Super Zoo

Were these dogs saved out of kindness and love, or was it merely an act to prove oneself as a kind and loving person, thus obtaining a sense of superiority and gratification?

This was the topic most discussed these past few days.

Somehow, someone found a few photos. In the photos, after saving the dogs, the majority of so-called animal lovers wore smiles, flashed V-signs in victory poses, took group photos, then shared them on WeChat Moments and Weibo, reaping countless likes. After a celebratory meal, they disappeared without a trace, leaving the dogs to fend for themselves.

"This is making the rescue station pay for their 'kindness.' It's just like someone who keeps saying how much they love their girlfriend, how they would give their life for her, but when it's time to pay up, that person is nowhere to be found. When the girlfriend needs company, faces crises, that person is just at home playing video games," someone said.

"No one asked them to save those dogs, and they weren't obligated. But if they chose to step in, they should see it through to the end. Half-hearted efforts like this are no different from abandoning one's own dog, aren't they?"

"Let's face it, it's just because those dogs are ugly and dirty, not appealing, right? Looks matter even in the world of dogs."

...

Somehow, the focus was once again diverted towards the animal lovers, sparking heated online debates, with hopes that those who initially rescued the dogs would take responsibility for them.

With some targeted 'help' from the authorities in both cities, personal information about the dog rescuers was quickly doxxed and exposed online.

That's when things started to escalate.

Whether it was due to pressure or genuine love, a portion of the dog rescuers stepped forward, offering to donate money to help the dogs. A very few even offered to adopt the animals.

However, compared to the initial number of dog rescuers, very few stepped forward. The majority quietly changed their phone numbers.

At this point, the official Weibo accounts of the governments from both sides spoke up.

They addressed three issues. First, whether they are dog lovers or not, civilians are not obligated to engage in dog protection, so it's wrong to morally hijack or condemn those who love or eat dogs. The government will promptly introduce regulations to standardize the dog meat market, overseeing breeding, transportation, quarantine, and slaughter to sales, ensuring the market operates legally and effectively;

Second, there must be an effective solution for animal rescue. Otherwise, even if this incident is resolved and the dogs at the Changping County Rescue Station are properly settled, similar tragedies will occur in the future.

Third, due to public opposition, the partnership between the rescue station and Jiangjin City Medical University was temporarily suspended.

The actions of both governments this time were very swift.

Yangchuan City Government decided to officially allocate two mountain peaks at the back of Yangchuan City Zoo, covering several thousand acres of woodland, to the zoo as part of its industry.

On one hand, it would serve as a large semi-open rescue area where the dogs saved this time, along with future rescued cats and dogs, could settle down. On the other hand, it clearly demarcated the management boundaries of the zoo, providing a definitive red-letter document for future rewilding efforts and asset management to avoid disputes.

At the same time, the provincial capital Jiangjin City proactively donated funds to help Yangchuan City Zoo establish a large semi-open rescue area. It also advocated that in the future, if there were more rescued animals elsewhere, they could be uniformly sent here for care, financed by the local government, with Yangchuan City Zoo managing.

With the government taking such a stance, the online criticism decreased significantly, and even many praises appeared. After all, both governments had presented very concrete plans to address the issue with high efficiency and not just empty talk.

Originally, it was a disastrous affair. If the incidents of selling and mistreating dogs were to be reported accurately, Lin could not escape responsibility, nor could the relevant leaders at the Medical University avoid being criticized. Similarly, the heads of the rescue station and their superiors would have been severely attacked by public opinion. In fact, Yangchuan wouldn't benefit at all, but rather seriously offend Jiangjin City and Changping County.

Harming others for personal gain isn't unusual, Suming often engaged in such actions, but actions that harm both oneself and others, even to the point of causing mutual destruction, are utterly nonsensical—only a madman would do such things. Later on, those missing kind-hearted individuals might jump out again, standing on the moral high ground to criticize and give orders.

Now, with the situation handled this way, Lin became two diligent, conscientious grassroots rescuers. The leaders of the rescue station and the Medical University might have used questionable methods, but it showed that they were also working hard to solve the problem. The governments from both sides appeared to act in the public's interest and decisively intervened, demonstrating formidable governance skills.

The animal lovers also got off the hook. The zoo took in the dogs so they wouldn't have to be responsible. However, after this incident, anyone thinking of rescuing dogs in the future would probably think twice before taking action—after all, with rescue comes responsibility.

Everyone was happy, except for Peng Lin, the president of the student council, who was very unhappy. His iPhone 6 had been switched for a Nokia with a blue screen, his Asus laptop for a second-hand desktop, and he could no longer serve as president of the student council. He was busy working in the cafeteria to pay off his debts, leading a life so strapped for cash that he even quit smoking.

"In that case, I've also saved a future lung cancer patient!" Suming suddenly felt his image grow taller.

In reality, the biggest beneficiary was the zoo.

Last time, although they had in effect been permitted to use the back mountain for rewilding work under the guise of receiving donations, there was no official document, and it had not been publicly announced. More crucially, allowing the zoo to rewild in the back mountain did not mean giving the land to the zoo—there's a big difference between the two. It meant the land could be used, but ownership was not transferred, and others could use it if needed.

It's like the communal square in a residential area, where ladies can dance and men can practice Tai Chi.

But now, with an official document in place, the significance has changed completely. The back mountain peaks are now officially the property of the zoo, which can also use areas beyond those peaks following the spirit of previous meetings.

With the land in the hands of the zoo, it was almost the same as being in Suming's hands.

And those dozens of dogs, while shabby and unfriendly from a pet owner's perspective, could still be put to good use by Suming.