Snow Leopard Elegy

Chapter 7 Snow Leopard Elegy (7)
I imagine the psychological motivation of the snow demon to do so.It has been raised by human beings since childhood, and it accepts the food from human beings. Of course, it depends on the face of human beings. If there is a slight mistake, the owner will reprimand it. Human beings who provide food cannot afford to offend them. If they want to avoid being reprimanded and flogged, and if they want not to go hungry, they can only lower their posture and beg for forgiveness.Although the jackal group is not human, it also provides the food it needs, and it also has the nature of being raised. You can also regard the siege of the jackal group as a punishment that has the same meaning as human scolding and whipping. It wants to escape this punishment. Wanting to appease the anger of the jackals, he had an idea and made a begging gesture.This is a habit it has developed since childhood, and it has probably become a conditioned reflex.

The Zitong old jackal chief was stunned, startled by the strange behavior of the snow demon.Animals will have the necessary vigilance to abnormal phenomena, and they will be cautious about any weird things.It took a step back, and the two jackal eyeballs turned tensely, thinking why this snow leopard who was fighting with the pack of jackals suddenly curled up and lay down. This guy was not fatally injured nor tired. Foaming, what kind of medicine is sold in the gourd?

The other jackals also stopped biting, and looked at the snow demon with astonishment.

The Snow Demon took the opportunity to jump up, and continued to chase the female jackal with a row of nipples hanging from its abdomen. The female jackal was exhausted from running away, and had no choice but to drop the pig's head in its mouth.The Snow Demon picked up the pig's head in one bite, and fled in a hurry towards the snow-covered hillside.The old brass jackal chieftain woke up like a dream, and led the pack of jackals to chase after him, but it was too late, the snow demon ran wildly with the pig's head in its mouth, and had already climbed the snow slope, the silver-white leopard skin blended with the white snow and ice.

The jackals stopped after reaching the snow line.Although jackals are also adapted to the cold climate in high mountains, the warmth retention of jackal skin is far worse than that of leopard skin. Jackals will freeze their bodies after staying in the ice and snow for a long time; the area of ​​jackal feet is also much smaller than that of snow leopards. Jackals and small jackals tend to get stuck in the snow, making it difficult to walk on snow slopes; therefore, jackal groups usually move in valleys and grasslands below the snow line, and will not cross the snow line to the snow-capped mountains that do not melt all year round.

The jackals stood outside the snow line, and howled hoarsely and unpleasantly towards the snow demon who was gradually moving away.Although I can't understand the jackal's language, from their disgusted expressions and sharp voices, it's not difficult to feel that they are swearing and cursing viciously.

——Eat our wild boar's head, your throat will be pierced by a bone, you will not be able to swallow anything, and you will starve to death!

——Sooner or later, we will settle accounts with you, peel your skin, cram your tendons, eat your flesh, and chew your bones!

After a long time, the angry jackals regained their composure and got into a bush.

"The snow demon is playing with fire, a dangerous game." Jamba said worriedly.

"Yes," I said with a heavy heart, "it is heading for a dangerous abyss step by step."

Both Qiangba and I are worried about the safety of the Snow Demon.

Jamba's metaphor is very accurate. The snow demon is indeed playing with fire. If we let it go, it cannot escape the tragic ending that the player who plays with fire will burn himself.Obviously, the jackals will never condone its robbery behavior. Although its robbery behavior contains some begging elements, the jackals will never show mercy to a snow leopard. For animals of different species, the difference between food Struggle is a struggle between life and death, and fire and water are incompatible.This time, at the critical moment, the snow demon curled up and lay down on his side in a begging posture. With his unexpected and abnormal behavior, the old Zitong jackal chief was shocked, and thus escaped from the siege of the jackals.But this approach can only work for a while, not a long-term solution.The next time the snow demon still makes a begging gesture to try to save himself, the old brass jackal chief will never be in a daze again, allowing the snow demon to escape; jackals are animals that are good at summing up experience, not only will the copper old jackal chief not be scared for a while Jumping, on the contrary, they will use the snow demon to curl up and lie on the ground to give up the opportunity to resist the slack in fighting spirit, and lead the jackals to surge up, biting fiercely. As a result, the snow demon's begging behavior can only make him suffer a lot .

