Zhang Zian led Wei Kang and the others to the sand dune where he had caught the fennec foxes. He took the anesthetized fennec foxes out of the cages and placed them on the sand. He left them some food and water as a reward and compensation. It was probably like the feeling of having milk to drink after donating blood.
The effects of the anesthetic were almost over. Although they had not completely woken up, their bodies had begun to wriggle slightly. From time to time, they flicked their tails and flicked their ears.
Zhang Zian and the others took the empty cages and evacuated to the back of the sand ridge, waiting for them to wake up. Only then could they leave with peace of mind. Before they recovered, they had to take responsibility for their safety to prevent falcons or other beasts from taking advantage of them.
The sun came out, and the hot day began again.
They held up binoculars and observed the movements of the fennec foxes.
The sun dispelled the coolness of the morning and shrouded the bodies of the fennec foxes.
The morning wind blew their earthy yellow fur, which was almost perfect camouflage. If one did not pay more attention, they would really confuse them with sand.
Suddenly, the eyelids of the fennec foxes moved, and then it opened its eyes. It struggled to stand up. Because there was still a little residual effect of the drug, its muscles had not fully recovered, and its movements were still a little shaky. It looked around blankly.
It was the strongest of the group of fennec foxes, and it should have been the first to wake up.
The smell of food was sent to the tip of its nose by the wind. It sniffed hard and found that there was food and water next to it.
However, it was the leader after all. It did not forget about the temptation of food and water. It first ran to the side of its companions, nudged them with its sharp nose, and stuck out its tongue to lick their faces.
Their companions also woke up one after another. They had not yet recovered their strength, and they walked like drunkards on the street late at night.
They all smelled the water and food. Although they had eaten quite a lot last night, the lack of food and water in the desert made them feel that they could still eat. They all gathered around and fought to eat.
Out of respect for the leader's status, they gave up one of the portions for the leader to enjoy alone.
Wei Kang gave the others a look and a knowing smile, meaning: It really is a canine. Although other species of foxes did not live in groups, these fennec foxes that lived in groups showed similar social habits as dogs.
Gao Ke held the camera and faithfully recorded this precious image.
In some countries, fennec foxes could be raised as family pets. Even in China, as long as the complicated procedures were completed, they could be raised. However, no one would raise a large number of fennec foxes. Many of their habits could only be shown in the wild, and their habits would change depending on the habitat.
This was natural selection, survival of the fittest.
For example, tigers were recognized as solitary animals. Almost all existing species of tigers, without exception, had a strong sense of territory. Other than during breeding, it was very difficult for two tigers to coexist in the same area.
However, in 2002, in order to protect China's South China Tigers, the China Forestry Bureau and a few international organizations started the South China Tiger Wild Project, considering that there was almost no natural habitat for the South China Tigers in China. They released five South China Tigers from zoos into the Tiger Valley Nature Reserve in South Africa.
At first, people were not optimistic about this project, because the five adult tigers were born and raised in the zoo. There was no mother tiger to teach them hunting skills when they were young. When they first arrived at Tiger Valley, they were afraid of even the slightest movement. How could they return to nature and survive for a long time?
In addition, everyone knew that tigers lived in the mountains, not on the plains.
Didn't they say, "When a tiger goes to the plains, it will be bullied by dogs?"
These South China Tigers would probably be beaten up by the local wild dogs in the African plains. There was no way they could survive, and they would most likely become a laughing stock.
However, this project achieved unexpected success. By 2017, the number of South China Tigers in Tiger Valley had increased to 17.
People underestimated the vitality and survival instincts of the South China Tigers. Just like what Michael Crichton said in Jurassic Park, life will always find a way out.
The most surprising thing was that these 17 South China Tigers actually changed their habits and became social animals. They spontaneously formed a few small groups to hunt the local large herbivores.
As for being bullied by wild dogs … it had already been proven to be a groundless worry.
In fact, the group of tigers had already started to chase away the local pride of lions …
The hearts of tigers that originated from the mountains were bigger than lions, and the strength of their hind legs was stronger than lions. They could stand on their hind legs and jump three meters high. They knew how to slap, and they could even jump up short trees. There were no tall trees on the plains of Africa anyway.
They bullied the pride of lions on the plains, climbed up the trees to steal the food of the leopards. They had already become the overlords of Africa, and people were full of anticipation for their future!
The only regret was that this imaginative project was not led by the China government. Currently, the project had been taken over by other groups, and these South China Tigers could never return to China.
But it was a good thing. There was no natural environment in China that was suitable for the survival of South China Tigers. Even if they were brought back, they could only be kept in zoos. It was better to leave them there and treat them as a spark that might one day become a prairie fire.
The living conditions of the fennec foxes were actually similar to those of the South China Tigers. The living conditions of the desert were too harsh, like an extremely difficult online game. Fighting alone was a dead end, and only forming a team to fight the boss was the right way. This was why the foxes in other areas lived alone, but the fennec foxes lived in groups.
Wei Kang, Zhang Zian, and the others held up their binoculars and watched quietly. No one dared to make a sound, lest they scare the fennec foxes.
At this time, Zhang Zian gently nudged Wei Kang with his elbow, motioning for him to look into the distance, and patted Gao Ke's shoulder, asking him to move the camera.
A little further away, another small group of fennec foxes suddenly appeared like magic. No one saw where they came from, but it was possible that they had a nest under this sand dune.
He didn't know anything else, but Zhang Zian knew that the new group of fennec foxes were the fish that had escaped the net last night. They saw their leader and other companions return, and excitedly ran out of their hiding place to greet them.
Seeing that the Red Army was about to win, the small group of fennec foxes suddenly hesitated. They ran and stopped, cautiously sizing each other up.
Wei Kang and the others guessed the reason. The group of fennec foxes that had been caught had been stained with the smell of humans, which made the other fennec foxes feel very unfamiliar.
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