Chapter 32: Mackenzie Wolves (I)
Even though he had acquired a large territory in Hexi, Yu Yiyun was not satisfied.
He has lived in Hexi for quite a long time, and his close friends including his aunt, Zhen'an, Shatangju and Tiger Sister are all here.
But her mother is on the other side of the river, and even if it is not convenient to meet for the time being, Yu Yiyun, who is clingy to the tiger, cannot tolerate the long separation.
Fat Tiger knows that he is very big now, weighing 300 kilograms, and is two times rounder than Kang Kang. It is inappropriate for him to always stick to his mother.
But--
I'm not even two years old, what's wrong with a kitten liking to cling to its mother!
Yu Yiyun was determined to become a mama's boy, so she bided her time and stayed in her territory for a long time to recuperate.
When he was two years old and his claws became stronger, he crossed the river with high morale.
After crossing the river... I squatted on the shore with my paws in my hands to sunbathe.
As he gets older, Fat Tiger not only grows bigger, but his hair also becomes denser than other tigers, making it harder to dry after getting wet.
Moreover, after the tiger's hair is wet, everyone can see:
Pig is a solid ball.
The weight is accurate and fair to everyone.
The fat tiger lay on a big rock on the shore, napping and basking in the sun.
After having a beautiful dream, Maomao was finally dried.
He looked to the left and then to the right.
After selecting the troops and generals, they decided to go to No. 3's territory to find food.
The third prince sensed the invasion of the male tiger from a distance, and judged by instinct that the other party was stronger than himself.
In this situation, the chances of winning by facing the enemy head-on are very low.
However, most warlike male tigers will often chase and drive away invaders, even at the cost of their lives.
The male tiger is always a fearless warrior.
Number Three was no exception, he leaned forward and roared, following the movement for a while before he determined which Tigress was the intruder.
In an instant, No. 3's steps became light, and he ran over at the fastest speed and started chuffing from a distance.
"Oh!" Teacher Yunyun, you come to see me!
"Huff, huff!" When Yu Yijun heard No. 3's call, he simply gave up catching the prey and spanked him with his tail as he did before.
'Go, hunt for me!'
Tiger number three was a semi-wild tiger that was two and a half years old when it was released.
A two-and-a-half-year-old tiger is about to reach sexual maturity, and is considered an adult tiger. Its personality and behavioral habits have already been formed.
Studies have shown that cats become more difficult to domesticate as they get older.
For example, a stray cat that has been wandering for many years is more difficult to tame than a kitten that has just started wandering.
However, once an adult cat is well-fed, it may trust its owner more than a kitten.
This is the case with number three.
I spent several months with Teacher Yunyun and learned how to hunt under his guidance. The memory of it is very clear.
He seemed like a stray cat that had been fed by Yu Yiyun. When they met, he felt close to her and even activated his canine attribute of "loyalty".
Yu Yiyun whipped No. 3 twice with his tail, and No. 3 formed a conditioned reflex and rushed out to hunt, roaring.
A few hours later, Yu Yiyun was chewing the calf that No. 3 had brought back, and said with satisfaction, "My teaching was not in vain."
Number Three was praised by Teacher Yun. He excitedly wagged his tail and invited Teacher Yun to visit his territory.
Yu Yiyun filled his stomach, patrolled the territory with No. 3, and patted his shoulder with his paw, making a farewell sound.
"Awoo, woo, woo..." Number Three hung its tail, its face filled with frustration. It didn't want Yu Yijun to leave too quickly.
"Ahhh!" Yu Yiyun wagged her tail and comforted him loudly: "Don't be sad, we will be neighbors soon! I will come to visit you then!"
Of course, No. 3 didn't understand, so he followed Teacher Yun out of his territory.
——If he knew what Yu Yiyun was planning to do, he would definitely try his best to stop his mentor.
Don't commit suicide!
There is hell ahead!
Yu Yiyun gathered his strength, sharpened his claws, and set out on the road to hell.
In the evening, Fat Tiger came to the tiger territory.
I sniffed the scent left on the ground, and it was as strong as ever.
After confirming the breath, Yu Yiyun swaggered in and roared provocatively.
"roar--!"
Yu Yiyun invaded the territory and shouted loudly without knowing the consequences.
The rewilding team and Yun's parents were so frightened that their brains were shaking, and the coffee, milk tea and juice in their hands spilled all over the table.
[Tiger Boss, my Fat Tiger is young and ignorant, please don't argue with him...]