That night, I also had a nightmare, dreaming of the tragic scene of the snow demon burying the jackals: One day at noon, the snow demon came to the Gamar Grassland to wait for the jackals returning from hunting, as usual, under the pressure of hunger.The jackals were not lucky in hunting that day, and it took a lot of effort to surround a male red deer, but they didn't know that this male red deer had a particularly violent temper, like a desperate Saburo who had eaten the gall of a leopard, picking it up with its antlers A female jackal kicked a male jackal with its deer hooves, rushed out of the encirclement and escaped.Later, the jackals searched a grassy slope like a carpet, and finally found a rabbit hiding in the rubble.The cunning rabbit got into the hole and hid in the grass for a while, and the jackals chased it for a long time before capturing the rabbit.At this moment, the snow demon jumped out from the woods to intercept the jackals and rob the rabbit.The Zitong old jackal chieftain was already full of anger because of the hunting failure, but when he saw the snow demon who was trying to block the road and rob, he was so angry that his seven orifices were smoking.When the snow demon snatched the rabbit, the old Zitong jackal chief led a group of jackals to surround it.Snow Demon curled up and lay down on his side again in a begging posture, hoping to escape punishment like last time.The old brass jackal chief raised his nose and sniffed a sinister smile on his ugly jackal face, walked around behind the snow demon silently, and suddenly let out a strange howl.In an instant, more than ten male jackals jumped up together like a whirlwind. Two horses were divided into several groups. The four groups bit the snow demon's four leopard legs respectively. Some of the other groups jumped on the snow demon's back, and some Holding down the snow demon's belly, some scratched and bit the long leopard tail; at the same moment, the copper old jackal chief jumped under the snow demon's buttocks like lightning, and used the most vicious, obscene, fiercest and most lethal attack of the jackal. Only then did the snow demon wake up suddenly, realizing that the method of begging and surrendering was not working, and the jackal group was about to kill him. He wanted to fight back, but it was too late, and his four legs were killed by eight jackals. Bite, as if tied by a rope, unable to move; the dirty jackal claws of the copper old jackal pierced the snow demon's anus, and the fishhook-like sharp claws scratched and scratched in the snow demon's stomach; the jackals The cooperation was very tacit, like a group of well-trained professional killers; the snow monster had a stomachache, struggled desperately, resisted desperately, and bit the neck of a big male jackal; But still clung to its leopard leg and refused to let go; with a puff, the old brass jackal chief cruelly pulled out the hot intestines of the snow demon, and the snow demon collapsed like a pile of rain-drenched mud; The jackals were already so hungry that their eyes turned green, and they swarmed up, tearing up the still alive Snow Demon...

I was awakened by the nightmare, my forehead was wet, and there was a layer of cold sweat.

Although it's just a nightmare, I believe that if we don't try to change the snow monster's current foraging mode, my bad omen nightmare will become a horrific reality in the near future, and the snow monster will definitely become a pack of jackals. The food, in turn, becomes the smelly feces excreted by jackals.

How can the snow demon change the existing foraging mode?Persuasion education is obviously not feasible, reasoning with Snow Leopard is like playing the piano with a cow.It has been used to intercepting the jackals returning from hunting and obtaining the necessary food. As long as it feels hungry, it will inevitably repeat the same mistakes unless we increase the food we feed and increase the three pounds of meat a day to more than ten pounds. It is here with us. If you can fill your stomach, maybe you won't condescend to beg from jackals.But our purpose is to transform the snow demon into a real snow leopard. After a lot of effort, its character begins to transform into a wild animal. If we add more food to it, it will return from the wild state to the captive state and become a wild animal. As long as we can't live without human cats, our previous efforts will be wasted.

Jamba suggested that we place some food on the way of the snow demon from the crescent-shaped cave near the snow line to the Gamar grassland every day, so that it can pick up food.It can easily obtain life-sustaining food, so it will not take the risk of being bitten by evil jackals to intercept the pack of jackals.

This is obviously a practice of changing the soup without changing the medicine. There is essentially no difference between placing food on the road and increasing feeding and feeding. It is still a feeding relationship.But I thought for a long time, but I couldn't think of a better way.We can neither increase the amount of feeding to avoid it going back in the process of rewilding, nor let it go and watch it jump into the fire pit - blocking the way to rob the pack of jackals that have returned from hunting, racking our brains, we can't think of a way to achieve both.In comparison, Jamba's proposal seems to be a barely feasible emergency solution.Placing food on the way the snow demon passes is also a feeding relationship, but it does not know that it is the food we placed, so it will not have a psychological dependence. At the same time, it can prevent it from intercepting dangerous jackal groups, so that it will not lose its life in vain.I agreed to try Jamba's proposal for a while.

