I have a wildlife zoo

Chapter 536: The Silly Pelican among Birds

Yingying asked in wonder, "What kind of bird is this?"

Liu Xueqing was not quite sure, "Could it be a pelican?"

Given the large pouch-like structure under its bill, it must be a pelican.

Yingying’s father said, "I saw on their official account that Waterfowl Lake has opened recently, right? It seems they’ve brought in quite a few water birds, like swans, mandarin ducks, flamingos, and the like."

"Oh~" Liu Xueqing suddenly felt puzzled again, "Then why is the pelican here? Shouldn’t it be at Waterfowl Lake?"

Yingying’s father shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn’t know either!

The zoo had treated the flying feathers of the swans and other birds that were to be released into Waterfowl Lake, clipping one among every one or two feather shafts.

Clipping the tips of their wings restricted their ability to fly, which, although convenient for management, was somewhat barbaric, and visitors didn’t feel comfortable seeing it.

This method of feather-clipping was a bit better, allowing short-distance flying ability but preventing them from flying too far.

Waterfowl Lake was not covered with a big net like the bird exhibit!

Therefore, these birds did not necessarily stay obediently in Waterfowl Lake, and some flew out.

This pelican must have seen the watery environment of ring-tailed lemur island and decided to land here.

Yingying repeated twice, "Pelican? Pelican?"

This bird looks so strange, and its name is strange too!

"Dad, take a photo of it!"

Yingying’s father laughed, "Okay!"

The lotus leaves in the water had already grown out, but the flowers had not yet bloomed.

The deep green wave-shaped leaves grew in clusters in the water, and the pelican swam leisurely among them, looking very relaxed, just like an ink wash painting.

The pelicans at Linhai Zoo were white pelicans, whose feathers appeared pure white but upon closer inspection revealed a faint pink tint. The black flight feathers beneath their wings and the signature yellow throat pouch made them distinctive.

With a dip of the head, its long bill could touch the surface of the water.

Compared to the pelicans in the water, those on the shore looked much sillier.

At the moment, it was pecking at a capybara’s head!

The ring-tailed lemurs got along well with the capybaras; they really liked the capybaras, would ride on them, hug their thighs, and flock around them—and the capybaras didn’t mind the attention.

Two of the capybaras were usually kept with the ring-tailed lemurs, while the other two mingled with other animals, rotating periodically through the tropical bird exhibit, raccoon exhibit, mixed-species areas, and various exhibits.

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Someone asked animal keeper Yang just to be sure!

Yang couldn’t help but laugh, although pelicans weren’t his responsibility, he knew what was going on from chatting in the group, "Not at all, these pelicans are quite picky eaters, only eating small crucian carps the size of your palm!

When they first arrived, our keepers tried to feed the pelicans some blackfish, but they wouldn’t eat them.

This attempt to swallow a capybara is just an expression of the pelican’s instinct to try swallowing anything when it’s leisurely.

Over at Waterfowl Lake, there’s a chance to witness the pelicans being fed.

The ring-tailed lemurs are too big for a pelican’s appetite! Can’t be swallowed at all.

There might be videos of pelicans eating birds, but if they’re full from fish, they won’t eat birds unless it’s a very exceptional case."

Relieved, the visitors finally let go of their concerns.

The ring-tailed lemurs were also very curious about this new visitor!

There were seven or eight ring-tailed lemurs watching the capybara and the pelican, some squatting on the rocks, others sitting on treetops with their bright orange eyes intently focused on the pelican.

One particularly brave lemur approached the pelican.

As soon as the pelican saw the ring-tailed lemur approaching, it immediately stretched its neck and opened its beak to grab the lemur!

The ring-tailed lemur instantly became alert and stopped, flattenings its body against the ground like a toad, then forcefully kicked with its hind legs, its long tail whipping like a propeller to control its direction, and with a "swoosh", it jumped onto an adjacent branch and from there to another tree!

It created distance in an instant.

Turning its head, the pelican looked stunned as if to say, "Wow, what a move!"

Several ring-tailed lemurs watched the pelican for a while, then leisurely turned and walked away, making room for others to come and observe.

Because the pelican’s open beak was a bit scary, everyone maintained a distance.

The ring-tailed lemurs had their own entertainment.

Right then, two of them were playing with a three-section bamboo tube hanging from a tree, making it swing back and forth.

A hole had been made in the middle of the bamboo tube, just big enough for a ring-tailed lemur’s paw to reach inside!

Compared to the rough bark, the bamboo tube was much smoother, making it a challenge to cling onto it while maintaining balance and fishing out food from the hole.

One ring-tailed lemur tried it, then quickly jumped away, while another tightly hugged the tube, sticking its mouth right beside the hole to pull a piece of apple closer. The apple caught on the edges and couldn’t come out, so it just held on and began to eat.

Right now, two ring-tailed lemurs were grooming each other’s fur, appearing to have a close relationship.

There was a "hammock" made of sticks, ropes, and canvas, hanging under a tree trunk. One lemur sat in it, watching the others, then jumped to another place.

Life was rich.