Mountain Looting: Targeted by a Leopard at the Start
Chapter 304 - 303: No, did he get a bird from the protection center? And succeeded?

Chapter 304: Chapter 303: No, did he get a bird from the protection center? And succeeded?

Little Red-crowned Crane had entered its rebellious phase.

It seemed to want to peck at everything it saw.

Xu Yang consulted with the staff at the Red-crowned Crane Protection Center and learned about the crane’s temperament.

Little Red-crowned Cranes liked to spar, an essential process that helped strengthen their bodies and mouth muscles.

Especially two cranes of similar age would start sizing up each other upon meeting.

Of course, they wouldn’t hurt or kill each other; they just fought.

As they grew older, the Red-crowned Cranes eventually became aloof.

Xu Yang found their habits quite interesting.

The staff at the Protection Center suggested,

"If you have only one Red-crowned Crane, it might hinder its development."

"After all, it needs to learn group behaviors and spar with its peers to grow."

"So, I suggest you bring your crane to the Protection Center so we can nurture it properly."

"That will allow it to grow better."

Hearing this, Xu Yang started to seriously consider it.

Their points made a lot of sense.

An individual detached from its species would not benefit the growth of a Red-crowned Crane.

With cranes at an age of loving to fight, they needed to grow.

Thus, Xu Yang responded,

"Is that so?"

"Then, could I apply to get three more Little Red-crowned Cranes from the Protection Center?"

"About two months old, that kind."

"My place is a protection center; we’ll nurture them well."

Red-crowned Crane Protection Center staff: ??????

What?

You want birds from the Protection Center?

Reverse everything?

Typically, it’s the others who bring injured or stray Red-crowned Cranes to us for protection.

Who asks for young cranes from us, let alone three?

That’s absurd.

The staff member replied,

"I can’t do anything about this; I need to consult my superiors."

"We can’t decide on our own."

Hearing this, Xu Yang nodded and said, "Okay, I was just asking."

Xu Yang really started to consider it.

Raising Red-crowned Cranes wasn’t easy, like at one month old, you had to use your finger to guide them to drink water from a basin or eat food from it.

Furthermore, Red-crowned Cranes wouldn’t bathe in the first two months and could only bathe once they started playing in the water themselves.

Also, during the first three months, it was crucial to constantly monitor the Red-crowned Cranes’ mental state, ensure they had adequate activity each day, and were not falling ill.

After three months, the survival rate of the Red-crowned Cranes significantly increased.

Xu Yang took in what the Protection Center staff had said.

He needed to find it a companion.

Xu Yang glanced over the yard.

Little Red-crowned Crane was following behind Little Black and Little Wolf; this fellow didn’t have its kind and mustn’t think it was a dog.

So, Xu Yang immediately contacted people from the Forestry Bureau.

Such matters were just mutual favors, as long as they were reasonable and legal.

Xu Yang agreed to participate in a Forestry Bureau publicity event as a fire prevention ambassador.

Then he proposed the idea of raising three more Red-crowned Cranes.

Three was rejected, but the proposal to raise one more was approved.

After all, Xu Yang’s farm had the space, a veterinarian on hand, and undertook animal protection duties, which made it suitable to raise Red-crowned Cranes.

Besides, the cranes raised under captive conditions weren’t so precious; the one Xu Yang was raising now was a genuine wild Red-crowned Crane—now that was valuable.

Thus, after some coordination, Xu Yang was invited to visit the Red-crowned Crane Protection Center for a learning tour.

And incidentally, to take away a Little Red-crowned Crane.

When the Protection Center staff member who had been in contact with Xu Yang heard the news, he was stunned.

No way, he really requested birds from the Protection Center?

And succeeded?

They even invited him over?

Wasn’t this too outrageous?

The staff could only sigh,

"Could this guy be Gao Qiqiang from Changbai Mountain, who clears both black and white paths?"

Xu Yang took Little Red-crowned Crane to the Protection Center.

There was a courtyard there, which housed the young Red-crowned Cranes.

Feeder Yang Fei was responsible for explaining, with two leaders from the Protection Center and several others present.

Two young men with SLR cameras were taking pictures from various angles.

The leaders always loved such photo-ops for the news.

Xu Yang was now very popular, and naturally received special treatment.

Xu Yang released his own Little Red-crowned Crane in the yard.

He had named his crane "Liu Zai."

Because he had found it in June.

As soon as Liu Zai landed on the ground, its gaze locked onto another Little Red-crowned Crane not far away.

The other crane also seemed defiant, staring back.

Both creatures, covered in brown feathers, looked like two wingless roast chickens and seemed to have taken an instant dislike to each other, walking directly towards one another.

Xu Yang watched with interest.

The guide explained:

"Little Red-crowned Cranes generally get along but occasionally fight. If they fight, you need to watch them closely and separate them in time."

