Chapter 106 A Heavy Responsibility and a Long Way to Go
"It\'s my turn now, I\'m a bit nervous! I have no idea how long I\'ll survive."
"Forget it, it\'s too distressing. I don\'t want to watch anymore." Stay connected through mvl
Wang Jinxuan quietly reached out her hand and took Yuan Yu\'s. He glanced at her, and without a word, the two of them held hands and walked to the glass curtain wall.
The clear azure sky, the shimmering surface of the water, unknown beautiful yellow wildflowers, a refreshing breeze, the grass rippling rhythmically like waves from afar to near.
Jiaojiao had finished swimming and was now lazily lying on the grass by the water, enjoying the breeze and the warm sunshine, her fur as if it was coated with a layer of gold. Her amber eyes looked at the visitors, gentle and calm.
Yuan Yu watched Jiaojiao as if in a trance, locked eyes with her, and it was like his tear ducts had shattered. He sniffed back a sob, and tears formed a line, streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks.
Wang Jinxuan saw her boyfriend crying silently, surprised but understanding. Although she hadn\'t gone through the entire game process, the final scenes also made her emotional.
She pulled out a pack of tissues from her bag, took one out for Yuan Yu, and wiped his tears, consoling, "It\'s okay. Look, at least the tiger seems pretty happy here."
After crying, Yuan Yu felt much better, he sighed, dried his eyes with the tissue, and started to smile again, remarking, "Yes, I can tell. This tiger likes it here; the environment is really good."
Feeling somewhat calmer, he expressed his confusion, "Jinxuan, when I was playing the game, the most impactful thing was the busy highways, a real road of death for the tigers, but for humans, building roads is essential. Even kids know that roads lead to prosperity. What should we do? Is there really such a conflict between human development and animal survival?"
He had always lived in a prosperous city and never paid attention to the fate of wild animals that seemed unrelated to him. The game had a big impact on him, leaving him with a feeling of guilt as if he were responsible for deaths he did not directly cause.
If this had been in front of an educational exhibit at a museum, Wang Jinxuan surely wouldn\'t have been able to answer, or at most, she might have offered a generic "humans and nature should coexist in harmony" without knowing the specifics of how to achieve that.
But now, she could answer his question clearly, "As long as we keep these animals in mind, then development and protection are not contradictory.
Take road construction, for example. The shortest and most convenient way to build a road is to draw a straight line between two points and go through the forest if it\'s in the way.
But that\'s problematic because it gives drivers poor visibility and scarcely any chance to avoid animals, and it fragments the animals\' habitats, forcing them into frequent road crossings, which results in many roadkills, especially on wide roads where the wider the road, the greater the risk for animals crossing."
Yuan Yu nodded thoughtfully, "Indeed, during the game, every time I reached the road and saw the traffic, I would hesitate for a long time. Turning back meant a slow death in loneliness, while crossing offered the chance to find more prey and mate, but crossing could also mean getting hit and an instant death. The stakes were too high."
"Right, so for key habitats and nature reserves with high biodiversity and larger animal populations, it\'s best not to build roads. If roads are necessary, then they should be routed around the core areas of the animals\' habitats.
For existing roads, we shouldn\'t completely seal them off with fences and barriers, preventing animals from crossing. Leave appropriate gaps in the barriers, set up speed bumps, and install signs. These are all viable solutions.
We can also construct ecological corridors to connect fragmented habitats, facilitating safe animal crossings. Our country\'s Qinghai-Tibet railway is an example of an ecological passage, taking into account the needs of animals like the Tibetan antelope and the wild yak during the design phase. Although construction was challenging, it greatly reduced the negative impact on animals."
Listening to Wang Jinxuan\'s earnest and detailed reply, Yuan Yu perked up!
Humans, dependent on and deeply emotional towards nature, inherently feel heartbroken when it is damaged; no one wants to destroy nature for the sake of destruction itself.
However, being away from nature for a long time and constantly interacting with electronic products can lead to a condition known as nature deficit disorder. This emotional disconnect gradually becomes quiet. Seeing environmental destruction and the extinction of species no longer stirs any concern, and a respect for nature is lost.
He looked at his girlfriend in surprise, "How come you suddenly know so much?"
Wang Jinxuan giggled, "The informative displays here explain everything in detail, and I\'ve been paying close attention to them. By the way, there\'s a tiger documentary on the second floor, do you want to go watch it later?"
Yuan Yu\'s mood had already improved quite a bit, and he laughed, shaking his head, "Forget it, forget it. I\'ve already cried once today, and I don\'t want to cry again. Isn\'t it a bit embarrassing to cry over watching a tiger?"
Wang Jinxuan said earnestly, "Not at all, I actually find it kind of cute."
"Really, this is the first time I\'ve been called cute."
Yuan Yu scratched his head sheepishly, thinking of something, he said with some regret, "Ah, it\'s a shame they don\'t have a donation box here, otherwise I would definitely give two thumbs up, no, I mean two coins."
The two of them admired Jiaojiao\'s beautiful posture for a while, and then continued on.
When they arrived at the wolf enclosure, they saw a light gray wolf with small stature and an indifferent expression. It took a few small steps forward, then lay down on the ground.
Following closely behind the gray wolf was a black wolf with a sturdy build, its tongue out, looking excited and foolish. As soon as the gray wolf lay down, the black wolf opened its mouth wide and lowered its head to bite onto the gray wolf\'s head.
These two were, of course, the zoo\'s \'couple\' food, Charcoal and Mizzle.
Most of Mizzle\'s head was engulfed in Charcoal\'s mouth, her lips tightly sealed, her eyes appearing beneath Charcoal\'s teeth, gazing outwards with a look that seemed to be filled with resignation.
But Charcoal found it not affectionate enough, opened his mouth even wider, and this time Mizzle was completely flustered, pushing at Charcoal to no avail.
The children watching were dumbfounded, and a little boy said, "Mama, that wolf is eating the other wolf!"
The mother explained, "No, these two wolves are kissing."
"So are they about to have babies next?"
The child was young but apparently knew quite a bit.
"Yes, we\'ll come see the wolf pups when they\'re born."
Yuan Yu said in amazement, "Wolves are this affectionate in social interactions?"
Wang Jinxuan couldn\'t help but snicker, "Hahaha, why do I feel like this gray wolf is rather reluctant?"
Seeing such a funny display of affection, both of them felt much more relaxed, and without realizing it, they held hands.