NOVPUBThe new vehicle had two transshipment cages fixed inside the carriage.
A specialized fresh air system was installed, along with equipment necessary for long-haul transport.
Chen Ying removed the iron mesh and partition between the upper and lower cages. Except for lacking a staircase, it looked quite similar to a medium-sized cat villa.
After purchasing the vehicle, he had it customized; the space in the back was sufficient for Jinya and Little Jin to move around and rest with the Little Lynx.
Old Gao had found a professional driver to accompany him to River Source. After successfully arriving, he would fly back.
Before departing, Chen Ying checked everything once more, ensuring that all documents were complete, including proof of legal origin, special hunting permits, and quarantine certifications.
The three cats were being transported as rescue and research subjects.
Their nameplates and profile cards hung on the transshipment cages.
There was a window between the rear cargo area and the front seats, facilitating observation of the transported animals by those sitting in the front.
After passing several checkpoints on the road without issues, they reached the River Source Rescue Center.
The driver, who had taken turns driving with him, rested well overnight, collected his compensation and plane ticket, wandered around the city, and was taken to the airport by one of Yin Li's colleagues.
Yin Li circled the vehicle and patted the carriage.
"Not bad, Brother Ying, you've upgraded from a musket to a cannon. Come, let me drive, and let's head straight to the Protection Station."
However, they weren't able to leave immediately as the deputy director of the rescue center stopped them.
Duanmu came along too, a look of helplessness on his face.
"What's the issue here? Is there a problem?"
"No problem, just, uh, could you leave these two Big Cats here for us to examine?"
Chen Ying pressed against the car door, smiling as he pulled the deputy director aside.
"These two Big Cats aren't experimental subjects for research; they are the research subjects of our project group, mainly to explore the possibility of rewilding in different areas of the same altitude."
The deputy director chuckled awkwardly, turning his head towards Duanmu.
"Duanmu is very interested too."
"It's alright, Duanmu has already researched these two cats thoroughly. If there's anything unclear, feel free to continue your study back at Jiamu Gully."
At these words, the deputy director didn't know how to respond.
Still, Duanmu came over and pulled the deputy director aside.
"Director, you're putting them in a tough spot. Every step of animal transport needs to be accounted for by people; if there's a discrepancy with the application content, the leaders will hold us accountable."
The deputy director held back a breath, stood pondering for a long time, and then left somewhat dejectedly with a long sigh.
"Brother Ying, don't be mad, the old director has no ill intentions; he just wants to research the differences between the lynxes in the highlands and those in high altitude forests."
Chen Ying wasn't angry, but he wasn't willing to stay either. After a brief chat with Duanmu, he prepared to leave.
"By the way, Brother Ying, I'm taking a vacation in a couple of days. I'll come over too, so don't rush into the uninhabited areas. I've arranged something for you; it hasn't arrived yet, but it should be here in about three to five days."
Duanmu wouldn't reveal what it was, only insisting that Chen would definitely need it.
"This kid has learned to keep people in suspense."
"Can't help it; he's working here at the center now, dealing with people more often. He can't get by the same way he did back at Jiamu Gully."
Yin Li drove smoothly towards the Protection Station, buying quite a bit of daily supplies along the way and filling the back seats to the brim. Jinya couldn't even see Chen Ying's face and was frustratedly clawing at the cage.
Fortunately, the journey wasn't far. Upon reaching the medical area of the Protection Station, Xiao Song had already prepared everything necessary for their arrival.
The three cats were sent directly to the quarantine zone for disinfection with their transshipment cages and would stay in the quarantine animal shed for a few more days.
The Little Lynx had spent too much time in the vehicle, although it was let out to move around a few times during the trip, the discomfort due to the change in air quality still left it in a not-so-great state.
Despite both being high-altitude regions, the Little Lynx lived at a not-so-high altitude and Jiamu Gully, being more forested, had a higher oxygen content than River Source.
River Source Protection Station wasn't in an uninhabited area and was below 3000 meters in altitude.
But this place was a desert area, and the oxygen content couldn't compare to Jiamu Gully.
The adult lynx and Golden Cat didn't show any obvious discomfort in the high-altitude area, but the Little Lynx displayed symptoms typical of a heart condition.
Before receiving them, Xiao Song had already familiarized herself with all of Little Lynx's details. While she couldn't recite everything by heart, she had simulated dozens of times in her mind the issues it faced and how to respond.
Chen Ying didn't interfere with her arrangements. After ensuring that the Little Lynx was alright, he fed Jinya and Little Jin, arranged for a specific keeper to take care of them, and then went to visit the Lynx's brother.
After two to three months, the Lynx's brother had grown quite a bit bigger and appeared much stronger than before.
No wonder Xiao Song and the others were contemplating surgery for the Lynx's brother.
If the surgery succeeded, the Lynx's brother could return to the wild.
