Unlike other zoos in Long Country, Xihong Zoo has embarked on a completely different development path.
This is especially true after the enclosures in various park areas were dismantled.
The animals are no longer housed by enclosure, but by region. For example, if you want to see bears, you have to go to Xiongxianling.
If you want to see birds, you can go to Niaoyu Lin.
This undoubtedly brings a better viewing experience to tourists.
So, when a new place name like Longgui Valley appeared, tourists were curious about which animals lived there.
"What's there to think about? Longgui Valley, Longgui Valley, they must be keeping dragon tortoises inside."
"Where are you getting dragon tortoises from? What are you thinking, kid? I'm a Baxia."
"I think the animals inside are chameleons and turtles. After all, the only animals with 'dragon' in their names nowadays are chameleons."
"My Piggy Dragon is not convinced."
"My Sow Dragon is not convinced either."
"In short, it's highly likely to be reptiles like crocodiles, lizards, and snakes. Director Yang is probably worried that no one would dare to go if it were called Snake Valley, so he changed it to 'Dragon'."
"Reptiles? Then I'm not going. I've been afraid of these things since I was little."
"Exactly. Xihong Zoo has plenty of animals to see. Why would we go out of our way to see those things?"
"I said I'm not going. If there are too many people tomorrow, I'll come back and complain."
...
While tourists were discussing this new, expensive area, the May Day holiday arrived as scheduled.
As Yang Lin had predicted, the number of visitors entering the park reached its peak early that morning.
If the zoo's entrance area hadn't been expanded and more than a dozen ticket machines hadn't been added, the process of entering alone would have wasted a lot of tourists' time.
After the tourists had their tickets checked, the previously crowded visitors dispersed, heading towards their pre-planned areas.
Sang Xiaxia was one of these tens of thousands of tourists.
As a pet blogger with over a million followers on Douyin, she came to Xihong Zoo not only to visit the reptile pets but also to complete a challenge from her fans.
"It was so hard for me to get a ticket for Xihong Zoo during the May Day holiday. If I don't see the big snake you guys mentioned in Xiongxianling, you'll have to take responsibility."
"Also, please stop giving me such boring challenges like pretending to be Ultraman to pick up my cousin at the elementary school gate next time."
Holding her phone, Sang Xiaxia took out a scale the size of her palm from her backpack.
This scale was mailed to her by a fan recently. The fan claimed to have found it accidentally while wandering in Xiongxianling.
According to the fan, it was a scale from a large snake.
However, Sang Xiaxia didn't think it was a scale, because what kind of scale couldn't be penetrated by a drill?
It was probably some kind of alloy handicraft.
Playing with the scale in her hand, Sang Xiaxia boarded the Xihong Zoo's park train.
Before coming, she had actually wanted to ride a wild boar, but there were too many tourists who wanted to ride one, with over a hundred people ahead of her.
After the old train, puffing white steam, traveled for more than ten minutes through a park that resembled a fairy tale world, a large stone engraved with the words "Xiongxianling" appeared before her.
As a former animal sanatorium, after the psychological problems of the black bears were cured, Xiongxianling was officially opened to tourists two months ago.
Many tourists with a strong interest in bears chose to get off at this stop, and Sang Xiaxia was no exception.
Upon entering through the entrance of Xiongxianling, a vast forest appeared before her.
As soon as she stepped into it, a cub about knee-high fell from a tree in front of her.
Before she could help the cub up, a mother bear, standing on her hind legs, approached menacingly from the other side.
In the next second, to Sang Xiaxia's surprise, the mother bear grabbed the cub by the neck with one hand and spanked its bottom several times with the other.
After the spanking, the mother bear, as if performing a magic trick, pulled another cub from the tree where the first one had fallen.
Seeing the two cubs, one lighter and one darker, and their mother, Sang Xiaxia, who was visiting Xihong Zoo for the first time, was stunned.
"It's just like what's rumored online. The animals in Xihong Zoo have all become intelligent."
As she finished her amazed exclamation, a tourist who had entered with her excitedly raised his camera and said,
"We're so lucky today! We encountered the whole family of Xiong Da and Xiong Er as soon as we entered Xiongxianling."
"Xiong Da and Xiong Er?"
Sang Xiaxia was surprised that those two little bears actually had names.
"It seems like you don't watch much news about Xihong Zoo, miss. These two are little stars of Xiongxianling."
The man with the camera explained with a smile as he took photos,
"A few months ago, their mother, Cui Hua, was rescued by Director Yang from an animal processing plant. Within two months, she gave birth to twins."
"But speaking of which, Director Yang's naming skills are something else. It's one thing for the mother to be called Cui Hua, but for the two bear cubs to be named Xiong Da and Xiong Er."
The man shook his head as he spoke.
Hearing him say this, Sang Xiaxia nodded in agreement.
She had long heard about Yang Lin's genius in naming things.
But he was the director, after all. He could name them whatever he wanted.
As Sang Xiaxia watched the mother bear Li Cuihua carrying the two cubs, one lighter and one darker, out of sight, the helpful tourist also put away his camera.
The next second, he sternly reprimanded a bald little boy who was breaking tree branches not far away:
"Xiao Qiang, what are you doing over there?"
"Didn't I tell you not to break branches casually? If you keep being naughty, we're going back now."
"Your hands are itching, aren't they? See if I don't beat you!"
...
Watching the helpful man vigorously spanking the little bald boy's bottom, Sang Xiaxia seemed to understand where the mother bear had learned her parenting methods.
However, she didn't find anything wrong with it. If he's breaking branches at such a young age, he'll be cutting down trees when he grows up.
Thinking of her purpose for coming to Xiongxianling, Sang Xiaxia didn't linger there. She looked at the direction of Longgui Valley indicated by the brand new road sign and walked in.
As she walked, the number of tourists began to decrease, and the frequency of bears and various wild animals appeared to increase.
Squirrels, marmots, monkeys, wild rabbits, owls...
Watching these cute little animals that appeared from time to time, Sang Xiaxia walked for nearly half an hour without realizing it.
Soon, a valley shrouded in mist appeared before her.