I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 479: The Expressionless Tibetan Fox

After driving through the bumpy canyon roads, another open meadow appeared by the roadside.

Seeing a figure on the meadow, Fang Ye promptly said, "Hey, hey, hey, stop for a moment, stop!" Experience new tales on novelbuddy

Lan Li also noticed and exclaimed with surprise, "Isn’t that a Tibetan fox!"

In the middle of the meadow, leisurely walking and seeming to search for food with its head lowered, was a Tibetan fox!

Its fur was noticeable in shades of reddish-brown and dull yellow on its legs and head, while most of its body was more gray.

The streak of fluffy gray fur on its cheeks fluttered slightly in the wind, and its plump tail hung behind it.

Upon hearing the humans’ noise, it turned its head and looked at them expressionlessly.

It had a broad face with squinty eyes.

It resembled the expression of a capybara somewhat, but not quite the same.

The capybara’s look was more one of worldly detachment, as if seeing through the mortal world, whereas the Tibetan fox’s mouth corners turned downwards, and with its square cheeks, there seemed to be this subtle disdain in its gaze, coupled with a dash of coldness.

It was as if it was saying, "What are you looking at? Stare again and I’ll hit you with a pair of nunchucks."

Fang Ye hadn’t expected to see a Tibetan fox so soon after entering the mountains!

He chuckled and said, "Our luck isn’t too bad!"

He greeted the Tibetan fox, "Yo, Director Fox! You’ve come to play too?"

Anyway, they were in the car with the windows up, so the fox couldn’t hear them from such a distance.

Sitting in the car, a bit braver, animals accustomed to vehicles may not immediately flee.

But upon hearing humans talk, they might become cautious.

Not putting too much pressure on animals, not disturbing them, refraining from shouting and chasing, especially when they are feeding or with cubs, is the basic etiquette of observing wildlife.

The Tibetan fox looked at him expressionlessly: You think you’re funny, huh? I’m so annoyed I feel like hitting someone!

Duoji laughed and said, "Haha, I know, Director Fox!"

He spoke a few words in Tibetan to Qunan.

Although the Tibetan fox’s broad, indifferent face carried a hint of severity, there was an inexplicable sense of humor in its appearance, and Lan Li was laughing so hard she was bending over backward, "So this is a Tibetan fox, too bad, too bad!"

The Tibetan fox had actually become a popular internet animal a while ago since its features contrast greatly with those of typical foxes.

Whether it’s an Arctic fox or a red fox, they all have pointy snouts and ears, along with beautiful and alluring fur and fluffy tails.

If they turned into humans, they would definitely be enchanting and charming women, hence terms like "seductress" and "foxy lady."

Yet the Tibetan fox looks very peaceful and prosperous, with the appearance resembling that of a mature and stable middle-aged man.

If Daji had been a Tibetan fox turned into a spirit, King Zhou wouldn’t just indulge in sensual pleasures and debauchery; he would likely pack his bags and flee with his ministers overnight.

Such a state would hardly be suitable for his dynasty!

Recently, a well-known science blogger, who often identifies various messy viral wildlife, especially aquatic monkey videos, has become popular; he’s quite a character, and though you couldn’t say he looks exactly like a Tibetan fox, they’re identical.

It has also led to the emergence of various Tibetan fox memes, sparking another wave of popularity for the animal.

In the animal-related groups Fang Ye frequents, everyone loves using his Tibetan fox memes, stuff like "full of suspicion" or "hesitant to speak.jpg".

Actually, the Tibetan fox’s face isn’t fat; it has a large bone structure, with well-developed jawbones and masseter muscles.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

Though it looks clumsy and comical, it has an advantage in hunting and chewing, suited for a carnivorous diet.

Combining this with the need for cold resistance on the plateau, the fur on its cheeks is quite thick, making its face appear rather square.

Fang Ye took two photos of the expressionless Tibetan fox, who furrowed its brows as if it sensed something.

Turning its head, the fox trotted off toward the distance in a flash.

Although Tibetan foxes are fun, they are also animals that should not be approached. Tibetan foxes are hosts for tapeworms, which are parasitic to both humans and animals.

In fact, when it comes to interacting with wild animals, it is best to observe them from afar without getting too close, out of respect, and for the benefit of both parties.

Such amusing creatures as Tibetan foxes were certainly animals Fang Ye would like to keep a few of in the zoo.

However, there are no zoos in the entire world that keep Tibetan foxes, let alone introduce them.

The earliest zoo animals were all caught in the wild, but now breeding is the main method.

There are also some rescued animals, with disabilities that leave them unable to hunt, or orphaned when they are young, lacking in wild experience and unable to be released; zoos will take them in.

Xining Zoo, for instance, is the only zoo in the world that has a captive Chinese mountain cat, which they kept after rescuing it from a comminuted fracture, leading to the amputation of one of its hind legs.

The purpose of keeping animals in zoos for protection and breeding is ultimately for release into the wild. If they are doing well out there, there’s no reason to capture them for the sake of zoos; that would be putting the cart before the horse.

So, to see Tibetan foxes, it is satisfactory to admire their form on documentaries. If you really want to see them with your own eyes, you can go on a wildlife tour.

Taking out the binoculars, Fang Ye and Lan Li continued to observe the Tibetan fox, one on each side.

They saw several pikas on the distant meadow, looking like little round balls.

Compared to regular mice, their faces were rounder, their ears were like radar dishes, and they lacked tails.

Squatting on the ground, staring with bright, shiny, black eyes, they seemed a bit baffled.

One lifted its head to gaze at the sky, looking incredibly dazed and cute.

The Tibetan fox had obviously spotted the pikas too, lowering its body and inching toward the pikas quietly.

Its greyish-brown fur was an effective camouflage, almost blending into the yellow and green of the meadow.

It crept closer to the pikas step by step, then with lightning speed, it pounced!

The moment it pounced, the pika by the hole, previously in a daze, darted into its hole in a flash, while another one that lifted its head to look at the sky was too far from the hole to escape in time.

With its round, chubby body, it bounced away frantically.

But it was soon overtaken by the sprinting Tibetan fox who "snapped" it up in its mouth.

Holding it in its mouth, the Tibetan fox left with satisfaction.

In the distance, a large bird of prey spread its wings wide, circling in the sky.

It was an upland buzzard!

With a couple of flaps of its wings, it dived with a stylish, dashing posture, landing on a rock.

Then it lowered its head, picked up a round pika in its beak.

The upland buzzard shook the pika’s head twice, the body wobbling as it was swung into its mouth and swallowed whole.

After swallowing the pika, with keen eyes it scanned the surroundings, then kicked off the rock with its talons, flapped its wings, and flew up.

Soon, it dived and glided down again, caught another pika and ate it.

The naive and adorable pikas are an important keystone species of the grasslands!

Tibetan foxes primarily feed on pikas; upland buzzards eat pikas, the stripe-tailed little owl feeds on pikas, wolves and red foxes eat pikas, and even bears and Pallas’s cats eat pikas.

Basically, any carnivore likes to catch a pika to eat now and then.

To carnivorous animals, pikas are like large grains of rice that can run around on the meadow.