terms include "sweet and honeyed," and beautiful love words are "honeyed words." As early as 4000 years ago, Sumerians claimed "your kisses are as sweet as honey, your beauty sweeter than honey."

Sweet honey and wonderful love have always been linked.

While celebrating the day for couples, why not a day for bees too?

Bees are common in people's lives but generally overlooked.

Though small, bees play a crucial ecological role.

Of the world's 107 major crops directly related to food, over 85% depend on bees and other insects for pollination, with a third of human food directly or indirectly relying on these insects.

Among the 160,000 known flowering plants pollinated by insects, 85% are pollinated by bees.

However, bees' situation is not optimistic. Due to human activities, 35% of invertebrate pollinators, especially bees and butterflies, as well as about 17% of vertebrates such as bats, face extinction.

The saying, "Four years after bees disappear, so would humans," is not an exaggeration. The true disappearance of bees would have an incalculable impact on the vegetables, fruits, crops, and the entire ecosystem upon which humans depend.

The 520 event will introduce bees and feature displays in the plaza, keeper question sessions, and showcase loving animal couples in the zoo, like swans and hornbills.

Visitors on 520, whether couples or not, will enjoy discounts. It's not just for couples; everyone should be happy.