[Tiger: Say it again? Whose Fat Tiger? ]
[I was so scared that my heart stopped. Why did Fat Tiger provoke the tiger? Doesn’t he have a territory in Hexi? ]
[I estimated from the map that the Hexi territory is about 46-52 square kilometers, which is not enough for an adult male tiger. I thought he would expand northwards, but now it seems that Xiao Yunyun is most likely to set his sights on Hedong (after all, there is beef to eat)
[To the north is the jackal's base camp, right? Don't underestimate them. Although they can't outnumber tigers, jackals can gather a large army and their group strength is very strong. Don't forget which of the four fierce beasts, 'jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards', is at the forefront. ]
[Back to the topic above, the existing jackals in Qinling are no longer able to gather a large army. And Xiao Yunyun does not expand into the jackal's territory, probably because the little fool got lost last year and it was the jackal who sent him home]
[I still remember that photo, the cat and the dog are in great harmony, thanks to the enthusiastic old jackal~]
[So, if Xiao Yunyun wants enough territory, he can only aim at Hedong. I didn't expect that Hedong is so big, and he actually wants to snatch a piece of land from the tiger's claws (boy, can't we just snatch Changsheng's)?]
【Changsheng: Are you polite? 】
[I can understand Xiao Yunyun. His territory in Hexi is next to Shatangju, Mulan, and Zhen'an, all of whom are tigers with whom he has a good relationship. So, our Fat Tiger must want to stick close to his mother~]
[Baby is so good and soft-hearted~]
[Wait! Does he want to go from the river bank to the territory near Kang Kang? I remember the official updated territory map, Kang Kang's territory is almost in the center of Shanjun's territory, it's not easy to fight from there]
Yu Yiyun certainly knew it was not easy, so he kept a low profile until he was two years old and his physique was almost the same as that of an adult male tiger. Only then did he dare to cross the river to challenge his father.
When he arrived in Hedong, he did not immediately seize the territory, but instead took care of it for two full days.
This is to avoid wasting energy while crossing the river and affecting your performance.
Yu Yijun sharpened his claws to be sharp and pointed, and his roar shook the forest. He secretly made up his mind: Even if he couldn't win today, he had to find out the tiger's true strength.
The tiger is eight years old this year, and his peak period is only a few years away.
I am still in the growth stage, and my combat power is constantly improving. As long as I keep challenging, I will be able to take over this territory sooner or later.
"roar--!!!"
Tiger, come and fight!
I will definitely be this mama’s boy!
Yu Yiyun roared for a long time. Perhaps because the tiger's territory was too large, the tiger king did not show up for a long time.
Poor little piglet, his throat was dry from yelling before the fight even started.
Relying on his memory, he went to the stream to drink water and smelled his mother's scent from afar.
The "Tiger Navigation" was finally accurate this time and led him to his mother.
The pig happily turned around a few times, leaving his paw prints on the nearby tree, planning to start marking this place after defeating the tiger.
Although my chances of winning are slim, but what if?
Yu Yijun was too tired from yelling just now, so he drank some water, lay down on the spot, and snored into a sleep.
As he fell asleep, he finally understood why the stronger the tiger, the less alert it was when sleeping.
The big fat tiger now has his own territory. No beasts in the territory can hurt him, and the herbivores stay away when they smell the scent.
He ate and slept wherever he ate, just like Mulan did before. He didn't need to defend himself against enemies and beasts, and he slept more soundly than a pig.
Half asleep and half awake, Yu Yiyun realized: Wait, this seems to be the tiger's territory!
Before I even opened my eyes, I was awakened by the strong and aggressive smell of the tiger.
No way!
The tiger tyrant hid for so long and attacked me while I was sleeping. Does he have any moral ethics?
Yu Yiyun's body trembled and he woke up suddenly with fright.
He rolled over on the spot and looked across the stream warily.
I found the tiger was slowly hanging its claws there, re-marking the boundaries of its territory.
"Oh?" Yu Yijun tilted her head in confusion, bewildered by the tiger's behavior.
What's going on?
Dad means... to give this place to me?
Is there such a good thing?
Yu Yiyun was confused and racked her brains but couldn't figure it out: Is the tiger such a docile cat?
——No wonder he couldn’t figure it out.
The rewilding team later reviewed the case for a long time, and finally pieced together the truth from hundreds of photos.
