Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl-Chapter 223 - : The Mocked Clouded Leopard Pounces on the Bird

Chapter 223 -223: The Mocked Clouded Leopard Pounces on the Bird

The rainforest is an incredibly complex place.

Where their gaze fell, two grey peacock pheasants were foraging intimately. Above them, a vibrant green snake crept closer at a snail’s pace.

Yet, that wasn’t the most astonishing part.

On the branch diagonally above the snake, a hornbill targeted it, and further away, a clouded leopard lazily curled up in the lush foliage for a nap.

The pheasants ate bugs, the snake longed for pheasants, the hornbill fancied snake meat, while the clouded leopard didn’t feel like moving at the moment.

An almost complete ecological chain was presented in the same frame, which was something Chen Ying had never seen before.

“What a pity, if only I had brought a good camera, this photo could absolutely be submitted to a competition.”

As he spoke, the peacock pheasants had already detected the threat behind them and flew away before the snake even signalled an attack.

The next moment, the hornbill struck, seizing the snake’s lifeline and successfully nabbing a strip.

The clouded leopard yawned, turned over in the sweltering humidity of the afternoon rainforest, and continued to sleep.

After washing his clothes, Chen Ying asked his teammates to bring them back for him, as he wanted to go see the clouded leopard.

Sensing Chen Ying’s approach, the clouded leopard peered down at him from its high perch.

The handsome leopard’s fur shone sleek and smooth, its muscle lines flowing, it was evidently well-fed and had enjoyed a sound sleep.

Chen Ying wanted to see, the gender characteristics of this clouded leopard.

The slightly older female clouded leopard they had rescued had not yet found a suitable mate. If this clouded leopard’s gender was a match, Chen Ying would suggest to Dao Meihua and the others to release that female leopard back into this rainforest.

Two males would mean one injury, a male and a female would mean offspring.

Like the dumb leopards and the big goofy bears, those two treasures, the animal kingdom also contained explosive presences, not included in this discussion.

The clouded leopard in the tree was a bit baffled.

Wait, what do you mean? You’re circling the tree below, trying to get a peek at my Little Lingdang? Are you getting a bit perverted?

The clouded leopard, feeling the chill of being watched, couldn’t take it anymore and leaped to another tree, then looked back as if trying to remember this two-legged beast’s appearance to spread the word.

A dozen seconds later, the clouded leopard was already out of sight within the range of vision.

Teammates across the small river were laughing uncontrollably, capturing the moment on their mobile phones and sharing it in their team group.

Being close to an outpost and village, the signal was unstable but, with the right angle, they could still go online.

With some rare downtime, team members sat in small groups chatting, organizing their backpacks, and catching up with their families.

Someone saw the video that popped up in the group, clicked on it, and was a bit puzzled.

“What’s Brother Ying up to? Playing hide and seek?”

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Indeed, the clouded leopard in the tree followed him around the trunk several times before taking a side leap to escape the slightly mad interaction of “the magic circle of love.”

“A clouded leopard? There’s one here?”

Several members of the M League got excited, pulling out their phones to watch the video repeatedly.

“Quick, ask them where they saw it.”

“No need to ask, didn’t you see the clouded leopard already left. No worries, it’s good to know there’s one here. Shall we organize a shift tonight to stake out?”

As they discussed, they saw Chen Ying and his teammates coming back.

Before they could ask, Chen Ying approached the M League members.

“This clouded leopard is a healthy male, apparently an adult based on its size. I have a suggestion: the previously injured female clouded leopard, could we consider releasing her nearby? Her health has recovered quite a bit and the tropical climate is not so demanding for the breeding season of clouded leopards.”

Dao Meihua and his teammates discussed it and thought it was a good suggestion, but they still needed to verify whether enough females lived nearby.

Chen Ying opened his mouth, wanting to offer his help to ask around, but then thought better of it. Off the record was fine, but to do so publicly might lead to misunderstandings.

