The wolf exhibit was located at the very front of the predator-thed area, adjacent to the tiger exhibit, with an entrance made of many large, irregular pieces of granite cobbled together to form a cave.
The granite was an ancient shade of gray-yellow, as if it had been through thousands of years of drastic changes, eroded by constant mountain winds and battered by rainwater, to finally take on its current appearance; a clump of lush green grass tenaciously extended out from the crevices in the rocks at the bottom.
The large rocks were stacked upon each other, spreading out layer by layer around them, not only serving as a fence for the grassland but also as resting benches.
At this mont, a family pushing a stroller seed to have grown tired from walking and was taking a brief rest here.
Primitive murals, so clear, so blurred, so deep, and so shallow black etchings, were carved into the large stones, depicting various scenes related to wolves.
In so, a group of wolves huddled together, howling at the sky; a few were hunting, chasing after deer with antlers on their heads; there were also wolves with their heads pressed together, mouths wide open, biting each other's heads, licking each other's lips; and even so scenes of humans walking alongside wolves.
Above the cave entrance, the words "wolf exhibit" were also written in the ancient script of seal characters!
Even if visitors couldn't recognize the twisting, turning script, they could still sense the wild and rough aning it conveyed.
All these elents together reflected the longstanding relationship between humans and wolves throughout history.
It was as if it were a dwelling of a primitive tribe from tens of thousands of years ago, where the primitive inhabitants observed the hunting, socializing, and other behaviors of wolves, and then passed these observations down in the form of stone carvings.
As visitors stepped into the cave, they were like traveling back tens of thousands of years, returning to a primal state, observing and understanding the wolf packs from an ancient perspective.
The lighting fixtures inside the cave were also torch-shaped, with light bulbs emitting bright yellow light, illuminating the rough, undulating cave walls.
The explanatory display boards were placed under the torches, where the text and images could be clearly seen.
Two ters away, the light would dim, but of course, it was still no problem to see where one was stepping.
Another torch would not appear until five ters further on, creating the atmosphere of a primitive cave.
Unconsciously, visitors who stepped in would quiet down.
Tang Xiaoxin looked expectant and whispered quietly, "Brother Fang Ye said that we would see lots of wolves this ti! Last ti I ca, I didn't see any sign of wolves after passing several windows."
Qian Keke's eyes also shimred, "Yeah! We're definitely going to see the wolves this ti."
The wolf exhibit was so large and even modified from mountainous terrain, with different elevations and dense forests and rocks that blocked the view.
From one observation point, only a small area could be seen, a slope or a dense forest would block the view of what lay beyond.
The overlapping field of view from different observation points was very small!
From here one could see a grassland, here a dense forest, here a stream...
Originally, there were only two wolves, Charcoal and Mizzle, always sticking together, inseparable... mainly because Charcoal was too clingy.
So when the wolf exhibit was complete, it was a bit awkward, as only one or two observation points could actually spot wolves.
Now with so many new wolves added, their range of activity increased, and different observation points had a chance to enjoy seeing the wolves.
The two of them arrived at the first observation point!
Here, one could see a flat grassland, with dense leaves swaying in the wind.
Dappled Sunshine fell, landing on a wolf that seed sowhat weather-beaten.
It appeared to have a La Leg, lifting its front paw, walking slowly across the dark green grass, exuding a lonely aura.
"Wow, it's a wolf!"
"Here cos the wolf!"
A few tourists exclaid in hushed voices.
There weren't many people at the first observation point, as most had gone to the place where they could see the waterfall.
That was where the wolves were most active!
La Leg, who had been injured and had difficulty moving, was also old and had a more solitary nature; he didn't want to mingle with the other wolves.
He walked up to a tree, sniffed the grass for a while, and looked around.
Then he began to go in circles!
Round and round he went, over and over.
A tourist asked in confusion, "What is it doing?"
Qian Keke stared at La Leg, furrowed her brow, and said softly, "Does this wolf have so kind of problem?"
Tang Xiaoxin said uncertainly, "Let's watch a bit longer!"
The observation point was also carefully designed.
A layer of crushed stone was laid under the glass walls to reduce the wolves' desire to approach.
Because the natural light outside was bright, and the glass walls in the cave were sandwiched between two torches, casting a dim yellow light, such a stark contrast naturally ford a visual barrier. Not for the tourists, but for the wolves!
Everyone who's been a student must have had this experience; when looking from the playground towards the classroom, you can't see anything, yet from inside the classroom, you can clearly see the scene below on the playground.
In the sa way, the wolves in the outdoor exhibit, when looking at the glass wall, would see nothing but darkness, unable to see the tourists inside. This allowed them to exhibit more natural behavior.
In other exhibits in the zoo, similar uses of light were employed to reduce the visual pressure of visitors on the animals, but the wolf exhibit leveraged the ambiance of the cave to take the light barrier to the extre.
La Leg made several circles in the sa spot, surveying the grass beneath his feet and slowly lying down on his side.
The injured leg was placed on the outside, his eyes closed, not moving an inch, as if in a still image.
But it wasn't entirely still; his stomach was still rising and falling slightly.
That's it!
Tang Xiaoxin had an epiphany, "I rember now, I seem to have seen an exhibit board before that ntioned wild wolves will go round and round before sleeping, trampling the grass beneath them into a comfortable bed."
Last ti she had co, she hadn't seen the wolves exhibit this behavior, but this ti she was lucky enough to encounter it.
Qian Keke looked at her admiringly and said in awe, "Wow, impressive! You still rember that!"
The tourists nearby also heard what Tang Xiaoxin said!
Then looking again at La Leg, so realized, "That looks familiar. My dog does the sa thing, walking in circles on the carpet before sleeping! I never thought much about it, but it must be a habit inherited from wolves in the wild."
If the exhibit lacked a rich environnt and was just a bare open space, a wolf who didn't fit in would be isolated in a corner, perhaps pacing in circles endlessly, which would look very bizarre and turn into a stereotyped behavior.
The two continued on, following the dimly lit corridor to the next observation point.
The rushing waterfall upstream, after a winding journey, had beco a babbling stream.
Over the last step of stone, there ford a short, clear water cascade that gathered into a tranquil pool.
A gray wolf, with graceful steps, appeared on the stream bank!
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