(poor "I'm staring," feeling wronged)
The assistant who brought Chen Ying here followed his gaze and laughed.
"Before, we rescued a few desert cats, and after sending the big ones away, some herders brought us a litter of small ones."
Seeing that Chen Ying was interested, the assistant simply led him around to the back to see the station's little "elves."
"This litter has only been here for two days. Our surveillance found that a pregnant mother cat appeared on the hill behind. A week later, while the mother cat was hunting, we used drones to peek, and there might be several kittens in her den."
Now, the mother cat had grown familiar with the people at the station and even dared to bring her kittens to the door to beg for food.
Even the abandoned kittens were taken under her protection.
"The cat we saw just now, I don't know if it's the mate of the mother cat or a male cat drawn here by her, but it just squatted there watching us without daring to come closer."
The mother cat protecting her kittens is fiercely protective; that male cat tried to approach once and was chased around the Protection Station three times by the mother cat before she gave up.
"With them here, our problems with rodents have really improved. The station manager said once they grow a bit bigger and can hunt on their own, we'll send them to the pasture to be released."
Eating so much cat food from the Protection Station, they definitely should help out a bit.
Desert cats are relatively close to human living areas, and with the good publicity here at River Source, the herders' awareness of protection has also strengthened a lot, so there's no need to worry about these little guys being harmed by people.
After watching for a while, Chen Ying went back to the isolation animal shed area.
Jinya and Little Jin were doing alright, snoozing comfortably together, exhausted from the long journey and the different environment.
"Brother Ying, your room is ready; you go rest for now. Tomorrow I'll take you around, and the day after, we'll be busy when the experts arrive."
Little lynx had been moved into special quarantine with 24-hour monitoring by people and equipment; safety was not a concern.
Xiao Song was very reliable, and Chen Ying nodded with assurance.
Although most of the driving was done by a hired driver, taking care of three cats along the way had also drained a lot of his energy.
He had a dreamless sleep until dawn.
Knowing he was tired, neither Xiao Song nor Yin Li came to wake him.
When he woke up on his own at ten o'clock and found his way to the sick bay, he saw a crowd squatting on the ground huddled around something.
Chen Ying leaned in to take a look.
Wow, six little Tibetan foxes!
"What's going on, where are their parents?"
The assistant looked up, quickly stood up, and explained,
"Mr. Chen, these were brought back from the pasture last night. Their mother seemed to be sick and was found lying in a herder's firewood shed. Right now, Teacher Song is treating her, and we were asked to keep a close eye on the little cubs."
The assistant's face looked bitter, "The little cubs seem to be scared, they wouldn't drink milk, and they've even lost their voices."
Chen Ying pursed his lips—as if these people's approach wasn't enough, not just for the little cubs, even old cubs couldn't stand it.
"Alright, I'll feed them. You all go about your business; having so many people around will only terrify them to death."
The young people stuck out their tongues and dispersed.
The assistant holding the milk bottle blushed, overwhelmed by the urgency that only increased his desire to find help, not realizing that it was their presence that had scared the little cubs.
Chen Ying picked up the little ones; they seemed well-grown, probably at the weaning stage.
In the wild, Tibetan foxes bear 2 to 5 children, but usually, only three or four survive. 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
It was amazing that both Tibetan fox parents managed to raise a litter of six.
Speaking of which, Tibetan foxes are monogamous, choosing a mate and then living together, jointly raising their children.
With the Tibetan fox mother being sick, where was the father?
He asked the assistant, who looked back perplexedly,
"I don't know, the herder only mentioned a mother fox with a few cubs when they called. The colleague who went to pick them up didn't see any other foxes."
Chen Ying stopped talking, had someone fence a small area in the backyard with a wooden barrier, and put a dog house inside, then sat down to feed them one by one.
Perhaps sensing the gentle and peaceful aura of Chen Ying,
The little foxes, too weak to cry out, ate vigorously, filling their bellies before Chen Ying placed them in the dog house to rest.
"Put up a fiberglass board here to block the sun and snow. I'll ask your station manager for help later to get a wooden platform for the little cubs to feed on themselves."
These cubs, already at least four months old, should have learned to feed themselves by now.
After eight months, they enter the maturity phase and can live independently by the age of one.
Yin Li finished his official duties and came over with staff to help.
They installed a movable camera above the doghouse to monitor the cubs' movements and feeding, and they assigned a careful person to specifically look after the little cubs.
River Source Protection Station covered quite a large area, and the fenced part was over twenty square meters.
Separated by a row of iron bars, outside was the vast grassland.
After eating, drinking, and resting enough, the little Tibetan foxes began running, chasing, and frolicking in the sunset.
Chen Ying carried the weak Tibetan fox mother outside to see the children, a sight that was reassuring.
The previously struggling Tibetan fox mother lay quietly in Chen Ying's arms, her gaze suddenly tender.
