He then took netizens to a nearby aviary for a look.
On the ground of the aviary was a layer of fallen leaves, housing a number of low grass huts and so perches, with a feed basin and water basin on the ground.
"Hey, what’s this for? Why is the nest on the ground?"
"Didn’t see any owls?"
"Is this supposed to be for chicken farming?"
The netizens speculated wildly.
"If the place we just saw is the owl elentary school, then this must be the university, right? The grass huts on the ground are luxury hos prepared for mice. We scattered so corn here to attract wild mice to settle down, kind of like a housing subsidy for them."
Fang Ye wandered around the aviary and noticed a hole underneath a grass hut, and raising an eyebrow said, "Not bad! So mice have already visited, and so of the corn has been scattered outside.
When these little owls have nearly mastered flying, we can bring them here to simulate natural predatory behavior. We won’t provide food; the owls will have to catch the mice themselves."
"Mickey’s Trap House!"
"I was just about to say that!"
"Hahahaha! Such deceit, luring mice in to kill them!"
"Goodness, this isn’t a mansion; it’s a deathtrap!"
"Mouse: I’m better off without this ’subsidy’!"
Fang Ye laughed and said, "What do you think, isn’t our school quite sothing? After graduation, sending letters at Hogwarts would definitely not be a problem."
He then seriously added, "But no matter how good the school is, it can’t compare to the teachings of owls’ parent birds. That’s why if you find a chick, don’t just pick it up and take it ho; doing so would an you’re dooming them.
Our rescue center often receives calls about sighting a little bird on the ground, unable to fly, surely abandoned by its parents. They’ve rescued it and brought it ho, or they’ve picked up a bird from sowhere and call directly to ask how to raise it, intending to keep it themselves.
Taking owls as an example, first and foremost, they are a nationally protected species, and it is illegal for individuals to keep them.
Rescuing fledglings is a very complex and professional task that requires a lot of effort. If you want to rescue them on your own, do you know what the bird eats, what trace elents it needs? Can you teach the bird to communicate with its own kind, to distinguish between different calls and their anings? Can you teach it how to forage in nature and avoid predators?"
Many tis, although such rescues co from a place of kindness, they inadvertently do more harm than good.
After hearing Fang Ye’s questions, the netizens fell into deep thought.
They had never considered that rescuing a fledgling could be such a troubleso matter!
They thought maybe they could just bring it ho, keep it in a cage for a while, give it so rice, and provide so water.
"Director, what should we do then?"
Fang Ye said, "First, observe the nearby environnt to check for parent birds or a nest. Then, see if the fledgling is injured. If the bird shows no external injuries, you can place them back into their nest or onto a nearby tree branch. The parent birds will continue to nurture it.
Or doing nothing is better than taking it ho.
So owl babies, although they can’t fly, have great climbing abilities and can climb back up the tree.
Then there’s the grass owl which nests either in trees or on the ground. A grass owlet staying in the grass might be mistaken for fallen and picked up, leaving the grass owl parents in despair when they return.
If there are stray cats and dogs lurking nearby, the fledgling site is close to a road with heavy traffic, the environnt is unsafe, or the bird is indeed injured, in such cases you can put the fledgling in a cardboard box with a towel and contact the local rescue center.
Also, don’t feed them just anything. The last ti our rescue center received a call, soone had found the nest of a collared scops owlet, and we could have put it right back, but the rescuer very kindly fed the chick so millet, causing its stomach to bloat. We had to bring it back and observe for a few days before releasing it again."
"Wow, owls can climb trees, that’s an eye-opener!"
"/laughcry, who on earth feeds millet to an owl? They are birds of prey, aren’t they!"
"Uh, don’t laugh at . I really used to think that feeding fledglings millet was okay!"
A netizen questioned, "Director, if a chick gets covered in human scent and is returned to its nest, will the parent bird still recognize it? Will it just abandon the chick and refuse to care for it anymore?"
Soone imdiately retorted, "Birds don’t have a sense of sll, so how could they detect human scent!"
Fang Ye explained, "First of all, birds do have a sense of sll, and so are actually quite acute.
Like cinereous vultures, they can sll rotting flesh from far away, and albatrosses, they can navigate using scents.
Talking about the issue of abandonnt,
Indeed, many mammals recognize by scent, like cats, lions, and wolves. If their offspring get tainted with a foreign sll, they might think it’s not their own and then might abandon or even kill the young ones.
However, birds usually recognize their offspring not by scent but by appearance and sound. Even if they get a human scent on them, the birds will continue to care for them."
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"I think I should pick a na for myself" rewarded 20 rice balls!
"Seal, Han Qing" rewarded a rocket!
"Cornflower Rapid-Fire Mortar" rewarded a plane!
"A shout-out to the Linhai Zoo for its diligent and responsible rescue work!"
"Such accurate bird rescue knowledge is so rare!"
"Director, why don’t you make a post about bird rescue on the zoo’s social dia? Compile what you said today; I’ll share it on my Monts to help promote animal protection."
"I think this knowledge should be included in biology textbooks."
"Let’s work together to protect the lovely animals!"
Fang Ye, seeing the rewards and comnts from the netizens, laughed and said, "Thank you all for your support!"
At this mont, he ca to a cage, inside which a bird with a peculiar appearance was walking on the ground.
Its wings were Patterned with black and white feathers, and it had a long, sharp beak.
"Goo goo goo~ goo goo goo~"
The calls had a very even rhythm.
Seeing soone approaching, the large orange crest on its head instantly opened in alert, looking very striking.
"Huh, what kind of bird is this?"
"A woodpecker?"
Fang Ye said, "This isn’t a woodpecker. This is a Eurasian hoopoe, otherwise known as a stinky lady or coffin bird! It’s a very common type of bird in China, found almost everywhere."
"Why do I never see any of the common birds the director talks about! /cover face"
"The only wild birds I’ve seen are Oriental magpies and sparrows!"
"Around here we call it the poop coo coo! There are lots around my workplace."
"Why is it called ’stinky lady’? Does it sll that bad?"
Fang Ye said, "It really stinks, like feces.
They might rub feces or decaying stuff like carcasses onto their bodies, and during breeding season, the female secretes a slly fluid, which she rubs into the nest. This acts like a biochemical weapon to protect herself and her young, deterring other animals with its foul sll."
"Complaining about how Eurasian hoopoes are quite difficult to rescue, mainly because they’re disgusting. After being rescued, they won’t eat by themselves and have to be hand-fed, and they’re very uncooperative when you feed them. They get agitated when approached and might spray you with feces."
"Hahaha, is it really that bad?"
"What a revelation!"
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