I have a wildlife zoo

Chapter 327 One Life, One Pair of Birds

The hornbill couple were affectionate with each other while feeding.

Although birds do not have as expressive faces as humans, the gentle touching of their massive beaks, the leaning of their heads towards each other, and the eye contact made it clear to anyone that they were a loving pair!

The act of passing food to each other's mouths was no different from that of human lovers feeding each other.

The animal keeper explained, "Hornbills are extremely faithful birds! They practice monogamy for life, never changing partners. If one dies, the other won't seek out a new love but will instead become depressed and starve to death in mourning."

The tourists were astounded!

Who would have thought that such exquisite love could exist among animals?

"Wow, so faithful. A lifetime, a pair of birds!"

"Sometimes, when people curse, they say 'worse than beasts,' thinking beasts represent the lowest of the low. But in many ways, beasts are much better than us humans! Not just physically, but also in character!"

"Indeed, this kind of love that lasts until death could become a timeless classic among humans, like the stories of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, or Meng Jiangnu weeping over the Great Wall!"

The animal keeper asked, "When you think of birds that symbolize love, what comes to mind?"

Immediately, a tourist replied, "Mandarin ducks!"

"This is a common misconception! Everyone sees the mandarin ducks' beautiful plumage and graceful demeanor, always appearing in pairs and grooming each other, flaunting their love, right? They look so sweet.

Ancient people liked to use mandarin ducks as a symbol of love. Many poems and paintings include them, like in 'Peafowl Flying Southeast,' where it says branches shelter with branches, leaves join with leaves, featuring a pair of flying birds, self-named as mandarin ducks. In some customs that have been passed down to today, at weddings, couples are given a red, festive wedding quilt.

And what's embroidered on them? Mandarin ducks.

But actually, mandarin ducks have nothing to do with faithful love. If one mate dies, the other one will simply find a new partner. Moreover, once the female mandarin duck starts raising chicks, the male won't bother to help -- that's where the love story ends."

After having children, they just don't care anymore, doesn't that sound a bit like a deadbeat?"

Many tourists looked shocked, their worldview shattered!

"No kidding, my wedding quilt was embroidered with mandarin ducks!"

"When I get married, I'm going to order a set of hornbill-themed blankets and pillows! Hey, could you guys at the zoo consider making some hornbill merchandise?"

The animal keeper scratched his head and said, "That, I'll pass on your suggestion!"

Liu Xueqing, deeply moved by the discussion, said to Yingying's father, "Gee, whether it's humans or animals, raising kids really isn't easy!"

Of course, raising children isn't just hard work; watching them grow can also be a lot of fun.

She smiled and patted Yingying's head, "Right? Sometimes you should be understanding of your mom and dad."

Yingying blinked her eyes and pouted, "I'm already very sensible!"

Both adults laughed, "Yes, sensible!"

As a baby, Yingying had been quite well-behaved, seldom crying. Some babies are particularly fussy, keeping everyone awake all night. Yingying remembered being praised for being good and felt quite proud of it.

Just then, a pleasant whistle sounded.

The visitors couldn't help but look up at the sky, where they saw a colorful cloud of parrots quickly rise and head towards a giant tree.

The aviary conducted several flight shows in the morning and afternoon!

Initially, it was thought that more training would be required before the flight shows could proceed. However, on the one hand, other zoos that purchased parrots also trained them for recall, and on top of that, the macaws at Linhai Zoo were quite influential. With their leadership, much of the time needed for adjustment was saved.

From the aerial walkway, Fang Ye beckoned, and the parrots "whooshed" to his side. Jinzhi's parrots scurried to perch on his shoulders and head, while the others seeing this, landed on the branches overhead!

It was as if the tree was adorned with clusters of colorful parrot fruits, their "caws" creating a cacophony.

Mi Jin saw the macaws landing on Fang Ye's head and jostling for a spot on his shoulder, which looked amusing. She interviewed, "Director, do your parrots talk? What can they say?"

Fang Ye laughed, "Of course they do, and they can say quite a bit. Why don't you try greeting it?"

Before Mi Jin could speak, Jin Martin was already saying, "Hello, hello!"

Caught by surprise, Mi Jin laughed and responded in kind, "Hello!"