The tiger sensed the invasion of the tiger and the roar of the other side, so of course he was ready to fight back immediately, even if the other side was his own son.
As a result, before he rushed out, Kang Kang, who was with his cub, suddenly jumped out and pounced on the tiger fiercely, as if to say, "If you dare to touch my son, you will have to step over my dead body."
The tiger tried to shake off Kang Kang, but the tigress, with her maternal instinct aroused, had amazing fighting power and dragged on for two hours.
Finally, the tiger was stopped in its den by Kang Kang and couldn't fight back.
The two tigers were whispering to each other, and it was unclear how they were communicating.
After the "communication", the tiger turned around and rushed to Changsheng's territory, beat the lord tiger severely, snatched the territory, and hung a circle of claws in his territory as a revenge.
As the king of tigers, tigers care more about the size of their territory.
Changsheng's territory is more than 100 square kilometers, which is larger than the one that Little Fat Tiger wants.
Anyway, the territory area has not decreased, and the tiger doesn't care which area it is.
Since Kang Kang was not on the other side of the river, there was no need for him to occupy the river bank.
Of course, Yu Yijun didn't know about these behind-the-scenes stories. Seeing the tiger king re-circling his territory, he tentatively raised his paw and discussed with the tiger king on the other side of the stream.
"Ah!" Am I dead?
"Aoao!" It will belong to me after being marked!
"Ahhhh!!!" Even if you are my biological father, if you try to seize my territory in the future, I will fight back!
The tiger still ignored his son who was talking a lot of nonsense. After marking, he coldly left a terrible message saying "Those who trespass into the territory will be killed or disabled."
It's so funny. The little fat tiger has set up his territory here. Would he still care?
Anyway, just hold on for another two years, the tiger is past his prime, and you can do whatever you want~
Maybe, I can even provide for Tiger King's father in his old age and let him become a tiger king with a good end of life.
Yu Yiyun marked out the new territory, roared like a tiger to declare his sovereignty, and said hello to the mother opposite.
Faced with this result, the rewilding team and zoology experts all suspected that they were dreaming.
From ancient times to the present, there have always been casualties in the fight for territory between powerful male tigers.
Not to mention that one of them is the Tiger King.
The division of territory between Tiger Tiger and Yunxiao ended peacefully, causing everyone to exclaim, "Who says tigers don't have a deep father-son relationship?"
A few days after living in the new territory, Yu Yiyun saw Chang Sheng wandering around with a limp, and learned that his territory had been destroyed by tigers.
Changsheng was not seriously injured, but he could not immediately fight for new territory. He could only wander around, keeping his tail between his legs.
Seeing him like this, Yu Yiyun pretended not to notice that Changsheng had invaded her territory, and occasionally even sent half a sheep over.
After about half a month of nursing, Changsheng's injuries had almost recovered, and he was raising his tail again to fight for new territory.
Although this tiger is violent, vindictive, and bullies children, it is one of the most successfully rewilded South China tigers.
Even though it has been defeated time and again, it still has a vitality as strong as a rock.
"Ah!" Yu Yijun chased after him and shouted: Brother, change your name before fighting next time!
The name 'Changsheng' is too poisonous!
Not long after, the rewilding team updated the map of the South China tiger's territory.
Changsheng finally learned his lesson and found an unoccupied area far away from the other male tigers to rebuild his empire.
However, the most eye-catching thing in this update is the super luxurious territory that spans the east and west of the river, includes mountains, jungles, rivers, and is compatible with a variety of large beasts.
Lord Tiger: Yunxiao.
Some people just saw Yunxiao's name, and recalled the little cat who couldn't even catch a chicken last year, and felt a sense of relief that "my son has grown up", and praised the little cat for being handsome and powerful.
As summer ends and autumn arrives, winter goes and spring arrives, the Qinling Nature Reserve has experienced another cycle of cold and hot seasons.
Three major events happened this year:
The first thing: Shatangju’s four tiger cubs miraculously grew to two years old, left the den one after another, and became independent tigers.
The first one to leave was the tiger sister who was the weakest at birth.
Her style is not like her mother's, but more and more like the aunt next door. She has the potential to become the new queen.
Mulan's cubs are already one and a half years old. Under their mother's guidance, each of them is a good hunter.
Yu Yiyun's younger brothers and sisters are younger, but they are well developed and have a lot of the style of Fat Tiger back then.
The first batch of cubs grew up, and soon the second and third batches were born in this rich and beautiful forest.
