I have a wildlife zoo

Fang Ye felt some relief when he saw the change in netizens' attitudes towards wild boars.

The famous ethologist Jane Goodall once said a phrase, which, although the public might be more familiar with her stories about chimpanzees, is very famous within the industry, "Only when we understand, can we care; only when we care, will we act."

If you want people to protect animals, the first step is to let them understand animals!

Otherwise, if the desire to protect is not sincere, can it really be protective? At most, it's just lip service.

He continued, "The role of wild boars is not just limited to these. When they rub against trees and roll on the ground, they help spread the seeds of mosses and ferns, thus increasing the biodiversity of their habitats. Moreover, studies on wild boars have shown that their rooting behavior has a positive effect on the regeneration of annual and perennial plants in acidic and dry grasslands."

In the winter, wild boars turn over thick layers of snow while foraging, exposing the ground underneath and providing an opportunity for birds and other small mammals to feed on seeds and insects. Find your next adventure on empire

It can be said that wild boars provide lifesaving support for many other animals to survive the harsh winter!

Moreover, wild boars are omnivores that eat almost anything, including consuming the carcasses of dead animals.

Tigers, leopards, and bears, among others, generally only eat prey they've killed themselves, unless there's a shortage of food and they resort to scavenging. This is because fresh prey tastes delicious and is nutritious, while eating the carcasses of other dead animals carries the risk of infection from parasites and disease.

Wild boars are one of the most important scavengers in the forest, playing the role of decomposers, akin to cinereous vultures on the plains and wilderness!

If there were to be a sudden large-scale animal mortality event due to abnormal weather, bacterial outbreaks, or wildfires, and there weren't scavengers like wild boars in the ecosystem, or there were more dead animals than they could digest, then over time, the decomposing bodies would produce gases and acidic bodily fluids, contaminating the soil and changing its structure, which would lead to plant death and have far-reaching effects.

Therefore, maintaining a certain population of wild boars is of great importance to the health of the forest ecosystem."

After listening to Fang Ye's explanation, the netizens couldn't help but reward him generously!

"President of Newbie 1" rewarded him with a rice ball, "Awesome, this is the first time I've heard such a comprehensive science talk about wild boars, realizing they have such an important ecological significance, it has completely changed my impression of them!

Ah, I even feel guilty thinking about it. Wild boars are so great, and I previously joked about wanting to eat their braised meat. Here's a small reward, let's buy an apple for them to eat!"

"Eternal Moments" rewarded a rocket, "Whenever an animal causes trouble, many people's first thought is to put that troublesome animal to death—a simple and brutal solution, which doesn't consider why it happened in the first place or what the consequences will be of killing it.

Hey, I'm really worried that under current public opinion, wild boars will be killed just like wolves were back then, and we will come to regret it too late."

"2021X Figure" rewarded eight shrimp balls, "I started following the zookeeper because I really like cute and lovely little animals like red pandas and foxes; watching them play makes me very happy and heals my heart. I had no interest in animals that don't look appealing like wild boars.

But after listening to the zookeeper's enlightening talk, I find wild boars much more pleasant to look at, and they seem quite cute actually! Pigs really are nature's gardeners of the forest!"

"Dusty Thoughts EVA" gave a plane, "I just followed you, and I used to think zoos were places that abused animals, so I didn't really visit them much after growing up. Only now do I realize that zoos also rescue animals and take science outreach seriously. I'll definitely visit your zoo when I have the chance!"

"Evil Demons and Monsters" sent out 66 glow sticks, "Haha, I've been a longtime fan of the zookeeper; the zookeeper's zoo really is top-notch in the country!

I think zoos should be exactly like this, not only introducing star animals like tigers and elephants but also animals that we often encounter in our lives that are neglected and unpopular like wild boars. It's the first time I'm learning about the ecological value of wild boars; there's too much bias against them right now."

"Fading Sun Cries Snow 2000" rewarded a rice ball, "It suddenly occurred to me, if wild boars were to die in large numbers from disease, their bodies would lack scavengers to clean them up.

It seems that we still need predators like tigers; the more complex the ecosystem, the more stable it is."

Fang Ye saw the barrage and said with a laugh, "'Sundown Weeping Snow' classmate makes a great point, indeed every species exists for a reason and has its own ecological value!"

Of course, discussing the ecological value of a species is also based on the population number. Too many requires control, too few requires protection.

Are wild boar numbers too low, or are they overrunning the place? This requires the deployment of infrared cameras for data collection, and making a conclusion based on a scientific survey, rather than relying solely on impressions or what farmers say.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

According to some papers I've found, in many areas where wild boars cause human-animal conflicts, their numbers are actually on the low side.

It might be because wild boars eat a lot and with such grandeur, leaving a mess behind in the fields, giving an illusion of their large numbers. There was a survey example that found a wild boar mother with three piglets repeatedly visiting the farmland; their single group and a few individual boars on the whole hillside couldn't withstand being hunted."

"777" asked again, "Park manager, will this wild boar be released back into the wild after being rescued? I've visited many zoos but have yet to see a wild boar.

Why not keep it in the zoo for public education? I think that's quite good!"

Fang Ye replied, "It needs to be released. After all, it is also eager to find a wife and produce offspring.

However, before releasing it, we need to do some preparation. First, we need to inspect the environment around Linhai to examine the distribution of wild boars and see where there are eligible sows for a release. Otherwise, after letting it go, if it can't find a wife, it might head into the city.

At the same time, we should do some community education with nearby farmers, help them with some measures to defend against wild boars, and discuss compensation mechanisms for the farmers with the government."

After all, the wild boar is not a key protected animal!

If it's not a key protected animal, compensation becomes a bit troublesome. However, the city values the zoo a lot, and a green ecological city also gains image points. By putting in the effort, we should be able to push forward with this work.

As for animals like wild boars that might frequently cause human-animal conflicts, the release work needs to be especially cautious.

Having said so much, I'm also a bit tired. Glancing at the Milk Tea wild boar, I took out two corn cobs from the food basket and opened the door slightly to toss them into the middle of the enclosure.

The Milk Tea wild boar trotted over happily, probably figuring after seeing Fang Ye stick around for so long without trouble, it felt somewhat relaxed.

This time, it didn't take the corn back to its corner but decided to eat right there.

First, it extended its hoof to hold down the edge of the cob, then dipped its long snout to nuzzle the leaves aside, and started nibbling on the corn kernels.

A netizen exclaimed, "So that's how it eats corn? It even knows to peel off the leaves first."

"I thought it would just crunch it all up and swallow. It's quite picky, only eating the kernels."

Fang Ye said with a laugh, "It eats the corn cob too! It just prefers to finish the kernels before eating the core. Corn is a favorite food of wild boars; its high starch content helps shape their figure.

Alright then, does anyone else have any questions? If not, I'm going to end the stream."

"Goodbye park manager! Bye-bye!"

"Thanks for the educational session, park manager!"