Forest protection starts with picking up a lynx girl

Chapter 565: The Poor Child with Congenital Defects

After having fun in the village for a whole day and eating and drinking to their heart's content, the group returned to the camp outside the village and slept soundly until the next day.

The enthusiasm of the villagers was overwhelming. The girls were fine, but the boys were basically all carried back to the camp directly.

After knowing that they came in to investigate and look for fishing cats, several elderly people in the village provided a lot of clues.

But because the old man couldn't be sure whether it was a fishing cat or a leopard cat that caught fish, they had to solve the mystery themselves.

After sending the data back to the base, the entire team discussed and decided to divide the six places where fishing cats were suspected to have been found into three areas. Chen Ying's team would be responsible for the largest area consisting of three points, and two other teams would be arranged to search the other two areas.

Chen Ying and his team are responsible for the area on the Mengla side of the Namuha River. There are two other key areas, two of which are located in the Nanla River section of the territory. This river eventually flows into the Mekong River and is an important ecological corridor and an important channel for seasonal migratory fish. There is another place a little further away, in the Nanman River basin, with primitive rainforests on both sides.

Of the three areas, the most likely one seems to be the Nanla River area. After all, the food resources there are abundant. However, the Namuha River is connected to the Nanha River Nature Reserve. What if there are cats crossing the border?

It became much simpler after the tasks were assigned. We connected online at regular intervals every night to exchange information.

Chen Ying's team has relatively more people, and Uncle Yan Wenyan and his brother from the village have also volunteered to join the team to help them search. In this way, with the addition of a local guide, all three can set out at the same time.

Chen Yingdao, Meihua, a guide and a student, the four of them brought two tents to the farthest marked point.

Yanhan’s grandfather said that he saw a cat catching fish when he came here to fish the year Yanhan’s father got married.

Probably less than fifteen years ago. Later, after the fishing and hunting bans were introduced, he seldom came here again. Even when he came occasionally, he never saw the big cats catching fish.

There are no mangroves here, but there is a large wetland with crisscrossing rivers and slow-flowing water. In addition to fish, there are also many water birds living here.

In addition to fish, fishing cats occasionally catch birds and amphibians to fill their stomachs. From this point of view, some of their food sources overlap with those of leopard cats and Asian golden cats.

With its habitat shrinking, its food sources decreasing, and there are stronger competitors, the fishing cat is destined to have a hard time.

After spending two days searching the area without success, Chen Ying decided to set up cameras at several places suitable for hunting, as well as several waterproof cameras, in order to remotely monitor the whereabouts of animals at night.

The place where they stayed was a little away from the wetland swamp, so as not to make too much noise and scare the elusive elves.

On the third night of their stay, Chen Ying felt that something was not right around them. It seemed to be a lot quieter?

After staying with the animals for a long time, Chen Ying's sensitivity to the environment was much higher than that of ordinary people. He signaled the guide and students through his mobile phone to stay in the tent and not come out, and asked Dao Meihua to take protective measures before he got out of the tent as slowly as possible.

He squatted in front of the tent, turned his head slightly and looked around. Half a minute later, his eyes met with a leopard that was holding onto a branch and wagging its tail on the opposite tree.

Perhaps because it saw that Chen Ying had discovered it, the leopard was very happy and started wagging its tail faster. In the end, it simply jumped down, trotted to Chen Ying, and sniffed his neck for a long time.

Most cats are very clean, but that doesn't mean they don't have any odor.

After all, eating raw meat and crawling around in woods and bushes, how could there be no smell on your body?

After enduring for a while, Chen Ying decisively refused when he realized that the leopard actually wanted to leave its scent on him.

Chen Ying propped open the leopard's head, held it and sat down, and gave it an external examination.

There’s nothing I can do about it, it’s a professional habit!

The leopard was not angry at being rejected. It lay down and rested its head on his legs, its big tail swaying happily from side to side.

"Why are you so self-familiar, little guy?" Chen Ying was speechless. This guy was even more clingy than a pet cat.

"Aohou, aoaoao!" It doesn't have any specific meaning, it's just a few excited calls.

If he hadn't been sure there was no catnip around, he would have suspected that the cat had inhaled too much.

The alarm was lifted and others also came out to look at it.

This leopard is getting arrogant, and others think it’s okay, so they want to reach out and bite it off!