The South China tiger in the wild is finally as everyone expected:
Natural reproduction.
Endless life.
The second thing: The rewilding team learned from the lessons of the first and second batches and released the third batch of tigers.
The ones selected this time are mainly tiger cubs that have just turned one year old, are healthy, lively, have good adaptability, and are suitable for learning hunting.
Moreover, they were targeted in Yunxiao's territory.
Teacher Yun, who has many students in Qinling Mountains, was forced to return to his old job and start the "Hu Hu Compulsory Education".
The third thing: Yunxiao, the much-anticipated top tiger star, is now 3 years old!
The rewilding team wrote a birthday message for him, in which there was a sentence: With the help of the Tiger God Yunxiao, the number of South China tigers in the Qinling Nature Reserve has officially exceeded three digits!
The 3-year-old South China tiger has reached adulthood and is about to enter its peak period.
Yunxiao's body shape, claws, and teeth are the best developed among his kind, and he is the well-deserved successor to the Tiger King.
All the wild animals in the Qinling Mountains know that the new tiger king has a good temper when he is not hungry, and he will share food with them in the cold winter and bitter summer.
When other tigers have trouble making ends meet, they will go to Yunxiao's territory to pick up trash and never worry about being expelled.
On his birthday, Yu Yiyun hunted a wild buffalo as a gift and generously treated several "student tigers" to a feast, eating to their heart's content.
After filling his stomach, Yu Yiyun suddenly felt an irresistible sleepiness.
He rolled himself into a tiger-skin cake and fell into a deep sleep.
In the dream, I came to a white world, strange yet familiar.
In confusion, Yu Yiyun heard a familiar voice:
[The wild population of South China tigers has expanded to 500%. Congratulations on completing the mission.]
The voice did not come from any direction, but sounded directly in my mind.
Yu Yiyun finally remembered that he had heard this voice before he turned into Yunxiao.
"Who are you?" he asked curiously.
[I am the voice of the world. It will only ring when you leave the world.]
"Leave?" Yu Yiyun was shocked. "Excuse me, am I going to die?"
If Yu Yijun had heard this sentence before she turned into a South China tiger, she would not have reacted much.
Both his parents have passed away, he is unmarried and childless, and has no ties in the world.
The only souvenir is the unfinished plan of returning to the mountains.
It’s different now. Yunxiao has just become an adult and he should enjoy a free and brilliant life as a tiger.
The Voice of the World did not give a direct answer.
[You can choose to stay. Yunxiao accepted you when he was on the verge of death. It was you who gave him a second life.]
“…”
Yu Yiyun was stunned for a long time, and seemed to understand something.
"You mean, after I leave, Yunxiao is the real Yunxiao, right?"
[Yes and no. He has spent this time with you, and your intelligence, strength, and kindness will all become his weapons.]
When Yu Yiyun heard this, she smiled as if relieved.
I have spent more than two wonderful years as 'Yunxiao'. Now, Yunxiao will become a gentle, powerful and invincible South China tiger.
The species that are protected by him will surely flourish and return to their dominant position in nature.
"Now that my mission is accomplished, then..."
Before Yu Yiyun finished speaking, she heard a puzzling sentence again, just like last time.
[Second mission: Become the leader of the pack.]
Yu Yiyun: ???
Wait, what wolf?
Am I not a little kitty?
.
Yellowstone National Park, located in the core area of the Rocky Mountains in North America, is the first national park in history.
Yellowstone Park covers an area of nearly 900,000 hectares, with a plateau in the center and surrounded by mountains on all sides.
It spans two countries, the United States and Canada, and the rich landforms within the park form a spectacular wildlife habitat.
North America's top predator, the gray wolf, has also been absent for more than half a century.
In the early 20th century, Westerners who controlled North America regarded wolves as the embodiment of "evil" and slaughtered more than 2 million wild wolves.
By 1926, wild gray wolves were partially extinct in North America.
The natural ecology without its top predator quickly became unbalanced and declined.
After 70 years, the Yellowstone Park Management Authority introduced the larger Mackenzie wolf into the land to replace the disappeared Great Plains wolf.
Mackenzie wolves, like all gray wolves, live in groups.
The most typical wolf pack mainly consists of a pair of alpha wolves and their offspring from different periods.
If a wandering male wolf meets a female wolf he likes and successfully courts her, he can quickly form a new wolf pack.
However, if food is sufficient, some wolf packs will accept foreign wolves and are even willing to raise homeless pups.