"After three months, Little Red-crowned Cranes become more mature, and their fighting behavior diminishes."

"Mr. Xu’s crane is two months old, precisely when they love to fight the most..."

The two creatures started pecking at each other’s wings again.

Seeing this, the feeder hurried to pull them apart.

During the process of separating them, the two Little Red-crowned Cranes pecked at the feeder’s hand.

At that moment, the Red-crowned Cranes were in a state of indiscriminate attack.

Fortunately, they didn’t peck hard and their beaks were rather blunt, so although pecking was a bit painful, it didn’t break the skin.

"These Little Red-crowned Cranes are not bad."

"Can I take one away?"

Xu Yang asked.

The feeder looked and responded,

"That’s the thing, we have six two-month-old Red-crowned Cranes here."

"Red-crowned Cranes are raised separately because three-month-old ones will bully two-month-olds, and two-month-olds will bully one-month-olds."

"Of the six two-month-old Red-crowned Cranes, five have mothers, so they can’t be taken away."

"There’s only one orphan, its mother died. This one you can take to raise."

The feeder picked up the Little Red-crowned Crane that was fighting with Liu Zai, looked at it twice, and then said:

"Um.... "

"This is the one, it’s the Red-crowned Crane prepared for you to raise on the farm."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yang also chuckled.

Liu Zai really knows how to pick.

He picked a competitor to bring back.

"Well, this one then, I’ll raise it."

"I’ve trained before, and the farm has a veterinarian, and the environment is good."

"No problem at all."

Xu Yang smiled in response.

Next was the accompanying tour.

Though it was said to be led by officials, it was really him accompanying the officials.

After making a round and taking a photo together, today’s affair came to an end.

Then, Xu Yang brought the two Little Red-crowned Cranes back to the farm.

It was already five in the afternoon when they returned.

The farm still looked the same.

Animals were playing on their own, but they could be seen everywhere.

The yard was cleaned thoroughly.

Upon Xu Yang’s arrival, the dogs all gathered around him.

Xu Yang paid no attention to them and walked back to the yard by himself, setting the two Red-crowned Cranes down on the lawn.

The dogs followed him back and lay next to Xu Yang, guarding him.

Xu Yang let the two Little Red-crowned Cranes out, prepared water for them, prepared food.

For the newly arrived Red-crowned Crane, Xu Yang named it "Seven."

Liu Zai and Seven, two brownish-yellow Red-crowned Cranes that looked like little roast chickens.

First, they drank some water and took a few bites of food.

Then, the two guys started pushing against each other, chest to chest.

They were vigorously shoving each other.

Xu Yang watched from the sidelines.

As long as they didn’t peck at each other, it meant they weren’t frenzied yet, and he could let them fight for a while.

If they started pecking at each other, he would have to separate them.

In the evening, the two little guys were also separated for sleep, each in their own cage.

The cages were for protection, after all, who knew what animals might sneak in during the night.

The two little guys battled in the yard, at this time, the Tabby Cat climbed up the wall, popping its head out, discreetly observing.

Observing secretly,

The sly cat,

This scene could be made into a meme.

From the perspective of feline animals, the Little Red-crowned Cranes looked indeed delicious.

More meaty, tender flesh, and not too many feathers.

Xu Yang noticed this scene, turned his head, looked at the Tabby Cat, Sang Biao, and said,

"Sang Biao, what are you looking at? You can’t eat this."

"These two are first-level protected animals, you know?"

"And you are just a little cat."

Hearing this, the Tabby Cat knew it was caught, so it no longer pretended, climbing directly atop the wall.

It gathered its four little paws together, wrapped its tail around them, then sat down and rested on the wall.

The two Little Red-crowned Cranes were still fighting, tiptoeing, trying to get higher than the other.

Xu Yang thought it was about time, so he separated the two little ones.

One in each hand.

They were both two-month-old kids, quite a handful.

By the time they were three months old, although still brownish-yellow in fur, they would mature a bit and not be so combative.

And as the two Little Red-crowned Cranes continued to grow, they would become more mature and gradually aloof.

Xu Yang watched the two rowdy Red-crowned Crane chicks, his mind recalling the elegant stature of the adult Red-crowned Cranes.

It felt so mismatched.

One can only say, a big change in birds as they age, and it happens so quickly.

"If you two hadn’t been named wrong, you were almost made the national bird."

"Now also the provincial bird of Jilin."

"Both are totem-level birds, just calm down a bit."

Xu Yang soothed the two little ones.

With a Little Red-crowned Crane in each hand, they stared at each other, heads jutting out as if trying to peck each other.

Neither seemed willing to back down.

Xu Yang hastily pulled them apart.

Both had quite the temper.

Watching them, Xu Yang also found it hard to believe that they would turn into aloof and elegant creatures in the future.