Capturing this big cat made Ang Lee quite excited. From the appearance of this big cat, it looked very similar to a lynx. It was a type of ferocious beast, a very powerful ferocious beast. Although it was not very big and was about the size of a domesticated pastoral dog, its combat ability and flexibility were far superior to a pastoral dog. It was impossible to capture it using pastoral dogs. Even if dozens of pastoral dogs were released, they would not be able to catch the lynx.
Lynx was a type of animal that liked the cold. Therefore, it basically lived in the colder northern regions. For example, there were many lynx in the northeastern region of the Tang dynasty. Lynx were also distributed in the mountains in the southern part of the country. This was because the mountains also meant that it was cold, which was the preferred living environment of lynx.
Chang 'an City was also a place near the north. Naturally, lynx were also distributed in the mountains nearby. However, compared to the Yingzhou region, lynx were very few in number and were generally very difficult to find. Therefore, after discovering this big cat, Ang Lee was so excited.
In the Imperial Beast Park of the Tang dynasty, there were many precious animals. Among them, the most precious were the ferocious beasts that were offered as tribute from afar. For example, lions from the African grasslands, giraffes, and so on. There were also some rare ferocious beasts in the Tang dynasty.
Lynx naturally existed in the Imperial Beast Park as well. However, not everyone could visit the Tang dynasty's Beast Park. It was not easy for ordinary people to see lynx. Many commoners in Chang 'an City who had lived their whole lives had never seen lynx before. This was also a waste of resources.
The Emperor could not visit the Beast Park every day to see the ferocious beasts. Keeping the animals in the Beast Park was a waste of resources for no reason. It was a pure waste of resources. In fact, the Imperial Beast Park of the Tang dynasty could be turned into a zoo of the Tang dynasty. This way, all the commoners would be able to see these animals. Of course, they would have to pay the entrance fee. This way, not only would the Imperial Beast Park not be a burden to the imperial court, it would also bring in a considerable amount of income for the imperial court.
However, this idea might not be able to garner support. Humans were all selfish, especially the Emperor. If the commoners could see all the precious animals, how could it reflect the Emperor's high and mighty status? It was because the Emperor had something that others did not have that the Emperor appeared to be high and mighty. If the Emperor had the same things as the commoners, what was the point of being the Emperor?
However, Chang 'an City was so big. If it did not have a large zoo, it would not be complete.... how could it reflect the openness and tolerance of the Tang Empire?
. of course, the Emperor......... Chang 'an City................ Chang........ to.
He thought of building a zoo when he saw a lynx. Ang Lee really admired himself. A few days ago, because of an outing, he saw fewer wild animals in the wild than a few years ago. Therefore, Ang Lee built the Lishan Breeding Base. Now, he had the idea of building a zoo.
These ideas were not on a whim, because they were the most basic. With the gradual prosperity of the Tang Empire, the commoners' wallets were gradually bulging. And the commoners who were gradually getting rich would inevitably have various living needs, such as eating delicious game and seeing precious animals. These were all normal life needs. Ang Lee wanted to satisfy the commoners' various life needs as much as possible after they became rich.
The most basic human needs were the need to eat and drink. Only in this way could people live. After these were satisfied, people would have the need to eat more delicious food, have physiological needs, and have the need to be curious.
In theory, people's needs were endless. If their needs were not satisfied, they would be dissatisfied. Only when their needs were satisfied, they would be happy and the society would be more prosperous.
This lynx was caught with a net designed by the guards. However, because the lynx was too fierce and kept struggling, the guards worked together to put it in a thick cage for the safety of everyone. In this way, the lynx could not hurt people.
"Fortunately, this big cat was caught. If it suddenly jumped out and hurt people, it would be terrible."
One of the guards said.
Judging from the lynx's struggling appearance, it could be known that this animal was very fierce and a great threat to people. Once it attacked people, it would cause great harm to people. It could even easily bite people to death.
Of course, unless they were extremely hungry or forced into a corner, the lynx would not attack humans. This was because this ferocious beast was not brave enough. It also knew very well that humans were very powerful and intelligent creatures that it could not afford to provoke.
