Super Zoo

Chapter 378 Accident

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Is the giant panda in trouble? Upon hearing this, Suming's scalp buzzed with alarm. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Yangchuan City Zoo had giant pandas years ago and even built a Panda House, not far from Xiongshan. Later, the pandas of Yangchuan City were 'borrowed' to the Capital Zoo to support the capital's development and never returned. Since then, the Panda House at Yangchuan City Zoo had been left empty.

The two giant pandas Yingying and Lele from Xiangjiang now reside in the Panda House, cared for by the zookeeper Li from Xiongshan. After the arrival of the two pandas, they caused quite a sensation in Yangchuan City, attracting a large number of visitors in a short time.

These two pandas lived a life akin to immortals, being treated like ancestors by the zoo; they were so pampered that even wishing for the stars seemed modest. Their daily food expenses were several times higher than Suming's budget as the deputy director. Someone was always sent to check on their health, and to prevent them from getting anxious, specialists were hired to accompany the pandas at the Panda House—this so-called playtime involved being used as climbing poles for the two cuddly creatures.

Li was an experienced manager, and his tone sounded quite grave.

If it were any other animal, it wouldn't be as serious, but these two giant pandas were too significant. They were not only national treasures but also ********. Initially, lending them to Yangchuan City Zoo was meant to promote friendship between the two parties. What if something terrible happened to them?!

Moreover, the Panda House was always live-streaming, so if something really did happen to the pandas, it would be impossible to cover up.

"Li, immediately turn off the cameras in the Panda House. I'm on my way now!" Suming had no time to inquire about the pandas' specific conditions, abruptly ending the call and rushing downstairs from his office.

As soon as he descended the stairs, he whistled towards the nearby woods, prompting two large horse heads to pop out.

Ever since Big Happy Life and Lion Castle Dragon arrived at the zoo, they finally escaped the monotony of their previous life, which revolved around the stable and the racetrack. Besides playing with the alpacas, they usually roamed the zoo at will and sometimes accompanied Suming to the back mountains for a stroll. They were free of any 'business' pressure and in excellent spirits.

Horses are particularly empathetic creatures. Big Happy Life was Nangong Yan's mount, and occasionally Nangong Huang would ride it too. Recognizing Suming, Big Happy Life snorted and shook its head, turning back into the woods to graze. Lion Castle Dragon trotted over briskly, and without time to saddle up, Suming hugged its thick neck, climbed onto its back, and raced down the zoo's cobblestone path towards the Panda House.

"Make way, make way!"

In the early morning, there weren't many visitors at the zoo. Seeing someone riding a tall, leggy black horse charging through caused no panic. Instead, they all stepped aside, laughing and taking photos with their smartphones. Lion Castle Dragon was clearly a purebred racehorse of high caliber, far surpassing the old horses usually seen at tourist spots for photo ops, which were rarely seen in the city.

Horse riding is a rather luxurious sport for the average citizen, and even a mid-range domestic horse club has a membership system, with annual fees starting in the tens of thousands at the very least.

Passing through the main park area and reaching the Panda House at the northeast corner, Li was already waiting at the door. Suming dismounted, rubbed Lion Castle Dragon's large head, signaling it not to wander off, and then strode into the Panda House, asking, "What's the situation?"

Li followed behind, "Lele has been lethargic all day and its food intake has noticeably decreased. Sometimes it just sits there for half a day without moving."

A sense of dread hit Suming, "And Yingying?"

"Digging holes..." Li said with a gloomy face. "It's dug several large holes in the ground."

"Digging holes?" Suming and Li were both professionals in the field of animals. Hearing this, Suming's face turned pale.

Giant pandas, like other ancient large animals, have a certain spiritual awareness. When they sense their lives nearing an end, they exhibit behaviors like what Li had just described, looking for suitable burial places by digging holes as one of the methods. Lele's decrease in food intake and inactivity could likely mean it was ill. Just like humans, being sick could lead to a loss of appetite and energy.

"Could our luck be this bad?!" The lifespan of these pandas was only equivalent to that of a human adult, not even middle-aged by comparison. Logically, they still had many years before reaching the end of their natural lives.

Yingying jumped down from Suming's arms, sat down with a plop on the grass, then got up and shook off the grass from her behind. She went over to Lele, raised her front paws to pry at Lele's body, attempting to turn her around. But Lele seemed unwilling to pay her any attention and twisted away.

Yingying was quite clever; unable to move Lele, she simply stuck her butt out and used her head to knock over the little swing.

Lele tumbled off with a rolling motion, spun a couple of times, and ended up lying on her back in front of Suming.

"Huh? What's happening? Scared enough to pee?"

Suming, with his keen eyes, immediately noticed a wet patch beneath Lele's belly, which looked like she had urinated.

That location was her reproductive organs. Lele seemed somewhat embarrassed, quickly covering her belly with her paws, not wanting Suming to see.

"Why are you embarrassed for goodness' sake! Do you think I'm going to eat your tofu?!" Suming squatted down irritably and pinched Lele's flat round ears. Lele 'baa baa baa' bleated displeasedly and lifted her paw to swipe away Suming's hand.

With that, Suming got a clear look at the bottom of Lele's abdomen, which was coated with a sticky and damp secretion.

Suming's eyes lit up, and he yelled without turning his head back, "No way! Li, Li, come quickly, get the vet over here with the equipment!"

"Alright, alright!" Li turned and ran to call the medical office.

...

It wasn't long before the veterinarian arrived with the diagnostic equipment.

As Suming watched the veterinarian take out tools from a small box, he threatened, "If you pull out another Isatis root, I'll fire you!"

"Boss, I drink it myself," the vet pulled out a small thermos cup containing soaked Isatis root from his lab coat, leisurely sipping a few mouthfuls before using the equipment to examine Lele.

Hormones, excrement, blood... After a series of tests, the veterinarian gave a result that matched what Suming had guessed earlier.

Lele was pregnant.

"Oh, I see! That day the robber fell into the zoo, they were in the middle of panda mating. Everyone thought the mating was interrupted by the robber, but actually, the mating had been completed by the time the robber fell down. It's likely that they conceived during that instance!"

"But shouldn't pandas' activity levels increase significantly when they're pregnant?" Li asked, puzzled on the side.

"Theoretically, that's the case," the veterinarian said lazily. "But depression can also occur, just like with humans. The little girl wasn't mentally prepared at all, got pregnant by accident, and was scared."

"Ah?!" Li blurted out without thinking, "Then, should we consider abortion, painless abortion?"

"I'll punch you first!" Suming laughed in exasperation.

Luck was in their favor; pandas have a mating season of only a few days per year, and the odds of conception are pitifully low. Now that such a fortunate event had happened on his watch, the future cubs of Yingying and Lele, once they are to return to Xiangjiang Ocean Park, would certainly have to stay.