Chapter 27: 27 Wolf's Kiss
He drained all of the popularity value and, in the end, got another bottle of spiritual water.
The biggest gain, however, was the knowledge in Animal Behavior Management.
Fang Ye couldn't help but think, "The little White Tiger really is my lucky star! Maybe I should name it Flourishing Wealth."
He was only joking.
If he really gave the cute and adorable little White Tiger such a name, netizens would probably send him blades in the mail.
"Oh right, let's see what names the netizens have come up with for the little White Tiger!"
Fang Ye looked through the comments below the livestream with great interest.
He had previously said that netizens who participated in the naming could win a secret prize, which was actually a tiger plushie.
He gave himself a mental thumbs-up, thinking that this was using resources wisely, truly a brilliant move.
The enthusiasm of the netizens somewhat exceeded Fang Ye's expectations; in a short amount of time, the post already had dozens of pages!
There were all kinds of suggested names: grand, chuunibyou, funny, Mary Sue; and there were even long essays written for short stories.
Even though there aren't specific regulations for naming animals in the zoo, there are a few unwritten rules that have become standard practice.
Firstly, the name should be simple, easy to remember!
After all, the zoo is meant for the general public.
It should also be down-to-earth, not fancy or pretentious—names like Xuan, Zi, Hao, and Han are out of the question.
Yet, overly common names like Iron Egg, Flourishing Wealth, and Wealth are a no-go as well; upon hearing them, people would immediately think of snotty children at the village entrance or barking yellow dogs, making it hard to associate such names with a majestic tiger due to the sense of incongruity.
Many zoos, when they have newborn popular animals, will solicit names from the public.
Some people really rack their brains to get their suggested names chosen, considering meaning and connotations seriously.
For example, they might pick a sentence from an ancient tome like The Analects, like "Isn't it delightful to have friends coming from afar?" and suggest naming the animal "Friends" while providing a whole explanation.
That might get a lot of likes from netizens, "Oh, impressive, it sounds good and has cultural connotations!"
After all, a five-hundred-word essay certainly looks more compelling than a two-word name.
But in reality, zoos don't even consider such names; at best, seeing the word count, they'll politely express their thanks.
In the end, names like Dadi, Nannan, Meimei, and Niuniu—very down-to-earth ones—are the ones that get chosen.
Flicking through the pages, Fang Ye also saw a few names he thought were not bad.
Sugar, Cream, Egg Roll, Cold Skin, Sticky Rice, Yogurt, Ice Cake...
He found himself struggling to make a decision, his expression serious, "Which one should it be?"
After much contemplation.
Hmm... Ice Cake it is!
Having resolved a difficult issue, Fang Ye walked out the door with a smile in his eye and a song on his lips.
After some thought, he headed in the direction of the wolf enclosure!
Big Salted Fish could be used for the carnivorous animals to chew on, and the carnivores in Linhai Zoo were tigers, wolves, and foxes.
He had been paying more attention to tigers and foxes these past few days, so he'd give the Big Salted Fish to the wolves this time.
Linhai Zoo had two wolves, which were the most common type, the gray wolf.
The wolf enclosure.
When Fang Ye arrived, the area in front of the wolf enclosure was desolately empty.
As usual, not a single visitor was present, just two wolves inside lazily sprawled out.
In Linhai Zoo, wolves had the lowest popularity value!
For starters, their appearance was too similar to that of average dogs, lacking any distinctiveness.
The gray wolf, being the ancestor of all domestic dogs, naturally shared resemblances.
Then there's the wolf's bad reputation, from stories like "Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf" and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," as well as song lyrics like "If friends come, we have good wine; if wolves come, we have a hunting rifle."
It's clear that in most people's minds, wolves are deceitful, cruel, attack livestock, and are regarded as pests that need to be hunted.
Actually, the distinction between beneficial and harmful animals is entirely from the perspective of human production activities, which is very narrow-minded. We cannot say that animals that eat crops or livestock are considered pests, and those that eat mice are beneficial. Animals do not live in the world just for humans; each species has its own place in nature.
Now, after a period of excessive hunting and killing in the twentieth century, wolf populations have sharply declined, and in many countries, they are already on the brink of extinction. However, people's awareness and measures for their protection are still very lacking.
"Yo, Charcoal, Mizzle!"
Fang Ye greeted.
In the wolf enclosure, there were two wolves, one with pure black fur and the other with a light gray back, with white fur on the cheeks, neck, and belly.
The black-furred Charcoal was a male wolf, and the gray and white Mizzle was a female wolf.
Someone's here!
Charcoal perked up his sharp triangular ears and had heard the commotion from a distance.
Somewhat excited, he got up from the ground and walked to the metal fence, his forehead pressing tightly against the mesh, tilting his head and looking outside as if to confirm something.
As Fang Ye approached, his head slowly straightened, amber eyes sparkling, and his big tail gently swaying.
Typical wolves have deep, profound eyes most of the time!
They are the philosophers among animals.
What's for dinner tonight? Where can I find my next meal? What is my future? Where will my pack go?
They might be pondering these profound questions.
While hunting, their gaze becomes very sharp, tightly focused on their prey.
Compared with ordinary wolves, Charcoal's eyes were relatively round, and although he was gazing intently, it looked like his eyes were wide open, a bit silly and funny, quite comical.
Mizzle then stood up and walked over to Charcoal.
Standing together, the difference in their sizes was apparent, with Charcoal being taller and having a broader chest.
However, facing Charcoal who was taller and stronger, Mizzle was not intimidated at all, and with a nudge of her head, she unceremoniously pushed him aside.
What are you looking at? Let me see too!
After being jostled, Charcoal dutifully moved aside.
It's just the animal keeper, what's so strange about that? Look how excited you are!
Once Mizzle saw the visitor clearly, she immediately lost interest and trotted away.
Well, it's boring anyway, might as well run and get some exercise.
This was one of the few amusements they had in their enclosure.
Wolves possess long limbs, which are advantageous for fast running.
They trot along not too fast or slow, their toes barely touching the ground like a dragonfly skimming the water, the posture elegantly agile and pleasing to watch.
Charcoal looked in the direction Mizzle had left, lifting his leg slightly, seemingly hesitant.
This...this animal keeper is so much fun!
Turning his head to glance at Fang Ye, he still chose to chase after Mizzle!
Mizzle ran to the edge of the enclosure, turned, and trotted back.
Charcoal immediately moved his head closer, stretched his neck and placed his chin on top of Mizzle's head, rubbing his cheek against her ear.
Mizzle completely ignored him!
She lowered her head and deftly ducked under Charcoal's chin.
Once again, she turned back.
Charcoal, like a piece of stubborn candy, stuck close to Mizzle, trotting alongside her.
After being rejected once, he shamelessly continued to bring his head closer.
Stick together! Stick together, okay?
Hey, you're so annoying!
As they ran, Charcoal opened his mouth wide and clenched Mizzle's ear in one bite.