I have a wildlife zoo

"Blind me, there's no need to be so tense, I'm a good person!"

Fang Ye smiled gently at the Eurasian eagle-owl, and perhaps because of the Heart of Nature, it let down some of its guard. Although it still held its head high, looking majestically at him, its body gradually shrank from extremely puffed to normally puffed.

The tapping sound of its beak also wasn't as loud anymore, tap, tap!

Hurry up and go! Don't bother me, come any closer and I'll peck you!

The eagle-owl's eyes were sunken into its face, and the slanted ear-tufts connected with the edges of its eye sockets forming a triangle, making it look like a formidable fighter jet, emanating a might without anger.

Fang Ye used "Soothe"!

Hmm?

The eagle-owl suddenly felt much more at ease, as if it were alone in a tree as usual. Its body slowly deflated from its puffed state, and it tilted its head 90 degrees to look at Fang Ye with one big eye, carrying a look of curiosity as if asking, "Who are you? What are you doing?"

Fang Ye gestured to Lan Li with a flick of his finger, "Hand over the towel!"

Lan Li was a bit nervous, "Um!"

"It's not okay to just stay in the school like this, the place is full of horrifying vertical apes' cubs; they'll catch a round-faced fat chicken like you and make a roast out of it. I know you came to hide from the rain, so come stay at our place for now, all meals included, and it's absolutely safe~"

Fang Ye chattered away, not caring whether the eagle-owl understood him or not, and suddenly covered its head and body with the towel like lightning, then wrapped it up in one go!

Eurasian eagle-owl: ?????

How come it went from chatting to pitch black in the next second?

Although covered by the towel and its expression unseen, it must be completely bewildered.

He covered the eagle-owl's head and then picked it up in one move, holding its two tarsi with both hands as if holding a baby.

"Alright, got it!"

Fang Ye was very pleased; this was the first time practicing the knowledge he'd learned from books!

Even though his grip on the tarsi was a bit awkward, the soothing skill, coupled with the towel reducing stress, meant the eagle-owl barely resisted.

Now that its body was under his control, it stayed obediently still.

If it suddenly flapped its wings, they'd move to an open area to avoid its wings getting injured or its feathers damaged by hitting something hard.

Although the eagle-owl was large, over half a meter long, it weighed only about three kilograms and was quite easy to hold.

Old Bai, seeing Fang Ye holding the eagle-owl like a baby, looked curious and asked, "Is there some trick to this? Isn't it when catching chickens you just grab the two wings with one hand, with the wings behind their back, and carry them that way?"

Fang Ye explained, "That's actually incorrect for handling birds; it can easily tear their muscles or air sacs. With chickens, it doesn't matter much, as domestic poultry are just going to be slaughtered and eaten soon anyway, injuries or not. It's not suitable for wild birds that need to fly."

Old Bai was startled; when he had first seen the eagle-owl, that was exactly how he thought to catch it. Fortunately, he listened to the biology teacher, Old Li, and didn't act rashly, otherwise, it would have been troublesome if the bird got injured.

Fang Ye was reminded of something by Old Bai's question and pondered whether he should take some time to educate netizens on how to rescue birds properly.

He noted this fleeting thought and thanked Teacher Bai with a smile, "Thank you, Teacher Bai! You must be very busy with your classes, yet you took the time to help us rescue the eagle-owl. We'll send you a banner of honor for this when we get back!"

Old Bai quickly waved his hands, "Oh, there's no need for that."

Fang Ye insisted, "It's necessary. First of all, the eagle-owl is a national second-class protected animal, and the banner is what you deserve. Plus, it can inspire more people to care for and protect wildlife."

Old Bai had instinctively refused at first, but he understood Fang Ye's point.

Why do schools award prizes to classes and individuals? It's to set an example to motivate others to learn from it. Indeed, it's a good thing from any perspective.

"Fine!"

He readily agreed this time.

Fang Ye carried the Eurasian eagle-owl downstairs and placed it in a cardboard box.

He removed the towel from its head and covered its body with it, since its body temperature was a bit low from the rain, a towel could keep it warm.

When the Eurasian eagle-owl was put down and had just seen a flash of light, still dazed and not yet reacting, the box was closed and everything turned dark again.

"Goodbye, Teacher Bai!"

After Fang Ye said his goodbyes, he gently placed the cardboard box on the van and got into the car with Lan Li.

"Ooh-ooh~ Ooh-ooh~"

The van moved smoothly through the rain, and after a while, a soft hoot came from the box, as if testing something.

The first half of the sound was short, the second half long, somewhat similar to a chicken's "cluck cluck," but the voice was deeper in comparison.

There was a pause, then "Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh Kaka, Kaka, Kaka, Kaka, Kaka…" it started calling out continuously with odd sounds.

Kaka's hoarse voice was as if it had phlegm stuck in its throat, which might feel a bit spooky if one heard it in the middle of the night!

It would be easy to imagine a fierce wolf dragging its long shadow or an evil wizard laughing wickedly as he kidnapped crying children...

Since owls are typically nocturnal, not seen during the day but active and hunting at night, emitting various strange spine-chilling sounds, people have mixed feelings of love and hate for these unfamiliar and mysterious birds!

Lan Li quietly listened to the Eurasian eagle-owl's calls for a while and curiously asked, looking at the box, "Director, how will this Eurasian eagle-owl be settled?"

Fang Ye thought for a moment, "Ice Cake is now with Jiaojiao, so the nursery room is empty and has been disinfected. It's perfect for the Eurasian eagle-owl to stay there for now! It looks fairly healthy with no major issues, so let's release it when the rain stops."

If the Eurasian eagle-owl wasn't scared, it would be quite steady, and with the curtains in the room drawn, making it dark, it wouldn't run or fly around haphazardly, so it was okay to keep it in the nursery.

However, some minor modifications were needed, including placing a perch inside for it to rest on.

Nothing too complicated, after all, it was just for temporary use, a couple of suspended bars would do.

Having thought this, he made a call to Meng Shi, "Hello, Meng Shi?"

"Yeah, Director, what's up?"

"We've just rescued a Eurasian eagle-owl and are on our way back. We're planning to put it in the nursery, can you make a perch for it? I'll tell you how to set it up..."

...

Back at the zoo!

First, they brought the box with the Eurasian eagle-owl to the veterinary office, where Lin Ying, who was already on standby, leaned in to look at the box: "Director, you're back!"

"Yes," replied Fang Ye, "I checked its vitality before capturing it and it seemed quite alert, with no visible injuries. You give it another check."

In general, after bringing a bird of prey back for rescue, it should be placed in a dark and quiet room to calm down on its own, which also allows the staff to observe its condition and come up with a treatment plan.

But since this Eurasian eagle-owl seemed to be fine, it was given a physical examination right away.

As always, Fang Ye held the tarsus, securing the Eurasian eagle-owl in his arms, covered its eyes, and checked its body.

Lin Ying held a small light and laughed mischievously as she moistened the thermometer and began searching for the Eurasian eagle-owl's cloaca.

The feathers under the Eurasian eagle-owl were fussed with, and its ear tufts stood up nervously.

Why did it suddenly feel a sense of foreboding?