Yang Qi slowly rose and raised his palm toward his shoulder. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The Red-breasted Parakeet understood the gesture. It flapped its wings again and hopped onto Yang Qi’s shoulder, carefully finding its footing. It subconsciously leaned in toward the crook of Yang Qi’s neck, as if the spot offered it more security.

"Let’s go."

Yang Qi spoke softly, then strode toward the staff entrance of the enclosure with the "little refugee" on his shoulder.

As they moved, the other Red-breasted Parakeets in the enclosure saw what was happening.

Some of them let out a few indistinct chirps, as if discussing the situation.

Most, however, watched in silence, perhaps surprised, perhaps feeling it was none of their business.

As for the "boss" Red-breasted Parakeet, when Yang Qi passed below it, it turned its entire body around, presenting its backside to Yang Qi and the one it used to bully—a petulant display of "out of sight, out of mind."

But the incessant flapping of its wings betrayed its inner turmoil.

...

When Yang Qi walked out of the enclosure with the Red-breasted Parakeet on his shoulder, Cheng Yao, the two veterinarians, and the zookeeper Xiaozheng immediately gathered around.

Everyone’s eyes immediately fell on the Red-breasted Parakeet on Yang Qi’s shoulder—the one with ruffled feathers, a bare chest, and a timid demeanor.

"How did it go, Xiao Yang? What’s the cause?"

The older Veterinarian Zhao was the most focused on the professional aspects and asked urgently, "Is it really a psychological issue?"

"To be precise..."

Yang Qi stroked the back feathers of the parakeet on his shoulder and explained calmly, "It’s not a simple emotional problem. It’s been ’bullied’ by its own kind in the enclosure."

"Bullied?!"

Cheng Yao blurted out subconsciously, her eyes wide.

The word, when used for animals, struck her as both novel and absurd.

The two veterinarians also looked stunned, clearly not having expected such an answer.

The zookeeper Xiaozheng’s jaw dropped, his face a picture of disbelief.

"Red-breasted Parakeets... bully each other?" the younger veterinarian murmured.

Yang Qi nodded and explained in detail.

"This parakeet is relatively small and frail, and its personality is probably more introverted. There’s a very large and robust one in there that has become the ’boss’ of their little flock."

"That’s the ’boss’ that has been ostracizing and bullying this little one for a long time. It stops it from eating properly, prevents it from approaching the other parrots, and isolates it."

"Over time, the parakeet developed severe psychological problems and started plucking its feathers as a way to self-harm, or perhaps, to express its despair."

"Why would the ’boss’ bully it? Is there a specific reason? For example, competition for food? Mates? Or is the enclosure too crowded, leading to conflict?" Veterinarian Zhao pressed, trying to find the root cause from an ethological perspective.

"It can’t be because of food or the environment!"

The zookeeper Xiaozheng reacted quickly this time, his tone certain. "I put out a sufficient, measured amount of food every day, making sure to fill all the feeding troughs. There’s absolutely no way there isn’t enough to eat."

"The enclosure’s capacity and enrichment facilities are all up to standard, and they haven’t been changed in the last six months!"

"It’s not an issue with the environment or the food."

Yang Qi chimed in, confirming what Xiaozheng said. "I asked the ’boss.’ Its reason is very simple, and very ’pure’—it just doesn’t like this little one. It thinks it’s weak and an eyesore."

"It... it bullies another bird just because it doesn’t like the look of it?"

Cheng Yao’s mouth twitched. That reason...

’It’s exactly the same as those schoolyard bullies who run rampant!’

The people present looked at each other, all momentarily speechless.

But on second thought, aren’t the baseless bullying incidents in human society—the ones done purely to display power and for entertainment—often born from the same absurd reason of "I just don’t like you"?

They never expected to see such a "human-like" scene in the animal kingdom.

"This whole situation is..." Veterinarian Zhao shook his head, unsure of what to say.

Animal psychology and behavioral problems were already complex. This kind of pure, malicious bullying was even more troublesome to handle.

"In any case, the priority is to get this Red-breasted Parakeet out of its current environment first."

Yang Qi concluded, soothing the still-nervous little one on his shoulder. "It needs to be moved immediately. I suggest we take it to the quarantine area first for a full physical check-up, especially to see if there’s any malnutrition or dehydration from not eating enough for so long."

"After its physical issues are addressed, we can find a separate, quiet, smaller transitional enclosure to house it."

He paused, then added, "If we want it to be able to rejoin a flock in the future, we can wait until its condition improves, then select one or two similarly gentle individuals from other, more docile parrot flocks. We can slowly introduce them to keep it company and rebuild its social confidence."

"But it absolutely cannot be put back with its original flock, especially not with that ’boss’!"

"I suppose that’s the only way to handle it for now." Veterinarian Zhao sighed, indicating his agreement.

This was indeed the most reliable and humane solution.

"This needs to be reported to the Animal Management Department, with a detailed record and incident analysis,"

the other veterinarian reminded them. He then looked at Xiaozheng, whose face was still pale, and softened his tone. "You don’t have to blame yourself too much. This kind of covert bullying within a group can be really hard to spot at first, especially since the aggressor will deliberately avoid the zookeepers."

"There were no obvious lapses in your daily feeding and management. At most, your observations weren’t detailed enough, which might cost you some of your bonus, but the main responsibility doesn’t lie with you."

Hearing this, Xiaozheng managed to squeeze out a smile that was uglier than a crying face.