Snow leopard in a cage

Qing and I used bowl-thick chestnut stakes to tie a sturdy animal cage under a crescent-shaped cliff next to the wildlife observatory. Then we ambushed the red sheep on the slopes of the Nagu River valley, where they frequent. At dusk the following day, as the pair of snow leopards pursued the sheep with their usual ferocity, I shot them with a tranquilizer gun. They ran with inertia for more than 50 meters before falling headlong into the grass.

The nimble red-cliff sheep stopped routing on the opposite hill and looked curiously at us. Qing and I first carried the unconscious male leopard into the animal cage, and then went to carry the female leopard. At this time, the head goat, Greybeard, with a few bold rams, ran to a place only ten meters away from us to see the fun. Since the local mountain people never hunt red cliff sheep, they are not afraid of people at all. To get close to them, I often splashed salt water in front of the tent sewn with yak skin at the observatory to attract them to lick it, and after a few months, they have become very familiar with me like old friends and dared to come up to me to let me stroke their horns. At this moment, when we carried the female leopard as limp as a pile of mud on a stretcher to the observation station, the head sheep, Graybeard, led the flock to follow us to the cage behind the tent and watched us put the female in the cage and lock it.

Greybeard was very smart, he seemed to know that we had subdued the two snow leopards, cautiously approaching the cage, provocatively towards the two snow leopards in the cage a long bleat, just beginning to wake up the snow leopards lying breathlessly on the ground, foaming, snorting and panting. After some probing, gray-bearded confirmed that the two snow leopards are prisoners, and can not break out of the cage to show lust, turned his head towards the sheep scattered around the tent and called several times. The sheep came together and gathered in front of the animal cage, one after another bleating. The cry is bleak and mournful, especially the short horns of the ewes, the body trembling, tears, screaming like a sob. It was like the serfs were having a complaint meeting, complaining about the snow leopard's brutality. They had been persecuted by the snow leopard for many years and had suffered a lot, each sheep had their "relatives" buried in the belly of the leopard, and they all had blood and tears account in their hearts.

By this time, the snow leopards had fully awakened and were taunted by the sheep, jumping up and down in their cages, roaring and biting. I was afraid that they would be so stimulated that they would hit their heads on the stakes and rush to blast the sheep out of the observatory. Although the snow leopard represents evil and the red cliff sheep represent good, I am not a judge who removes violence and is not here to avenge the red cliff sheep. I am a zoologist, I am conducting a scientific experiment, and it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of the snow leopards.

The sheep bleat excitedly and head back to the Naboo Valley. They sang a triumphant song and welcomed a new life of peace and tranquility. When Greybeard passed me, he stuck out his tongue and licked my shoes, bleating tenderly. For a long time afterward, as soon as they saw me, they sang a hymn and bleated softly at me. They saw me as a great savior after I had subdued the demonic snow leopard for them.

The valley has always been the domain of the snow leopards, and no other predators dare to come. After the snow leopard was imprisoned by me, the only natural enemy of the red cliff sheep no longer existed. The bright sunshine belongs to them, the turquoise grass belongs to them, and the clear river water belongs to them. Their fertility is greatly improved. In the summer, the ewes give birth to about 40 lambs in one crop, with a survival rate of 80%. In the past, when the snow leopards were around, the survival rate of the lambs was less than ten percent.

After only six months, this group of Red Cliff sheep grew from sixty-six to over one hundred. I was very happy that the experiment went so well.