"Last night, two craftsmen quarreled. One said that the meat he brought from home was stolen by the other, and the other refused to admit it. Perhaps, it was stolen by this beast!"
"It's really possible. This guy looks like a meat eater. It must be a thief."
According to the lynx's dexterity, it was suitable to be a thief. The lynx was fully equipped to be a thief. Moreover, it would not be discovered when it stole things. This was also a skill that it had developed when it was hunting in nature. If it was discovered easily, then the lynx would scare away small animals, and then it would not be able to catch anything.
The reason why Ang Lee's guards were able to catch the lynx was because they had coincidentally forced it into a corner where it could not escape. Thus, they easily captured it. In addition, because the entrance to the valley was blocked, the lynx could not escape from the valley for three days.
When he saw the fox, Ang Lee could still think of looking for a nest of little foxes. However, after seeing the lynx, Ang Lee did not have such thoughts. This was because the lynx was different from the fox. It was a kind of wild animal that lived alone and was active in the vast space. It was also a night hunter that did not have a fixed nest.
During the day, it could lie on a rock and bask in the sun. Or to avoid the wind and rain, it could quietly hide under a big tree. It could live alone in an area of a few hectares and not move for a few days. It could also run continuously for more than ten kilometers without stopping. It was good at climbing and swimming. It was very resistant to hunger. It could lie quietly in one place for a few days. It was not afraid of the cold. It liked to hunt deer and other large animals. It was frequently active in the morning and evening. Its range of activity was determined by the abundance of food. It also occupied an area and had a fixed excretory location. In other words, the lynx had the habit of going to the toilet, which was quite similar to humans.
The lynx's temperament was somewhat similar to that of the fox. They were both cunning and cautious. When they encountered danger, they would quickly escape to a tree and hide. Sometimes, they would lie on the ground and pretend to be dead, thus avoiding the enemy's attacks and injuries. In the natural world, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, bears and other large animals were the lynx's natural enemies. If they encountered a pack of wolves, they would be tightly chased, surrounded and killed. Generally, it was difficult to escape.
The lynx's main food was various types of wild rabbits. Therefore, in many places, the lynx's population would fluctuate with the increase and decrease of the number of wild rabbits. In addition to wild rabbits, the lynx also hunted many other prey, including various squirrels, wild rats, lemmings, marmots, thunderbirds, quails, wild pigeons, pheasants and other birds. Sometimes, it would also attack musk deer, roe deer and deer cubs, as well as piglets, lambs and other domestic animals.
After the lynx in Yingzhou of the Tang dynasty caught prey in the winter, they would bury the leftover meat under the snow and "refrigerate" it. They would eat it when they were hungry. Wild rabbits made up the majority of their diet. They consumed two to five kilograms of meat every day. In the hunting area, the lynx could control the number of wild rabbits. Every year, they could kill ten to forty percent of the local wild rabbit population.
When catching prey, the lynx often used grass, bushes, stones, trees and so on as cover. It would wait in ambush places where the prey often passed by, its eyes vigilantly watching the surrounding movements. The lynx had excellent patience. It could quietly lie in one place for several days and nights. When the prey approached, it would suddenly rush out and catch the prey.
If it missed the prey and the surprise attack failed, the lynx would not chase after the prey. Instead, it would return to the original place and patiently wait for the next opportunity. Sometimes it roamed stealthily, and when it saw that its prey was engrossed in feeding, it crept closer and closer, and suddenly pounced on it, causing it to be inexplicably caught without putting up a fight.
The lynx was also good at swimming, but it would not easily enter the water. It was also an excellent rock climber. It could even jump from one tree to another, so it could prey on the birds in the trees. Especially at night, when the forest was silent and the birds in the trees were asleep, it would reach out its sharp claws and easily hunt for food.
Logically speaking, since the lynx could climb trees, why would it be trapped in the valley for several days and nights? Could it be that it did not want to leave the territory it had lived in for a long time and wanted to occupy this place for a long time?
