I have a wildlife zoo-Chapter 657 - 656: Red Panda High Five

"Wow, that big tail is so beautiful!"

"The scales seem to be shimmering!"

"It has an ethereal quality!"

Lady Amherst's pheasant cocked its head, its eyes bright and fixed on the visitors.

Upon closer inspection, there was also a tuft of red hair on top of its head, like a red tassel.

Its tail feathers were white with black-edged scales and subtle patterns, adorned with several red spots.

As white as clouds and as black as ink, the blue-green plumage was understated and restrained, giving off the vibe that it had stepped right out of a landscape painting.

Several Lady Amherst's pheasants lowered their heads to forage and peck at the ground, letting out two soft calls as if to remind their companions, their voices husky as an old wooden door's "creak."

A fluffy little squirrel was perched on a tree stump, standing at the edge, nibbling surreptitiously at the corn crumbs scattered by the animal keeper, moving its mouth voraciously.

When it noticed one of the Lady Amherst's pheasants bobbing and squatting gracefully before leaping up, it hurriedly scampered down from the tree stump.

Liu Wei asked, "Junior, do you prefer Lady Amherst's pheasants or golden pheasants?"

Amamiya Kokoro replied with a smile, "Of course, I like both!"

After thinking for a moment, "But if I really had to choose which one I prefer more, it would probably be the Lady Amherst's pheasant! The blue-green and white colors of their feathers are like elegant blue-and-white porcelain, don't you think?"

After taking another look at the Lady Amherst's pheasant, Liu Wei said, "Now that you mention it, it does kind of resemble it!"

"I never expected to see such beautiful birds; today has really been an eye-opener!"

Upon leaving the pheasant forest, they arrived at the red panda exhibit!

"Oh, kawaii!"

Amamiya Kokoro could not contain her excitement as she ran to a red panda cutout sign where visitors could pose, peeking her face out from behind with a beaming smile, "Senpai, senpai, take a picture for me!"

Liu Wei made a gesture, "Ok!"

He hadn't expected such a pretty girl to also have such a childish side; wasn't this thing meant for little kids?

But Amamiya Kokoro didn't see it that way; she thought that taking a few pictures to send back to her friends in Japan would surely make them jealous.

The Japanese have a special affection for both giant and red pandas.

Once inside the red panda exhibit, there weren't too many visitors—just about a dozen people.

Guan Shan, wearing a headset, greeted the visitors with a smile, "Hello everyone! Today, I will demonstrate some of the behavior training we usually give to red pandas.

When it comes to behavior training, you might first think of circus performances, like tigers jumping through hoops or elephants standing on their hind legs.

However, the purpose of behavior training in zoos is not to make animals perform like in a circus, but to help them cooperate during medical examinations, to follow the animal keeper's cues to move, not to be afraid of injections, and so on, to ensure the animals' health and welfare.

For red pandas, for example, we need to perform ultrasounds during their breeding season to check for pregnancy. Knowing if they're pregnant is crucial for preparing the birthing den, adjusting their diet for proper nutrition. Only with prior training can we ensure that the ultrasound examination goes smoothly."

Guan Shan took out a clicker, "What we need for the behavior training are this clicker and my hand! Like this."

She pressed it with a "click."

"This is a signal to the red panda that it has done something correctly! When it does, we give the red panda some food rewards to guide it towards the correct behavior.

My partner today is Chestnut; I'll bring him out now."

While Guan Shan went to the back room, Liu Wei said to Amamiya Kokoro, "We're quite lucky to be here today! I've only seen parrot training before, but this is my first time seeing a red panda behavior training demonstration."

"Wow, that's really lucky for us."

After a while, Guan Shan and another assistant animal keeper emerged with Chestnut, making their way to the open space in front of the red panda exhibit entrance.

Chestnut peeked out from behind Guan Shan's legs, gazing curiously at the surroundings!

Amamiya Kokoro couldn't help but exclaim repeatedly at the sight of Chestnut's delicate face, butterfly-like ears, reddish-brown fur, fluffy long tail, and gleaming eyes, "Kawaii! Kawaii ne!"

Squatting on the ground, she snapped pictures with her camera non-stop!

The assistant animal keeper maintained order, saying, "Please spread out a bit, everyone. Don't crowd too close, or you'll put psychological pressure on Chestnut!"

People obediently moved back two to three meters.

Red pandas are, by nature, rather timid and wary animals. Although now accustomed to tourists and able to take a stroll outside, performing behavior training under the tourists' gaze still posed some difficulty.

Therefore, training displays were only conducted when the zoo had just opened, the weather wasn't hot, tourists were scarce, and the red pandas were in a good mood.

Guan Shan took out a small piece of apple from her pocket, "The reward for training is a sweet and tasty apple!"

Curious, Amamiya Kokoro raised her hand and asked, "Why so little?"

"If you give too much at once," Guan Shan replied, "the red panda will become satisfied and lose interest in the food lure. So, multiple training sessions with small rewards are more efficient.

Of course, during the training process, besides the food, the most important thing is the animal's trust and cooperation!

The training needs to be conducted in as relaxed a state as possible. If the animals are unwilling, we won't force them, to prevent them from developing an aversion to the next training session."

Guan Shan squatted down, smiled at Chestnut, and called out, "Chestnut! Time for training."

Chestnut had been sniffing a small flower by the lawn. Hearing Guan Shan's call, it obediently went over to her feet!

Guan Shan held out her hand flat, "Come on, stand up tall!"

Chestnut stood on its hind legs, with its front paws off the ground, touching Guan Shan's palm with its nose.

Guan Shan pressed the shutter immediately, and with a "click," she handed Chestnut a piece of apple, praising, "Well done!"

The visitors marveled, "Wow, so well-behaved!"

"Such an adorable little creature!"

Fearing they would disturb the training, they spoke rather softly!

Amamiya Kokoro gently nudged Liu Wei's arm and asked, "What's 'little ability'?"

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Liu Wei explained, "'Ability' as in 'capability,' the character for bear with four dots below representing legs, suggests that perhaps red pandas have short legs, so we affectionately call them 'little ability'!"

"Little ability, kawaii!"

After Chestnut finished the apple in two bites, licking its lips longingly, Guan Shan reached out her palm again, "Shake hands!"

Chestnut placed its left paw in her palm. Guan Shan switched hands and offered the other side, "Shake hands!"

Chestnut followed by placing its right paw on her palm!

With a "click," Guan Shan handed over another apple, praising, "Great job!"

The assistant animal keeper explained to the visitors, "Shaking hands and high-fiving are common behavior training for red pandas, which helps them stay calm when their front paws are touched, making it easier for the vet to examine them."

Guan Shan extended her hand, "Come on, high-five!"

Chestnut reached out its paw and gently tapped Guan Shan's hand.

The sight of a red panda's tiny paw high-fiving a human's large hand looked incredibly endearing.

"I'm so envious, I want to high-five a red panda too!"

"Kawaii!"