Chapter 50: 50 Resort
Joe Ga studied veterinary medicine in college, but because of his parents, he never attended an internship, and it was only through the school's consideration that he obtained his diploma.
One advantage of being a veterinarian is that animals are more resistant than humans; the consequences of a problem aren't usually as serious.
The cheetah cub's injury wasn't very serious. Cleaning the wound, trimming off the rotten flesh, applying some antibiotic ointment, and wrapping the wound with gauze was all that was needed.
Such a simple task was rare in Africa because there were hardly any qualified tools and an even greater lack of appropriate medication.
As a Chinese person, having lived in SD for so many years, the thing Joe Ga brought the most from China each time he returned was various medications.
Having a medicine box at home was almost standard for the local Chinese.
Large packs of antibiotics produced by pharmaceutical companies, cold medicine, and menthol oil were great gifts here.
Watching the little cheetah looking a bit wilted from the ordeal, Joe Ga took a small spoon, crushed up an amoxicillin tablet, and poured it down its throat.
Watching the little guy hop to the ground uncomfortably, sneeze twice, then dissatisfiedly bite his pants leg and tear at it fiercely, Joe Ga suddenly said, "Are you hungry?"
Hearing a 'huff huff' sound from the cheetah cub's mouth, Joe Ga scooped it up into the kitchen, chopped up some leftover beef, and put it in front of the little one.
Watching it eat with a bobbing head, Joe Ga, looking at Nis with a curious face, said with a smile, "You seem to like it quite a bit. Give it a bath later, and tomorrow I'll ask Ayu where it came from so we can send it back."
Nis reached out and touched the lean cheetah cub's fluffy head and then curiously said to Joe Ga, "You don't like animals?"
Joe Ga shook his head and said, "On the contrary, I like them very much, which is why I can't interact with them too much. If I spend too much time with them, I'll feel like I should take responsibility for them.
My job doesn't allow me to have that much time and affection!"
Nis seemed to think of something after hearing this, and for once she showed a smile, saying, "Then leave it with me. I will go find Ayu tomorrow; she will definitely have some advice.
My brother once had a cheetah; these little guys are very people-friendly. Your tourism company could definitely use it."
Joe Ga, rarely seeing Nis interested in something, responded indifferently, "Whatever you want, keeping a cheetah is no trouble for you.
I actually would prefer to have a dog; a good dog is much more reliable than this thing!"
Nis held the cheetah cub's front paws to make it stand up, watching the little one cock its head and gaze at the beef. She laughed and said, "Owning a cheetah is a symbol of status for Arab men."
Joe Ga shook his head with a touch of disdain after listening and said, "It's all extravagance from being too wealthy; wait until they can't afford food anymore."
As he spoke, Joe Ga grabbed the cheetah cub by the scruff of the neck and tossed it into the sink, laughing and saying, "Give it a wash, and then you can sleep with a beast. If it really is a symbol of status, then you can enjoy the treatment of a Shah Tycoon."
......
After handing the cheetah cub over to Nis, Joe Ga slept soundly.
Early the next morning, Joe Ga, led by Sayram, inspected his own territory.
In the central office of a tourism company in Ad-Damazin Town, well, there is just a sign hung up for now, but plans are to hire someone to handle receptions there in the future—contract signings for tours, hunting, airplane rentals, and the like will all take place here.
Sayram had considerable influence in Ad-Damazin, and although the only hunting permits available were those manually issued by the local sheriff, it was already enough.
For the sake of the tourists' safety during their visits, the tourism company had a dozen guns, which was beyond reproach.
The most important thing is that as long as you pay a portion of the money on time and prove that your company benefits Ad-Damazin, to those tribes who actually rule the town, you are legitimate.
After touring around the town, Sayram took Joe Ga to his airport.
The vast airport had been expanded, adding three huge hangars.
When Joe Ga arrived, he caught the construction crew just as they were finishing up for the day.
To his surprise, he found the crew's boss was Chinese, and after inquiring, he discovered it was a fellow countryman in business.
The situation in South SD wasn't very good recently. Many aid construction projects had stopped, and to make money, some experienced construction foremen had started taking on private jobs to support their families.
Without any special equipment, the three simple hangars plus the airport ground leveling took this guy and 50 local workers three months to complete.
The guy doubled as the engineer and heavy machinery operator among all other technical trades, leading a team of laborers to finish a 'big project' with a total value of 200,000 US Dollars.
Sayram organized the construction materials, the worker's wages were 30,000 dollars, and the construction machinery was borrowed from the dam's crew with a rental cost of 60,000 dollars; this guy netted 100,000 dollars after all expenses.
The once overgrown airfield now, at last, had fences, albeit just wire ones, but with the removal of the wild grass around the airport, the entire field felt much cleaner.
Moreover, this guy not only built three hangars but also threw in a control tower for appearances and a row of work sheds that were better than many local people's houses.
Was the 200,000 dollars worth it? Absolutely!
And this guy in charge was definitely talented, bold, and quick-witted.
Handing a pack of cigarettes to the foreman, Joe Ga smiled and said, "Mr. Zhu, are you interested in taking on some other projects?
I've been thinking about building a resort next door, definitely different from those luxury resorts. I want to model it after South Africa's Animal Rescue Centers, offering some rooms for guests who are curious about animals to stay overnight."
Mr. Zhu looked at Joe Ga curiously. After hesitating a moment, he said, "I can do the work. If you provide the materials and I just handle the construction, I can build it for 100 dollars per square foot. But if it includes groundwork infrastructure, that might cost a lot more.
Speaking honestly, that really isn't worth it. Who comes to Africa to see animals in a rescue center? Take someone out for a walk, and you might even run into a lion."
Upon hearing this, Joe Ga laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about that. I just want to give it a try. Why should Europe and America be the only ones to set up animal conservation centers in Africa?
We'll set up our own. If the situation in SD ever completely stabilizes, I'll open it up to both domestic and international visitors. Any Chinese child under 18 who comes over and is willing to work won't have to pay a penny. I'll even give them a volunteer certificate when they leave."