In fact, Ang Lee felt that it might be because the silk of the valley was too steep. Although the lynx could climb trees, it was helpless against the steep cliffs. It could not break through the obstruction of the cliffs and could only be trapped inside. In addition, it was also very afraid of human activities. Perhaps it had seen hunters hunting animals, so it would hide far away when it saw people and did not dare to leave through the passageway with many guards. Another reason might be that the lynx felt that the valley was big enough and that humans would not stay in the valley for too long and would definitely leave soon, so it was not in a hurry to escape. However, it did not expect that Ang Lee wanted to occupy this place for a long time.
Male lynxes were everywhere, but female lynxes needed to build nests. The location of the nests was usually in the crevices of rocks or tree holes. They mated from February to April every year, and the pregnancy period was only a short two months. They could give birth to three or four cubs at a time.
Lynxes were similar to cats and dogs. Their lifespans were relatively short. Under normal circumstances, lynxes could live for about twelve years. Lynxes in captivity had a longer lifespan than the guards. They could live for more than twenty years, which was about twice the lifespan of lynxes in the wild.
Lynxes also matured relatively early. Male lynxes became adults at the age of three, while female lynxes were even more powerful. They could give birth to cubs at the age of two. When the cubs were about one year old, they would leave their mothers and go out to work on their own. They were considered animals that were independent relatively early.
The lynx's biggest feature was that the tips of its two upright ears had long dark tufts of hair that were four or five centimeters long. Among them, there were a few white hairs, very much like the feathers on the helmets of generals in dramas. It added a bit of majesty to it.
The ear shell and brush hairs could move in the direction of the sound source at any time. They had the function of collecting sound waves. If they lost their brush hairs, it would affect their hearing. Therefore, lynxes cherished their tufts very much.
Although the lynx was a very ferocious beast, it could also be artificially domesticated. In theory, any beast could be artificially domesticated. However, the difficulty of domesticating different animals was different. Some were very easy to domesticate, while others were very difficult to domesticate.
The difficulty of domesticating lynxes was average, but they could still be domesticated. However, lynxes' appearance was not very good and did not meet the aesthetic standards of the nobles of the Tang dynasty.
In the eyes of many nobles of the Tang dynasty, animals like leopards were the most in line with their aesthetic standards. Therefore, many nobles would raise domesticated leopards, put a collar on them, and feed them as pets.
In later generations, if people wanted to see a live leopard, they could only go to the zoo to see it. In the Tang dynasty, you would have a chance to see a leopard when you walked on the street. You could even see cheetahs from the African continent.
The nobles of the Tang dynasty liked to lead cheetahs around the streets like dogs. They felt that it was very prestigious and could reflect their aristocratic temperament. After all, cheetahs were animals from the African continent. They were relatively rare in the Tang dynasty. Leading a rare cheetah could naturally reflect the nobility's identity.
The nobles themselves did not know how to domesticate cheetahs. These cheetahs were already domesticated and docile animals when they were bought from the barbarian merchants in the Western Regions.
In other words, in the countries of the Western Regions, there were people who knew how to domesticate wild beasts, and there should be a lot of them.
According to historical records, in the kingdoms of the Western Regions at that time, hunting was popular among the kings and nobles, and it lasted for a long time. Therefore, a group of animal tamers who specialized in training hawks, hounds, and cheetahs for the royal family came into being.
However, domesticating cheetahs was not an easy task. Different from what many people imagined, the way to domesticate cheetahs was not to catch cubs and raise them from young, but to catch adult cheetahs with strong physical strength. Then, through means very similar to the way Nuzhen tamed hawks, the cheetahs' wild nature was worn down, and gradually let them adapt to contact with humans. In the end, they could lead the cheetahs around the streets in harmony with each other.
Next, they had to train the cheetahs' conditioned reflex to hunt first and then be rewarded with dried meat. This stage was very similar to animal taming in the circus. In short, the animal tamer and the cheetahs had to establish enough mutual trust and intimacy. After the cheetahs ran out to catch their prey, they would immediately return to the tamer to ask for dried meat, instead of running away without looking back. Only when they could be in a crowd and be calm and at ease, the process of domesticating the cheetahs would the cheetahs be completed.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
