bookrandom Chapter 170 Maintaining Ecological Balance Through Experience
Chapter 170 Maintaining Ecological Balance Through Experience
The three continued to follow the tiger's tracks until the sun was about to set.
In this kind of weather, the temperature at night can drop to minus thirty degrees Celsius, so you must find a safe place to spend the night as soon as possible.
“There’s a sheltered ravine ahead,” Li Xiangyang said, pointing to a spot not far away. “Let’s camp there tonight.”
Wang Ergou nodded: "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Anna said while tidying up her camera, "Today was truly fruitful; it's such a rare opportunity to observe two Siberian tigers interacting."
“Yes,” Li Xiangyang said, observing their surroundings, “but we have to be careful; this is when they’re most active.”
The three arrived at a mountain hollow, where the terrain was higher, the view was open, and there were several fallen trees to block the wind.
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou quickly set up the tent, found some dry branches, dug a shallow pit, and started a fire.
Black Cat and Little Tiger lay by the campfire, while Night Shadow vigilantly guarded the perimeter.
At that moment, a cold wind blew by, bringing a chilly feeling.
“Li…” Anna suddenly lowered her voice.
"Shh!" Li Xiangyang made a shushing gesture; he had already sensed something was wrong. The black cat's ears perked up, its gaze fixed on the northwest direction.
The three held their breath and listened intently. In the distance came the sound of snow being crushed underfoot, growing louder as it approached.
“It’s the older tiger,” Li Xiangyang said in a low voice. “It’s patrolling its territory.”
Wang Ergou silently reached for the gun, but Li Xiangyang stopped him: "Don't make any rash moves. It won't approach a fire without warning."
Sure enough, the footsteps gradually faded away, leaving only a clear tiger's roar that echoed for a long time in the cold night.
"It looks like it's already gone far away," Li Xiangyang observed the black cat's reaction by the firelight. "But we'll have to take turns keeping watch."
“I’ll take the first shift,” Wang Ergou volunteered. “You guys rest first.”
Anna put the notebook into her backpack: "Then I'll take the second shift."
Knowing that Anna wanted to conduct nighttime observations, Li Xiangyang agreed to the arrangement: "Okay, I'll take the last shift."
Around the campfire, Li Xiangyang shared his experience with the two: "Siberian tigers are nocturnal, mainly for hunting. They like to come out in this kind of weather because the snow slows down their prey. Also, they have excellent eyesight and can see very clearly even at night."
As night deepened, the chill intensified.
A few wolf howls could be heard from afar.
Li Xiangyang crawled into his sleeping bag, but he wasn't very sleepy.
The temperature plummeted at night, and even the campfire almost froze.
Li Xiangyang heard Wang Ergou stomping his feet to keep warm.
"Xiangyang," Wang Ergou suddenly whispered, "Listen."
Li Xiangyang strained his ears and vaguely heard a muffled sound coming from afar, like some large animal running in the snow.
Then came a few panicked deer cries, which then stopped abruptly.
"It looks like a tiger is hunting. It's good for us that the tiger has plenty of food. Although the young tiger was cautious during the day, who can say for sure if it might take a risk due to food shortages?"
As the two were talking, Anna woke up, took out her notebook, and started taking notes by the light of the fire.
Li Xiangyang knew that every detail was important to a researcher.
"Have something to warm up." Li Xiangyang took out a piece of frozen jerky, broke it into small pieces, and distributed them to everyone.
In temperatures below minus thirty degrees Celsius, even exhaled breath can freeze into ice crystals in the air.
Li Xiangyang moved the sleeping bag closer to the campfire, and Xuanmao took the opportunity to snuggle into his arms.
Several more wolf howls came from afar, this time sounding even closer.
Little Tiger immediately perked up his ears, alert.
"Don't worry, with the fire, the wolves won't dare come near," Li Xiangyang reassured him, adding a few more pieces of firewood to the fire. "But we need to prepare plenty of firewood; this night won't be easy."
