Chapter 156 Major Health Risks
"As long as we can determine the source of the toxin in the little vulture, we can prescribe the right medicine!"
Professor Fu adjusted his glasses and said, "Then we need to determine the source of the pollution from the environment where Vulture Spring once lived."
"I'll ask the vultures where they've been in the desert to see if they've been contaminated by heavy metals or fertilizers."
The vulture group is worried about the condition of their young cubs and has flown to the rescue station headquarters, keeping a close eye on the little vultures.
They were worried about disturbing the staff at the rescue station, so they found a temporary nest near the station. When they wanted to see the little vulture, they would only circle in the sky a few times.
These fierce-looking guys were very considerate. They knew it was not easy for Xu Ying to treat the little vulture. Even though they were worried about the little vulture's condition, they did not call out to Xu Ying. Instead, they waited for Stationmaster Xu to blow the whistle for communication.
So when Xu Ying blew the special whistle, the vultures came one after another soon.
[Webmaster Xiao Xu, thank you for your hard work!]
How is my child?
One of the three eggs of the vulture sister has died. She looks depressed, her feathers have become rough, and her head has become balder.
"The baby vulture that was born is still receiving treatment. The other egg is in an incubator and is being incubated there."
The incubator can simulate natural incubation conditions. When birds abandon their eggs or are injured and lack incubation conditions, artificial incubation is an important means of saving chicks.
Xu Ying said seriously, "It's like this. We suspect the little vulture has been poisoned."
Poisoning?
The vultures obviously didn't expect this result:
How can you poison eggs?
[The vulture sister is well protected, and no outsiders have ever approached the hatching nest, right?]
"This toxin is naturally present in your body, and the amount is very small, so it cannot be detected during a blood test."
Xu Ying explained to the vultures why the baby vultures looked like this right after they hatched: "These toxins may have been concentrated in the eggs during your ovulation process, so the baby vultures you hatched were dying at birth."
After Xu Ying's patient explanation, the vultures understood.
Asking the vultures to replay their abandonment and migration to a new location wasn't something they could remember. Xu Ying thought for a moment and then asked, "After being abandoned in the desert, did you ever live in an oasis with a relatively large population, or in an area with frequent human activity, such as a metal mine, refinery, or oil field?"
The vultures immediately began to seriously recall whether they had ever lived in the places Xu Ying mentioned.
[We once lived near a human oasis where there was plenty of food and carrion was often found in the garbage dumps.]
Vultures are birds that often pick up garbage to eat. To round it off, they make a living by picking up garbage. When you think about it, their lives are quite miserable.
[But after the people of that oasis discovered our presence, they became very afraid of us and wanted to drive us away. Furthermore, we found the rotting meat there increasingly unpalatable, so we simply left.]
Xu Ying's pupils shrank as he pressed on, "Have you ever seen people in this oasis frequently using chemical fertilizers?"
Xu Ying looked up a few pictures on her phone of fertilizer packaging commonly used by residents in desert areas: "Have you seen similar bags or bottles?"
I showed the picture to the vultures, and they all nodded: "Yes, yes. There are often many bags like this in garbage dumps."
Xu Ying was horrified. There was often fertilizer residue in the fertilizer bags, and such fertilizer bags were often found in garbage dumps.
Vultures often rummage through garbage dumps for food, so their bodies are bound to be contaminated by the chemicals in fertilizers.
Then the toxins in the little vulture's body are likely to come from fertilizers. To be cautious, we need to go to the oasis mentioned by the vulture and find some other animals to conduct blood tests on them, and use large quantities of samples to determine the direction of treatment.
In order to find out which oasis the vultures were talking about, Xu Ying found the technical staff at the headquarters. Using the GPS map at the headquarters and some detailed descriptions of the oasis the vultures had given them, Xu Ying and the technical staff determined the location of the oasis, which was the Crescent Oasis located southwest of the rescue station.
Crescent Oasis has a long history and got its name because it looks like a crescent moon on an ancient map from seven hundred years ago.
Crescent Oasis is divided into four villages: East Village, South Village, West Village and North Village.
Crescent Oasis is one of the areas severely affected by desertification during the Desert Tour. In recent years, the oasis area has been eroded by the desert and has shrunk, the soil fertility has been lost, and it is occasionally affected by sandstorms.
Fertility loss and sandstorms have led to a reduction in crop yields, forcing villagers to use chemical fertilizers to supplement crop nutrition and increase yields. The use of chemical fertilizers has further led to soil pollution, exacerbating desertification and forming a vicious cycle.
This is a short-term solution, but it is also the fastest way to achieve results. The villagers' main income comes from oasis agriculture.
Xu Ying reported the situation to Director Yi.
The animals have been contaminated by fertilizer residues. I wonder if human life in this oasis has been polluted as well?
The indiscriminate use of fertilizers affects the soil and, in turn, the groundwater, which is the main source of drinking water in the desert.
Residents living in Crescent Oasis are likely to face huge health risks!
After communicating with the staff of relevant departments, Director Yi felt that this situation could not be ignored.
They decided to send inspectors and Xu Ying together. Xu Ying was responsible for collecting animal samples and investigating the situation of the small animals.
Testers are responsible for collecting soil and water samples.
"Comrade Xu Ying, you've been incredibly hard-working lately, taking care of the little vultures and helping investigate the fertilizer pollution in the oasis. I will definitely report your outstanding contributions to the desertification control area to the organization."
During the days when Xu Ying was away from the 032 rescue station, the organization dispatched temporary rescuer Ning Zexi to help out, feeding the abnormally obese animals and supervising their weight loss.
Xu Ying was originally worried that Ning Zexi was too busy, but she didn't expect him to report to her that there were fox cubs to supervise them, and the elders of the fennec fox cubs were very cooperative with the five little pets of their fox clan.
Xu Ying said sternly, "Director Yi, you're being too kind. Everything I have now was given to me by the Desertification Management District."
Director Yi looked at Xu Ying with the kind eyes he would use to look at a child. The child was becoming more and more mature in the desert management area.
He handed Xu Ying a list of names: "The organization is worried that you will be exhausted, so they decided to assign you a temporary assistant."
Xu Ying was very happy when she heard the news. She was really capable and even had an assistant?
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