Good heavens, three chubby baby albatrosses were crammed together inside, looking pitiful and weak from hunger.
No wonder I couldn't find it; this place is really well hidden.
Xia Zhining checked the route and understood: the strong wind blew the chubby babies down the slope, they got lost, and stumbled and rolled into this crevice, unable to climb out on their own.
She carefully carried the three fluffy "lost little balls" out and put them back in their respective nests.
The albatross parents, who had been frantic with worry, immediately rushed over and wrapped their wings tightly around their recovered baby, their grateful chirping filling the air.
The zookeeper standing nearby was dumbfounded: "Wow, that's incredibly fast!"
An He, a member of the research team, puffed out his chest with pride and introduced with a smile: "Of course! This is Xia Zhining, one of the top experts in our country who can communicate with animals!"
The childcare worker's eyes widened in surprise, and her voice rose: "Wait... Xia Zhining? I... I've read your paper!"
"Did you receive the Young Scholar Outstanding Contribution Award when you interned at the International Union for Conservation of Nature?"
Anhe nodded with pride: "That's right! It's our expert Xia!"
The caregiver's face flushed instantly. He wrung his hands awkwardly, his voice filled with apology and respect: "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"
"I was so rude just now... I should have known better! Dr. Xia, please forgive my rudeness!"
Xia Zhining waved her hand: "It's okay, we're all just trying to protect small animals."
She never expected that her casual act of helping someone would gain her another human fan in Antarctica.
Next, Xia Zhining directed the skuas to act as "family recognition specialists".
The skuas sniffed the chubby baby bird, then flew to the corresponding nest to sniff it again.
Finally, the three lost little dumplings were accurately "delivered" back to their respective homes.
It's like playing a large-scale "birds returning to their nests" matching game.
The largest albatross father was deeply moved. He gently patted Xia Zhining's leg with his wing (not daring to use force) and solemnly announced: "[From today onwards, you are the most amazing zookeeper in our area! Your baby-catching skills are unparalleled!]"
The reputation of picking up the baby quickly spread among the albatross groups.
Before long, several large birds flapped their wings and flew over. Some carried fresh small fish and dropped them at Xia Zhining's feet with a "whoosh," while others brought shiny pebbles as gifts to curry favor and express their gratitude.
Xia Zhining smiled and thanked her, then turned around and fed the fish to the longing skuas.
After feeding the "temporary workers," she got down to business.
Albatrosses are the marathon champions among birds, able to fly 800 kilometers a day without getting tired!
Building good relationships with these guys is like having eyes and ears for the entire Antarctica, or even the Southern Hemisphere!
Xia Zhining looked up and asked the most talkative albatross father, "By the way, you guys fly around this bay all day, have you seen any penguin and seal carcasses on the ice over at Hope Bay?"
"Which ship transported it?"
The albatross father immediately flapped his wings: [I'll go find out!]
A short while later, it flew back with another albatross.
The bird squawked excitedly: "[I saw it! When I flew back this morning, I saw a boat anchored near the ice, and small boats were moving things around it!]"
Xia Zhining immediately took out paper and pen: "Don't rush, tell me slowly, what does the boat look like?"
[It's white and huge! There's a tall tower here, and next to it... there's a yellow crane! The bow is pointed!]
Based on the albatrosses' chatter, Xia Zhining quickly sketched out a rough draft of a ship.
Although the lines are simple, the features are captured very accurately.
Anhe, who was standing nearby, leaned over for a look and his expression changed: "This ship type... this is clearly a type of icebreaking patrol vessel commonly used by the Ocean Federation!"
"The design of this tower and the location of the crane are almost identical to their Haiwei III!"
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