This is a no-way solution, a last resort.

On the first day, we tied a big capon to a small tree by the roadside. The Snow Demon ate a delicious chicken meal without any effort, and sure enough, he stopped going to the Gamar Grassland to wait for the jackals to appear.

The next day, we hid half a lamb under the leaves. The snow demon smelled blood and ate the leaves until the corners of his mouth were dripping. After eating, he went back to the cave near the snow line to sleep.

On the third day, we went to the market a few kilometers away to cut ten kilograms of beef, and hung it on the rock on the way back and forth from the Snow Demon.

After a period of time, the Snow Demon was able to fill his stomach as we expected, so he stopped going to the Gamar Grassland to intercept the jackals.It was saved, but my financial pressure was increasing.My scientific research funds are very limited. I have to purchase necessary equipment, pay Qiangba’s salary, and maintain the daily life of Qiangba and me. One or two days is enough, but after a long time, it will not be able to make ends meet.You can't starve yourself to death just to save a snow leopard.After more than two months, I was already out of pocket and had very little research funds left. I could last for two or three days at most, and I could no longer afford the meat that Snow Demon needed.I know that once we stop placing food on the road, the snow demon will be so hungry that he will relapse and go to the Gamar grassland to wait for the jackals returning from hunting, and get them from the jackals by half robbing and half begging. food.

After half a year of hard work, the rewilding has been fruitless. The snow demon is still a "special livestock" attached to us at the age of two. When will it become a wild snow leopard that can support itself?
If this goes on, what should I do?

Five Mothers and Daughters Reunited

We were already despairing of whether the Snow Demon could return to the mountains, and suddenly, the Beidou female leopard appeared.

Just when I was devastated, things suddenly changed dramatically.

This morning, Jamba and I went fishing by the Nu River to improve our lives.Our food expenses are all saved to buy meat for the Snow Demon. Except for the fish in the Nu River in this nature reserve, other birds and beasts are prohibited from hunting. We can only supplement the protein necessary for our bodies by fishing.

Suddenly, beside the silent Nu River, Yoho—Yoho—Voho—Voho—a few high-pitched and resonant leopard roars were heard, and the direction was near the crescent-shaped cave where the Snow Demon lived.Qiangba is an experienced hunter. After listening for a while, he said with certainty: "In addition to the snow demon, there is another snow leopard that is also roaring." Leopard roars of different frequencies.One is yo ho yo ho, the voice is tender and thin, it sounds very familiar, there is no doubt that it is the snow demon; Snow leopards we've never seen roar.

I immediately put away the fishing rod and pulled Qiangba up the snow mountain.

We rushed to the Xuexian Cave as quickly as possible, hid in the mountain bag snow nest, and searched and observed with binoculars.

On the white snowy slope, there are only a few sparse clumps of thin, withered and yellow coniferous plants, and the view is wide and unobstructed.

In an oval-shaped meadow next to the snow line, the snow demon and another snow leopard were about 30 meters apart, staring at each other and roaring at each other from time to time.

I looked at the unfamiliar snow leopard up and down through the binoculars. Oh, it is an adult female leopard. Its body is a circle larger than that of a snow demon. Its fur is shining with silver luster. There are small light black circles and circular markings in the fur, and its eyes are orange. It is yellow, like amber, flowing with dim light, and when it opens its mouth to roar, it reveals cold light and sharp canine teeth. What is different is that there are seven black spots on its forehead, arranged like the Big Dipper. It should be named Big Dipper Mother Leopard .The breasts of the Beidou female leopard are bulging, like two rows of plump grapefruits in autumn. There is no doubt that she is lactating. There is a litter of snow leopards in a corner above the snow line of Gaoligong Mountain, eagerly looking forward to it. Go back to breastfeed early.

"They seem to be fighting for food." Qiangba said in a low voice.

I moved the binoculars, oh, there really was a wild goat lying in front of the Big Dipper female leopard. The wild goat's neck had been broken, but it was not completely dead, and its four hooves were twitching and kicking.