After the introduction of wolves, relevant experts were once worried: the wolf pack was expanding too quickly, would it become an infestation?
Wolves have proven to be very smart predators that can regulate their populations on their own.
If there are too many wolves in the same area, wars for resources will break out between the wolves.
The casualties caused by this will maintain the overall balance.
A wolf war broke out in a forest wetland in Yellowstone Park, resulting in heavy casualties.
“Ahhhhh!”
The leader of the victorious wolf pack stood on the hillside, raised his neck high, and howled to announce his victory.
The rest of the members followed the leader to inspect the spoils they had just captured.
Deep in the forest in the distance, there was a long trail of blood.
The defeated female leader of the wolf pack, whose abdomen and legs were bitten and who was dying, lay there in pain.
Unable to move, she could only eat nearby earthworms and grass to fill her stomach.
Even so, the female wolf still vomited out the last bit of half-digested food in her stomach and fed it to the weakest cub, making a "woohoo" sound similar to crying from her mouth.
Two coyotes ran by, fighting with the raven for a silver-gray head.
Those were the last remains of her husband, Wolf King Adam, who had protected the family with his life.
In the distance, in an open-top off-road vehicle, a photographer was holding a camera and filming a documentary. He moved the camera silently to record the end of this legendary wolf pack.
The wolf pack in Yellowstone Park has a rapid generational change, and no single pack can remain dominant all the time.
However, if everyone were asked to choose their favorite wolf king, Adam with black hair and golden eyes in his prime would definitely be at the top!
Adam is a nine-year-old Malgen wolf who weighed 150 pounds at his peak.
He left his family at the age of one, and when he was only two years old, he defeated the former wolf king of the forest wetlands and began his own ruling career.
The wolf pack led by Adam ruled the forest wetlands for six years, never abandoning any of its members and never killing any of its own kind.
It is difficult for the alpha wolf in Yellowstone to live beyond the age of 5, but Adam tenaciously lived to the age of 9. Together with his partner Kristen, he managed a wolf pack of seven members and gave birth to a litter of newborn cubs this spring.
The Adam wolf pack occupies forest wetlands with abundant prey, and all members work together to raise the pups.
However, not long after the cubs were born, another young wolf pack repeatedly explored the territory and repeatedly crossed the boundary marked by Adam.
Adam declared in an unquestionable voice that he had occupied this territory and forced back the invading wolves.
However, the young wolves didn't stray too far.
There are four adult wolf brothers in their family, all of whom are strong and healthy and at their prime.
In wolf fights, the more adult male wolves there are, the greater the competitiveness.
Besides him and his partner, Adam's wolf pack consists of only two adult daughters and three sub-adult wolves.
When wolves attacked again, Adam made a painful decision to lead his family members to leave the home where they had lived for many years.
However, the enemy wolf pack did not let the old leader go. They chased after him relentlessly, and four male wolves rushed forward to bite Adam.
Christine protected the cub and tried hard to break out of the siege of other wolves. Under the protection of her two daughters, she left with the child.
After such a brutal fight, Christine was separated from other family members, and the cubs were in very bad condition.
She had four cubs in total, and one was bitten to death during the transfer.
There were three cubs left, only two of which were still healthy.
The male cub, who most resembled his father, had his eyes tightly shut and his breathing was very fragile.
Christine held the weak cub in her arms, licked his eyes and mouth continuously, and spit out the undigested meat in his stomach to feed the cub.
The cub didn't have the strength to open its mouth, and its breath was even weaker than before.
Christine's eyes dimmed.
Wolves are very intelligent animals with strong judgment abilities.
She knew that the cub who most resembled her late husband was already dead.
"Beep beep..."
Before Yu Yiyun opened his eyes, he felt a hunger that he had never felt during his years as a South China tiger, as if he had never eaten since he was a child.
My stomach was rumbling and I didn't even have the strength to lift a paw.
He didn't bother to check his condition and followed his instinct to look for the smell of food.
He didn't care what was fed to his mouth and just swallowed it into his stomach in big gulps.
That was a close call. I nearly starved to death!
The very hungry pig opened his eyes and once again made the sound of begging for food from the big cat.
"Beep! Beep!"
I’m hungry, I want to eat!
The next second, he saw the scene clearly. Where was the big cat?
I saw the haggard but very beautiful big dog staring at me with inquiring eyes.
Christine: “…”
Is there something wrong with the way my dog barks?
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