Dao Meihua also wanted to touch it, but she was not bitten. However, the leopard's tail hit her wrist, leaving a glaring red mark.

Chen Ying hugged the bad guy and rubbed it hard for a while, not allowing it to hurt anyone.

This guy thought Chen Ying was joking with him, and he held on to his arm like a crazy person and refused to let go.

Dao Meihua's teeth were aching. Since she didn't see it, she wouldn't be annoyed. She turned her head to look at the situation on the other side of the camera.

Everything was normal, and the little cat they had been longing for did not come in.

Half an hour later, when they were video chatting with several other teams, they found that other teams had gained nothing, except for a glimpse of a clouded leopard over at the Nanman River.

However, after the video camera captured the leopard next to Chen Ying, who was as obedient as a big cat, the others were so jealous that they didn't want to talk. Especially Dao Meihua's cousin, his eyes were red, and he silently reached out and turned off the video.

In the middle of the night, Chen Ying suddenly woke up and saw that it was exactly three o'clock.

In order to monitor the situation, they were divided into three shifts, taking turns every two hours. Now it was his turn.

When he walked out, the student he was with was staring at the screen.

"Teacher, look at this. Judging from the shape of its head, it should be an ocelot, but it can swim."

The most obvious difference between an ocelot and a fishing cat is their heads. People who are not familiar with them may not know how to tell them apart, but those who study them can tell the difference at a glance. The fishing cat has a very cute flat head, small ears, and two white spots on the back.

Although the video is not very clear, the erect ears are still very obvious, which is the shape that a normal big cat should have.

Continuing to watch, I saw that the cat went into the water near the shore, swam forward two or three meters, and came ashore at another place. Then it shook off the water droplets on its fur, looked around, and disappeared into the woods.

I captured the video on my computer, zoomed in on it and identified it repeatedly, and confirmed that it was a leopard cat.

While the two of them were busy, the leopard squeezed over at some point and insisted on sticking its head out between the two of them, staring at the video without blinking.

Chen Ying tapped its head gently and laughed softly, "You understand, you're so serious, can you go to college or something?"

In the second half of the night, the leopard cat appeared again, and this time it successfully caught a fish the size of a palm.

After they left with the fish, no more small animals appeared in the camera until dawn. They saved the two videos and sent them to the data station. The researchers who stayed in the town would process and analyze the images. If there were any doubts, they would notify them to go and collect samples.

Fishing cats are typical night owls, and leopard cats rarely appear during the day. Taking advantage of the time when they go back to rest, Chen Ying takes people to the water's edge to collect footprints and look for other biological samples that can be used.

In the next five or six days, the leopard cat appeared only three times, and once it caught a waterfowl.

Judging from how skilled that guy was at plucking the hair, he probably ate a lot.

Guarding the post is a very boring job. It’s okay for the four of them as they can chat and find time to do other things. If it were just one person, he would not be able to hold on without strong willpower and endurance.

The leopard couldn't stand staying here for one night, so it left the next day and never came back.

During this time, Yanhan's brother came to the village to bring them supplies. Yunyun and her two cubs also came. They played for a while, but felt that the environment was not suitable. When Yanhan's brother went back, Yunyun got into the backpack without any reluctance and let Yanhan's brother carry her back.

I don’t know if it was Yunyun’s arrival that attracted the leopard cat. That night, it swam over from the other side, searched carefully near the camp, and then followed the direction where Yunyun came from.

Yunyun’s two cubs are only three months old and have just started learning to catch fish. Unlike normal fishing cats, they have to wait eighteen months to become independent. It will take at least until next spring for Yunyun to drive the children away and prepare to give birth to the next litter of cubs.

The first sighting of a fishing cat was in the Namuha River near the border. It was a male cat that had only managed to catch one fish in two days. The team tracking it was worried about it. This guy had obviously slacked off while learning to hunt from his mother.

His posture was well prepared and his force when he entered the water was strong, but unfortunately he chose the wrong timing and scared away three big fish in a row. The only fish he caught was caught because it was stupid and swam into a shallow pool and couldn't get out.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after watching it wolf down the whole fish.

The youngest student in their team had already made up his mind that if he couldn't catch it again, he would just go to the village to buy a fish to feed it.

