I have a wildlife zoo

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, from spinning the manhole cover off to diving in completely, all in less than three seconds.

The two little girls were completely dumbfounded!

How could such a fat raccoon vanish in the blink of an eye?

Just then, the manhole cover actually moved again, it had originally been sitting slightly askew, revealing a small gap, but now it sealed back up perfectly!

"Damn!" a tourist nearby couldn't help but curse aloud, "This raccoon is a genius!"

"It even covers it back up—such a slick move."

"Awesome."

In the raccoon exhibit, besides trees, shrubs, and a pool with a sprinkler cooling the area by spraying mist, there were also artificial objects like manhole covers, garbage bins, and boxes.

These were designed as hiding spots for raccoons, rather than actual manholes and trash cans.

The raccoon could easily spin the manhole cover, not because it was incredibly strong but because the cover was made of plastic and painted a color resembling the grey of a metal manhole cover.

Placing these items not only served as concealment, reducing the raccoons' stress and serving as enrichment where animal keepers could hide food but also allowed visitors to see how raccoons, as one of the animals best adapted to urban life, skillfully navigated manhole covers and trash bins, facilitating education about raccoon invasions into cities.

It let visitors know that while raccoons may look amusing, they have become a serious problem in certain urban areas and countries.

The design of zoo exhibits doesn't preclude the presence of manmade architecture or decoration but must fit into a specific context, like the appearance of Indian temple-style structures within the Asiatic elephant exhibit being acceptable to the public.

At this moment, there were a few tourists pondering in front of the information boards, tilted as if in thought.

However, these informational panels discussing serious conservation issues were all placed above a height of 1.5 meters, not easily seen by children.

Children below ten years of age haven't developed the capability for analytical reasoning or the ability to conceptualize abstract ideas; their cognitive capacity and problem-solving skills are immature, and their psychological resilience is limited.

If we teach them abstract concepts such as the destruction of tropical rainforests, acid rain, ozone layer depletion, and whale hunting, it might only confuse and frighten them, making them feel helpless about changing environmental problems and leading them to shut themselves off from topics on conservation.

Thus, the lower-hanging signs in the zoo featured fun cartoon images and explained the diet and interesting traits of the animals, allowing young visitors to learn how the animals look and what they eat, presenting them as adorable and fun and fostering a love and interest in animals.

Conservation education is a slow, iterative process, not a crash course that can be completed in a single zoo visit.

Raising children with a friendly perspective toward wildlife and the environment from a young age naturally leads to a consciousness and sense of responsibility for these matters as they grow older, understanding which actions are positive and which are not, and knowing what they themselves can contribute.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

For example, refusing to eat wild game, not releasing animals indiscriminately, and not purchasing products made from wild animals, and so on.

Tang Xiaoxin's attention was drawn once again to two raccoons engaged in a skirmish on a perch.

One raccoon at the top of the sloped perch was fiercely trying to shove the one below off, asserting dominance, while the one at the bottom was not giving in easily, gripping tightly and baring teeth in a bid to bite the aggressor, who skillfully twisted to avoid the teeth.

This was a rivalry for territory!

Both felt the perch's higher platform was a prime spot and wanted it for themselves.

In the midst of their scuffle, the raccoon below was shoved to the ground, and, getting up angry, looked up for two seconds before running to a rotating sprinkler nearby. It aimed it at the raccoon on the perch and sprayed furiously!

Tang Xiaoxin's eyes widened in disbelief, nudging Qian Keke hard and exclaiming, "Hey, look, that raccoon is using the sprinkler on another one!"

Qian Keke's mouth gaped open, her eyes nearly popping out, "These raccoons are really clever! Too smart, right?"

The raccoon at the top got sprayed in the face, shook its head, wiped its eyes with its paws, and ran down from the perch, fuming mad.

As it dashed down from the perch, the other raccoon controlled the direction of the sprinkler, continuing to douse it with water!

The two raccoons then engaged in a chase, which halted momentarily in front of a tree.

The agitated raccoon hunched down, his head tilted forward as if he were an enraged bull. He stuck out his big butt, his not-so-long tail wagging left and right, as he assumed an attacking stance and prowled in front of his opponent.

Then, with a leap, he made a tentative attack.

The hose-wielding raccoon was very composed, merely turning his head slightly and scratching at the ground with his paws, ready for any changes with his unchanging stance!

In the face of the attack, he dodged to the right with a slight movement, then tried to take a swipe at the agitated raccoon but was likewise avoided as his opponent jumped back.

Perched on this tree, another raccoon lay on the trunk looking down, watching the two below in a fierce battle!

In the wild, they might have fought more fiercely, with one trying to completely drive the other out of its territory.

However, in the zoo, with plenty of food available, the reasons for fighting weren't so pressing, so the conflict only lasted a short while.

After a standoff, feeling that neither could get the better of the other, they lost interest in fighting. They turned their heads and scampered off in opposite directions.

The agitated raccoon ran back to its perch, while the hose-wielding raccoon approached the glass wall. It struck a hugging pose for the visitors, blinking its eyes, "I'm so cute, won't you give me something to eat?"

"Hey, this raccoon is quite amusing, why is it striking that pose? Does it want food?"

"It's not scared of people at all, totally different from the red panda."

"Well, of course, one is naively cute, and the other is incredibly smart, able to open manhole covers and spray people with a hose. I'm starting to suspect it's being controlled by an intelligent chip."

The visitors looked into the raccoon's lively little eyes, chatting amongst themselves.

Tang Xiaoxin suddenly had a moment of inspiration, "Hey, Keke, take a photo for me!"

Then she squatted in front of the glass wall, stretching out her arms in a hugging pose as well!

A lovely girl, a chubby raccoon.

Separated by the glass, it looked as though they were embracing each other.

The raccoon paused for a moment, looking at her with confusion. What's this, striking a pose like me, do you want food?

Qian Keke quickly took out her phone, hurried to capture the moment.

Muttering under her breath, "You have to take one for me later too!"

However, as soon as Tang Xiaoxin stood up, the raccoon pawed at the glass, not having received the food it wanted, and ran back into the bushes.

"Ah ah ah!" Qian Keke watched the raccoon slip away, pouting her lips in disappointment, "It ran away!"

"Then just stand here, and I'll take a photo of you with that raccoon in the tree behind," Xiaoxin suggested.

"Hmm, okay then, that's the only option~"

After taking the photo, Tang Xiaoxin and Qian Keke watched the raccoon with relish for a while longer, then moved on, eagerly discussing, "So raccoons are really smart!"

"Yeah, they look so cute. I used to think they could only steal stuff."

Then they bent their heads together, looking at the photos they had just taken.

"Look at this one I took..."

"Wow! That's awesome."

"Did you get the one with the manhole cover?"

"No, I was so stunned at the time, I didn't think to take a photo. Plus, it moved so fast."