northernbook Chapter 239 - 239 Moving Overnight
Chapter 239 - 239 Moving Overnight
"If we judge by normal rules, there should be at least two male tigers nearby."
Dao Meihua consulted the records and determined that there had never been any reports of Huanan tiger sightings in this area.
However, most animals follow a male-female-male-female territorial distribution pattern.
If a Huanan tiger appeared as a lone male or female, the territory would be difficult to determine, but now there was a mother tiger with cubs, which meant there had to be at least one other male tiger nearby.
Dao Meihua wanted to stay, she even began mobilizing people and preparing for a large-scale survey of Huanan tiger territories.
With the mother tiger and her cubs as the center, she divided the area for controlled scrutiny.
While others had to consider the cost, Miss Dao only needed to consider whether she could obtain satisfactory results.
Indeed, financial capability is the most enviable power in this world.
Chen Ying and Old Gao couldn't possibly stay here forever.
But they couldn't just let a girl stay alone in the deep mountains either, so they had to wait with her until her companions arrived before leaving.
During their two-day stay, Chen Ying and Old Gao witnessed what it meant to be "rich and capricious."
"Old Chen, how about you just give in? Look at Miss Dao's inhumane extravagance. If it were me, I'd be happy to marry into wealth."
"Why don't you do it then, or should I speak for you?"
"Get lost, man, she's only interested in you. I'd rather not disgrace myself."
While helping Miss Dao set up a temporary base, they teased each other softly.
On the third afternoon, a group of ten people with the required permits, from the M-league and domestic project teams, arrived.
Among them were two familiar faces who had previously observed Grandpa Hu in Old Bear Gully.
Chen Ying went over to greet them and briefly explained the situation.
"You kid, should just stick with me studying tigers. What are you doing messing around with Old Bai as a veterinarian, wasting your talents?"
Chen Ying gave an awkward smile but didn't respond.
He had heard that line so many times his ears had calluses, but switching his field would be even worse than now, a mere beast of burden.
The two organizations monitored one another to ensure they didn't impact the female tiger and her five cubs.
However, the female tiger was certainly affected; she had discussed with Leopard Sister about moving to a more secluded location with her cubs.
Leopard Sister was anxious on her behalf.
After all, hunting with five cubs would require a lot of time and energy. She also had to be wary of any two-legged beasts nearby that might try to invade while she was away.
After some thought, Leopard Sister spoke with Brother Leopard, and they decided to stay and help protect the cubs.
This forest wasn't particularly complex, and staying also meant helping Big and Small Baby claim territory.
Little Fox would also fit in well here.
With plenty of water, food, and caves, Little Fox could live here until she wanted to become a mother.
Whether she decides to leave to find a male fox or wait here for one to come by, she had plenty more options.
Besides, this was a deep mountain area, these two-legged beasts could stay short-term but wouldn't linger for a year or two. Once they'd endured this period, they could return to an undisturbed life.
Chen Ying and Old Gao decided that they would leave first thing the next morning.
They felt out of place here, with some people seeming polite on the face of it but privately finding them a nuisance.
It was good that Leopard Sister stayed; she was smart enough, strong, and with Brother Leopard as support, even if they couldn't handle the group, they could certainly escape.
Before leaving, they had to sort out the relocation of the female tiger and the little tiger cubs.
The fluffy group was indeed very capable.
After consulting the female tiger, Little Jin took the lead in finding a suitable cave.
The entrance of the cave was half-covered by vines, revealing one-third of its width, enough for the female tiger to enter and exit with prey.
The cave was quite deep, about ten meters, and it branched off into several smaller caves.
Chen Ying and Old Gao sneaked over, helping to block these smaller caves with stones to prevent the little cubs from accidentally crawling in and being unable to get out.
After cleaning up the cave, Leopard Sister, Brother Leopard, and Jinya along with Little Jin helped move the little tiger cubs over in one go.
Although she disliked the scent of other animals on her cubs, the female tiger was a clever mother; she quietly licked her cubs' fur furiously, leaving her own scent to cover the smells of other animals.
Later, Brother Leopard and Leopard Sister caught a bigger deer to feed the female tiger, allowing her to fill her stomach and settle down for a day or two to make sure the surroundings were safe before hunting again.
The cave was about five to six meters above the ground.
Tigers could easily jump up there, but humans could not.
Taking advantage that the people had not yet reacted, Chen Ying and Old Gao quickly packed up and left.
Before leaving, Chen Ying went to notify Dao Meihua, subtly mentioning that Brother Leopard and Leopard Sister might be roaming around and advising her to watch out.
Upon hearing this, Dao Meihua slightly understood, glanced over his slightly embarrassed expression, and softly hummed in acknowledgment.
Chen Ying obviously wanted to protect the little tiger cubs, and Dao Meihua had the same thought, a silent consensus between them.
"I'll contact you after I leave. As I mentioned before, in August or September, I might go to the new reserve at Yin Li's place for re