Wang Ergou got up and patted his frosty clothes: "I'm going to gather some firewood."
“I’ll go with you.” Li Xiangyang took out a flashlight and gestured for Anna to stay at the camp.
The two walked along the fallen tree for a short distance and found many dry pine branches.
Using the light of his flashlight, Li Xiangyang checked his surroundings and, after confirming it was safe, began to collect firewood.
"Xiangyang," Wang Ergou asked in a low voice, "what specific help can we offer her on this trip?"
Li Xiangyang picked up a bundle of dry branches: "To be honest, I don't know. I don't even understand the purpose of wildlife conservation organizations. Throughout history, the 'hunting men and weaving women' model was the cornerstone of human societal development. Many animals have gone extinct, but that hasn't hindered the progress of civilization. Of course, we can only say this between the two of us; don't say it in front of others."
"Of course, I'm not stupid. If she pays, we'll just go with her."
After Wang Ergou finished speaking, he picked up a bundle of firewood and started walking back.
When the two returned to the camp, Anna was adding firewood to the campfire. Black Cat and Little Tiger were dozing close to the fire, while Nightshade remained vigilantly guarding the perimeter.
After moving around for a while, none of them felt sleepy anymore.
"Li, how do you avoid frostbite when you hunt in this kind of weather?" Anna asked curiously.
"Actually, there's no better way than to make the fire burn brighter, for example, by putting pine branches on top and laying some coarse firewood underneath."
Wang Ergou rubbed his hands together, saying, "By the way, Xiangyang, that tiger's roar just now sounded a bit different?"
“That’s a demonstration,” Li Xiangyang glanced at the black cat, seeing it lying quietly, and continued, “After all, the two tigers haven’t completely divided their territories yet.”
As the group chatted, a rustling sound came from outside the camp.
Li Xiangyang gripped the gun and listened carefully. It turned out to be the sound of snow falling from the tree branches.
"By the way, Anna, what's your country like?"
It was a false alarm, and everyone was no longer sleepy. Wang Ergou added some firewood to the fire and asked curiously.
Anna smiled gently: "People where I live are paying more and more attention to environmental protection now. Winters are completely different here; we rarely get this much snow."
"I heard the houses there are so tall they can pierce the sky?" Wang Ergou asked again.
“You mean skyscrapers?” Anna nodded. “There are plenty, but I prefer the countryside; you can see more wildlife there.”
Li Xiangyang listened quietly the whole time.
"Do you have tigers over there too?" Wang Ergou continued to ask.
“No tigers are as big as Siberian tigers,” Anna said. “The tigers where we live are smaller, and their numbers are decreasing.”
Wang Ergou yawned: "Are there many hunters over there?"
"Yes, there are many. Almost every household in our area has a gun, and anyone who wants to hunt can. However, there are strict regulations on what kind of game can be hunted each season and in what quantities."
"This satisfies people's hunting needs while ensuring animal populations remain healthy. This does not conflict with our mission and principles of protecting biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance in wildlife conservation."
"Wild animals are an important part of the ecosystem, playing a crucial role in food chains, material cycling, and energy flow. Protecting wild animals helps maintain the stability and balance of the ecosystem."
"For example, wolves play an important role in controlling herbivore populations and regulating vegetation growth; protecting wolf populations is beneficial to maintaining the health of grassland ecosystems."
……
Anna spoke of the importance of wildlife conservation, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
Although Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou did not fully understand these ideas, they were moved by her sincerity.
"So," Wang Ergou said thoughtfully, "we need to follow some rules when we hunt, right?"
“Of course,” Anna said with a smile, “I’m not against hunting. In fact, moderate hunting is part of maintaining ecological balance. The key is to know how to choose prey, not just look at its economic value.”
She turned to Li Xiangyang: "Just like when you hunt, you always consider the season and the quantity, right? This is actually using experience to maintain ecological balance."