I have a wildlife zoo

Visitors, their faces alight with excitement, kept snapping photos. "Seeing this today was so worth it!"

Some visitors were curious, "Aren't tigers able to swim? Why doesn't Ice Cake just go down and fetch it herself?"

A nearby companion guessed, "Maybe the water is a bit too deep, and she can't get a hold of it!"

After getting the little twig, Ice Cake happily ran off with it in her mouth, rolled over on the grass, and lay down. She fiddled with the twig with her two paws, playing with pure joy!

The little boy could understand Ice Cake well; they discovered that they also liked to pick up twigs to play with, holding them as swords, cosplaying as heroes or warriors, clashing back and forth with their friends.

Plain twigs, pure happiness.

Meng Shi was on the side, explaining to the children, "This big tiger is named Jiaojiao. She's been an old employee of our zoo for a long time."

He went on to tell the children fun facts about tigers!

"Jiaojiao gets along very well with Ice Cake. Even though Ice Cake isn't her own child, Jiaojiao completely treats her as if she were.

When Ice Cake got her first injection, she was very scared and kept crying out. Jiaojiao got immediately angry, let out a huge roar, and gave our veterinarians quite a scare. It was only with the zoo director's intervention that Jiaojiao calmed down."

Wang Haoran asked curiously, "Do tigers need to get shots too?"

Meng Shi laughed, "Of course, they need shots! They get vaccinated every year. But the shots tigers get are different from what humans get.

Jiaojiao is a very intelligent tiger; she understands what the zoo director says, but she doesn't listen much to us animal keepers. We're currently training Jiaojiao, trying to direct her to move around, but she's resistant and unwilling to cooperate with us."

"Training?"

"Does that mean making the tiger jump through hoops of fire?"

"I don't want to watch tigers jumping through hoops; I just like watching them play with water and twigs."

The children discussed among themselves, some puzzled, some frowning.

Nowadays, circuses are rare. Perhaps the children have only a simplistic understanding of circuses from watching TV or reading books, thinking of it as a word that represents joy.

But after visiting the zoo and absorbing the atmosphere, they naturally feel disgusted with the concept of circuses.

Meng Shi explained, "Behavioral training in zoos is different from circus training in two main ways.

First is the purpose of the training. Circus training, such as making tigers jump through hoops of fire, carries the underlying message that humans are superior to animals, that animals are playthings for humans, that they are comical, even stupid.

This disrespect for animals can extend to disrespect for the environment and for our own kind; it is a very barbaric and primitive form of entertainment.

In contrast, zoos train animals to improve their welfare.

For instance, animals need shots to stay healthy, and sometimes they need to have blood drawn for a check-up. We can't explain to them the benefits of vaccinations, and with fierce animals like lions and tigers, we have to sedate them for injections, which is troublesome and not very good for their health.

But after training, the animals are no longer afraid of getting shots and will voluntarily cooperate.

The second difference lies in the method of training. Circuses starve animals, withhold food, and whip them, using such negative punishment to tame them, which is very harmful to their physical and mental health.

Our training of animals involves positive reinforcement; if the animal cooperates, we reward it with treats, encouraging them to voluntarily participate..."

The training is still not fully mature, but in the future, visitors might be able to see how animal keepers train animals. Some exhibit areas will have dedicated behavior training displays.

"So that's how it is!"

The children listened very seriously, and their understanding of what it means to respect and care for animals deepened further.

...

After touring until nearly 5 PM, the little friends had made a simple round of the zoo.

In the afternoon, they mainly visited the Predator Gallery and didn't have time to play in the reptiles and amphibians exhibit. They just admired the saltwater crocodile swimming underwater and watched the Asian forest tortoise crawling slowly.

Finally, they arrived at the mini ranch and visited the alpacas.

"Dudu! Gather up, gather up! Line up so we can count off!"

On the plaza at the entrance of the zoo, the children were lined up by class, chattering away, faces all expressing happiness, some even showing a hint of reluctance to leave.

"We had so much fun today!"

"I still want to play more, the crocodiles were really huge, like tanks, they looked so majestic."

"I'm going to ask my mom to bring me back here this weekend."

Yang Sibo came up with a wild idea, "It would be great if we could have activities like this every day, I want to live in the zoo!"

Wang Haoran scoffed, "You're dreaming!"

"I know it's not possible, but can't I even think about it? Maybe I'll dream about the zoo tonight."

Each class had a teacher counting off the kids, while the remaining teachers held hands with Fang Ye, admiring and exclaiming, "Wow, your zoo is amazing!"

"Yes, it has a beautiful environment, the animals seem happy and joyous, and the educational outreach is also well done."

"These kids are so lucky to have such a great zoo. When I was little, I also enjoyed going to the zoo, but it was nowhere near as good as yours, the enclosures were always grimy, and there were animal performances."

"When we get back, I'm going to suggest to the principal that we make a trip here every year."

Fang Ye said with a smile, "Please, you flatter us! We'll keep making our zoo better and better."

...

By the time the bus brought the little friends back to their school, it was just about time for dismissal.

The parents were already at the gate waiting to pick up their kids, and Wang Haoran quickly spotted his mother in the crowd.

After saying goodbye to Yang Sibo, he ran over, "Mom! Mom!"

Mother Wang patted Wang Haoran's head with a smile, "Oh, you seem pretty happy. Tell mom about what you did today?"

Actually, the teachers also took some photos and videos today, which they shared in the parents' group.

Wang Haoran, holding hands with his mom, started to excitedly recount his day, "We began with a tour of the aviary, which was so beautiful. There was a macaw named Jinzhi, and it could recite poetry, Li Bai's 'Thoughts on a Quiet Night,' with such emotion."

"That's incredible!" Mother Wang exclaimed in amazement.

She pulled out her phone to show him the photos in the parents' group, "Taken by your teachers, this is the aviary, right? It really is beautiful!"

"That's Jinzhi!"

Wang Haoran excitedly pointed out a photo, going on nonstop, "The animal keeper also told us about enrichment, do you know what enrichment is, mom? They carve holes in a pumpkin and fill it with seeds. For the macaws, it's not only food but also a fun toy... After lunch, we fed the koi, which were all very pretty... The little white tiger and the big tiger were begging for attention, so adorable..."

There was so much to talk about, not just him, all the kids were sharing their experiences and findings of the day with their parents. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

"Mom, can we go to the zoo together this weekend?"

"Sure, why not!"