"Teacher, do you think it's because it has a small head and a small brain capacity, that's why it's so stupid?"

The students' complaints left Chen Ying speechless.

It was the first time for these students to see a wild fishing cat. They were very disappointed. The fishing cat, known as the killer of the jungle swamp, is like this? It is endangered and probably starved to death.

Of course, if the habitat is wider, there will be more choices in fishing waters and the success rate may be higher.

However, after watching Yunyun's fishing video and comparing it to this fishing cat, everyone's mouth corners drooped, and disgust was evident in their words.

After the male cat wandered around for two days, on the night when everyone decided to take measures to obtain biological samples from it, it broke its promise! (｀)=3
After watching from nightfall to dawn without seeing the cat, everyone knew that it had probably left the wetland.

Fortunately, on the same night, news came from the Nanla River that they had found a female cat with a very round belly, and it was possible that she was pregnant and waiting to give birth.

The climate in Banna is hot, with suitable temperatures all year round, so cats do not have a clear estrus period. As long as they are not pregnant, they can look for a mate all year round.

This discovery shocked everyone, and Chen Ying immediately arranged for another adjacent observation team to send personnel to provide support. They wanted to ensure the safety of the fishing cat, and it would be even better if they could find the place where it gave birth.

If the distance wasn't a bit far and he wanted to set an example, he would have wanted to run over and watch the fishing cat give birth.

Chen Ying stared at the screen without blinking, while his arm was constantly hit and rubbed by a head.

"Be quiet, I'm working." Without even turning his head, he reached out to push the troublesome leopard head, but unexpectedly, his palm touched a touch of wetness and a slight struggle.

Chen Ying was so frightened that he turned his head and almost jumped up.

"Xianren Banban, where did you catch it from?"

A newborn kitten whose eyes had not yet opened was held in its mouth, looking at Chen Ying with innocent eyes, as if to say, "Isn't this what you wanted?"

Chen Ying's soul was gone, and he quickly reached out to pull the kitten out of the leopard's mouth.

However, once he held it in his hands, he seemed to understand why the leopard could bring back such a small thing.

The few people who heard the noise and gathered around did not see the kitten in Chen Ying's hand, but they could see that his expression was not right.

"What's wrong?" Dao Meihua came over and asked.

"This is a fishing cat cub, but it was abandoned, probably because it was born with a disability."

Chen Ying spread out his hands and let everyone take a look at the little guy whose hair was not dry yet.

Dao Meihua frowned as she looked at the kitten that had lost its two front paws. Her throat ached and she didn't know what to say.

There is no way such a disabled little creature could survive in the wild. It was probably thrown away by its mother and was picked up by the leopard.

The leopard is a male leopard, and not as attentive as a female leopard. He only knew that Chen Ying liked this little guy, so he brought it back to show Chen Ying his treasure.

It would have been fine if they hadn't discovered it, but now that it has been discovered, no one would have the heart to let them watch their baby die.

Fortunately, the weather is hot, and if the baby's hair is dried in time, it will not die of hypothermia.

Next comes feeding, and the long-abandoned system-produced cub milk bottle finally comes in handy again.

There are many cats at home, and Xia Sen has spent several years studying the milk powder formulas needed by various kittens.

Fishing cats are members of the genus Ocelot, so for now, there should be no problem feeding them according to the Ocelot recipe.

The amount of milk powder he carried was very small, just a temporary backup, and he needed supplies to be sent immediately from the logistics department. It would be best if they could send an incubator to facilitate artificial feeding.

I am not considering sending it away for the time being. The only reason is that this place is too remote and too far away from a rescue station suitable for raising kittens. The cat is too young and it may die during the transfer if we are not careful.

It’s a pity that we don’t know where the kitten’s mother is now, otherwise we would have to try to talk to her and take this little guy back to feed him for a few days, and then take it away when they leave.

After feeding the kittens the first batch of milk powder, Chen Ying wrapped the kittens in a towel and handed them over to Dao Meihua for care. He urged Leopard to take him to the place where the kittens were found, hoping to find the mother cat who had just given birth.

After Leopard led him to a small puddle and stood there, Chen Ying fell silent.

The mother cat’s determination not to have children is frightening.

In the middle of the water! If the leopard hadn't been so nosy, the kitten would have been drowned long ago.

(End of this chapter)