Super Zoo

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The Yangtze finless porpoise, a Class I protected animal of the nation, is somewhat similar to dolphins, but lacks the dolphin's elongated snout. Its head is rounded and somewhat pig-like, hence it is also called 'river pig'.

The Yangtze finless porpoise had long been listed on the endangered species atlas, with fewer than a thousand individuals remaining worldwide, even rarer than the giant panda. They typically inhabit rivers and lakes near the Yangtze River. Years ago, wild finless porpoises were spotted in Dongting Lake, but with the incessant exacerbation of environmental destruction, no sightings of wild porpoises have been reported for many years.

At this moment, a Yangtze finless porpoise, even rarer than the Baiji Dolphin, had appeared in the reservoir and had collided with a person, immediately drawing widespread attention. The TV station, naturally, would not miss such explosive news and sent Nangong Yan to conduct the interview.

Nangong Yan was unaware of the so much grudge and gratitude that had happened between Suming and Zhou Jin during this period. She called Suming simply wanting to consult with the specialist on why the typically docile finless porpoise would suddenly attack a human.

"Probably because the porpoise was frightened," Suming gave a vague answer.

In fact, upon hearing Nangong Yan's account, Suming had already guessed the reason.

With its massive size, what could possibly startle a finless porpoise in a reservoir? It must have been targeted by several crocodile-snouted garfish. Focused solely on escape, it inadvertently collided with Zhou Jin, who was swimming.

Perhaps it had been chased all the way from the western part of the reservoir to the east. Those large nets would not stop crocodile-snouted garfish.

A fish weighing five jin could knock an adult unconscious with a full force collision in the water. Getting hit by a fish weighing ten jin was almost like being hammered.

The porpoise in the video must have weighed at least seventy to eighty jin, maybe even over a hundred jin. Being struck by such a hefty creature, it was fortunate that Zhou Jin did not die on the spot.

After hanging up, Suming quickly called back several crocodile-snouted garfish and, sure enough, it turned out just as he had expected—the finless porpoise had initially been in the large area on the west side of the reservoir. For some reason, it had been chased by the garfish and broke through the barrier separating the two parts of the reservoir, rushing into the water area contracted by Zhou Jin.

Not long after Suming 'inquired' with the garfish, Mr. Song called him over.

When Suming arrived, Mr. Song was reviewing the video. A chubby porpoise, over a meter long, first collided rapidly with Zhou Jin, who was swimming in the water. Then it leaped like a fish, banging its head against the side of a nearby small cruise ship with such force that it even dented the ship. Both the porpoise, which was injured and bleeding from the head, and Zhou Jin spilled blood into the water, turning the surface red.

"Judging from the video, it's definitely a finless porpoise. The reservoir is very close to the Yangtze River, and the gates are opened every few years. It's likely that the finless porpoise swam upstream into the reservoir during open gates," Mr. Song commented while handing a document to Suming, "Prepare yourself for this notice issued from above. You're joining the team with me."

Suming looked at it. It was a red-titled document issued from the provincial level, "Notification on the Establishment of the Huating Reservoir Yangtze Finless Porpoise Protection Investigation Team."

"Since the discovery of the finless porpoise, related departments at all levels have taken it very seriously. A special task force has been formed, led by provincial and municipal agricultural, forestry, and fisheries officials, with the assistance of the Agricultural Sciences Academy and the zoo, to jointly conduct the investigation. The injured porpoise would find it difficult to survive in the natural environment. The most crucial task now is to locate this injured porpoise and protect it immediately. Arrange your affairs and then head to the reservoir with me," said Mr. Song.

"There's nothing special to instruct, shall we go now?" asked Suming.

"Good, drive your car, and let's departure at once!" Mr. Song nodded seriously. After finishing his words, he walked briskly out of the office. They descended the stairs and got into Suming's Wrangler, heading directly towards Huating Lake nearby.

They quickly arrived at the site of the incident at Huating Lake. Several vehicles were parked by the lake, and a large military-green temporary tent had been erected.

Inside the tent were a few machines, with a large table set up in the middle, atop which lay a flat map of Huating Reservoir. Around the table, about ten people were gathered in discussion.

Standing at the very front was an elderly man in his sixties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with only a few tufts of black hair remaining on his bald head. At first glance, he resembled an older version of San Mao.

"Mr. Song, come over here, we were just waiting for someone from the zoo!"

As Mr. Song walked into the tent, the "elderly version" of San Mao looked up and quickly waved him over.

"This is Professor Chu Tianning from the Provincial Agricultural Sciences Academy, Assistant Director of the investigation team and also an old classmate of mine," Mr. Song hurriedly said to Suming before striding into the tent to briefly greet Professor Chu and the others around him.

The people inside were divided into two groups, one from the Agricultural Sciences Academy, led by Professor Chu, with a few younger individuals who were his students and two employees from the Provincial Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center.

The other group consisted of government officials, led by a middle-aged man in his fifties.

"This is Suming, Su, a young key member of our zoo, and he will be joining me in the group's work."

As Mr. Song introduced Suming, the middle-aged man gave Suming a meaningful smile.

Seeing this man, Suming felt amused; this leader was none other than Wang Hao's father, Director Wang Jianse.

Every time Suming saw Wang Hao's dad, he found it quite funny. Wang Jianse was considered an idol-level figure among middle-aged and older women, resembling Chen Daoming in appearance, but how could Wang Hao just happen to look like Guo Degang? It completely defied the theory of genetics.

Although they recognized each other, in this public setting, both of them tacitly avoided any acknowledgement.

"Mr. Wang, everyone's here now. Would you like to say a few words?" Professor Chu asked.

"All of you are engaged in animal research and protection. I won't go over the importance of the finless porpoise in our country's animal community. Let me just briefly convey the spirit from our superiors," Mr. Wang began with a chuckle, then his expression turned solemn as he continued, "The discovery of a wild finless porpoise has been given great importance by our superiors, and they have made two demands of us. First, we must find the injured finless porpoise, and second, we must ensure its protection."

After finishing his speech, he looked at Professor Chu and Mr. Song with a smile and said, "Chu, Song, you two are the experts on this matter. You decide how to proceed. I won't lead experts out of my field. I'll take care of the logistics for you. If you need any equipment or manpower, just let me know."

Professor Chu nodded and turned to Mr. Song, "Song, time is of the essence, so I won't beat around the bush. Here's the work plan: Mr. Wang will instruct from shore, and for the rest of us, three people per boat, equipped with sound detectors, we'll conduct a dragnet search from both sides of the reservoir to find that finless porpoise. Does that work for you?"

Instead of responding directly, Mr. Song looked at Suming and asked, "Do you have anything to add?"

Professor Chu's students and the two other government workers were baffled; at such a gathering, there was little room for such a young person to speak, nor did they understand what special skill this inconspicuous young man possessed to warrant such consideration from Mr. Song.

Feeling a bit embarrassed by the attention, Suming scratched his head, "No additions, we'll do as directed by the leaders."

Director Wang Jianse gave Suming a slight smile and said, "Alright, then let's get started."