It can be concluded that this wild goat was captured by the Beidou female leopard, and the snow demon has not yet been able to capture the wild goat that is running like flying.

This scene naturally appeared in my mind: the Big Dipper female leopard was walking on the snow line looking for suitable prey, and found a group of wild goats using their sheep's hooves to break through the snow layer and eat grass roots in the col. Stealthily approaching the prey, it rushed over with lightning speed, biting an unresponsive wild goat, and the other wild goats bleated and screamed, and fled down the mountain like a tide.The sound of running and bleating by the sheep alarmed the Snow Demon, who was dozing off in the sun. Out of curiosity, he came to watch the fun. Seeing the Big Dipper female leopard biting off the neck of the wild goat, it happened to be a little hungry, so it rushed to The Beidou mother leopard yelled, trying to get a piece of the pie.The Beidou female leopards were not happy, so they quarreled with each other.

I believe my judgment is in line with common sense. These two snow leopards stared and roared at each other from a short distance away. The posture was clearly attacking, cursing, threatening and intimidating each other!But I always feel that there are still two small doubts, which seem to be a bit at odds with my judgment.One of the small doubts: if the snow demon really saw the female leopard capture the delicious wild goat and got pink eye disease and tried to share a share of the pie, the female leopard did not want to share the prey she had worked so hard to catch with other snow leopards, and the two sides bickered over this , as a Beidou mother leopard, there is absolutely no need for a gentleman to talk and not do anything, and there is absolutely no need to be so gentle, courteous and frugal.It is a mature female snow leopard, with an overwhelming advantage in strength, as long as it pounces fiercely, it can bite the snow demon to the bum in a few rounds, so why bother to waste words and fights?Nature follows the jungle law of the jungle, why is the Big Dipper female leopard so civilized?Little doubt 80: The snow demon is weak in strength. Even if she really suffers from pink eye disease and covets the wild goat whose neck has been bitten off in an attempt to get a piece of the pie, she should maintain the necessary vigilance to prevent the other party from jumping up suddenly and biting her. , the distance between each other should be extended to seven or eighty meters.This is the minimum warning distance when two untrusting beasts meet to prevent accidents, but the distance between the Snow Demon and the Big Dipper female leopard is only 30 meters, which is a lack of security for a large and agile beast like the Snow Leopard. A very dangerous distance.What puzzled me even more was that the Snow Demon stared at and roared with the Big Dipper female leopard at such a dangerously close distance, but instead of turning her head and knees, she was frightened and ready to flee at any time. Instead, she squatted down, looking calm and calm.Isn't it afraid that the other party will suddenly pounce on it and bite it?Is it so sure that the opponent will not attack violently?

These two small doubts make people guess, and I am quite confused.

After a while, the Big Dipper female leopard slowly circled around the wild goat. I observed its expression carefully. Its brows were frowned, and the corners of its mouth drooped. It looked thoughtful, although it was surrounded by wild goats. It was spinning, but those leopard eyes were always staring at the snow demon.I'm even more confused, it doesn't walk away with its prey in its mouth, and it doesn't bark its teeth and growl at the Snow Demon. What exactly is it trying to do here?After it circled its prey seven or eight times, it opened its mouth and bit the neck of the wild goat, and dragged it in the direction where the snow demon was. Approaching the Snow Demon.

I scratched my head vigorously, not understanding what was going on.

Could it be that it sees the snow demon's empty belly, and knows that the snow demon is a fledgling snow leopard girl with little hunting experience. Life is difficult and life is difficult. Out of the care and love of the same kind, it wants the snow demon to share this wild goat?
No no, this is absolutely impossible.In the animal world, it is impossible to have bodhisattvas who are willing to give and do good.As far as I know, the snow leopard in Gaoligong Mountain is a kind of withdrawn animal. It usually does not get along with others and walks alone. The male and female only meet for a short time during the mating period. At other times, the adult snow leopard lives alone. To cause mutual suspicion.There is basically no friendship between snow leopards of the same kind. All adult snow leopards use urine, feces and residual fur to set up scent boundaries around their habitats, and prohibit the same kind from entering. fierce battle.

So, why does the Big Dipper female leopard drag her prey closer to the Snow Demon?
Qiangba was also puzzled, and his thick eyebrows were tightly locked.

(End of this chapter)