After dinner, as the temperature dropped gradually,

Members of the M League and two wildlife rescue volunteers made a roster to take turns staking out the clouded leopard.

Chen Ying didn’t participate, planning to talk with the leader about staying here for two more days before returning to the base himself.

The leader wasn’t very keen on the idea.

Having brought people out here, he was responsible for getting everyone back safely, and the rainforest was not like other places; it was truly difficult to ensure safety for one person alone.

Chen Ying listened as the leader spoke earnestly, and he could only agree to leave with the team.

He had confidence in himself, but others did not.

However, the leader also agreed that once they returned to the base, he would try to get him a special permit that would allow him to stay in the nearest village for about half a month.

During that time, he could enter the rainforest for normal survey and photography activities and other research-related work without being affected by border inspections.

As the Chinese saying goes, since I’ve come all this way, it would be a waste not to fulfill my heart’s desire.

Chen Ying didn’t have any other plans; he just wanted to collect data on the Indochinese tiger and Indochinese leopard to compare with those from Jiamu Gully, Leopard Sister, and Grandpa Hu.

The reason he had not collected samples from those three tigers before was because the journey was still long and it wasn’t convenient to carry them.

If he could settle down, he could entrust the health worker at the outpost to help send them to the nearest conservation station for testing.

Since he couldn’t act alone now, it was settled. He would see if he could come back after returning, and if not, he would plan ahead and apply for projects and permits in advance.

At night, it was time for most animals to hunt.

Chen Ying went to bed early, intending to get up at four-thirty and try his luck in the valley.

Animals foraging for food and water in the valley in the morning were more abundant than during the day, and the lighting was also better than at midnight.

I slept until about four o’clock when I felt one side of my body getting particularly hot. When I reached out my hand, it was so sweaty it startled me.

The familiar huffing sounds were near my ear; I didn’t even need to look to know that Grandpa Hu had made his midnight visit again.

This campsite used to be a forest patrol base, with two rudimentary wooden houses arranged in an L-shape.

Chen Ying and two male team members slept on the side with the smaller house, while the rest of the team divided into two groups to sleep in the larger one.

It was lucky that we were inside houses. Chen Ying hadn’t set up a tent, or else another one would’ve been ruined.

No one was in the house, as the other two roommates had left just after three o’clock to stake out the area where they’d previously spotted Indochinese leopards.

At the time, Chen Ying was half-asleep, just hearing them say hello before falling back into a deep sleep.

Now, feeling the fur on my hand, I suddenly became alert, but after recognizing it was a tiger, laid back down.

After days of continuous walking and the energy-draining elephant rescue, my body felt sore and weak.

Grandpa Hu huffed a couple of times and seeing that Chen Ying didn’t react, rolled over against him.

Chen Ying turned his head away; this big guy’s fur was probably filthy, and he had this annoying habit of rubbing it on his mouth of all places!

Lying with the tiger for over half an hour and feeling like it was about time, Chen Ying got up, ready to head to the valley to take photos.

He thought most people from the camp would have left by now and opened the door to let the tiger out first.

While still putting on my shoes, I heard a startled cry from beside me, followed by the roar of a tiger.

Without even bothering to tie my shoelaces properly, Chen Ying rushed out to see two people who didn’t particularly like him holding something they shouldn’t have, facing the old tiger.

When they saw Chen Ying come out, one of them quickly tidied up the bag he was holding.

“How could you let a tiger into the house? I thought it had bitten someone and was about to sedate it.”

Chen Ying closed his eyes slightly and said nothing while the other person had already turned back into the house.

“It sneaked in at night; I’ve only just found out. You guys go ahead; I’ll lead it away.”

Without further ado, Chen Ying slung on the first-aid kit and drove Grandpa Hu away.

Walking a distance, Chen Ying realized without looking back that he was being watched and discreetly led Grandpa Hu towards the valley.

He was quite puzzled on the way; those two’s behavior seemed very strange as if they were up to no good.

But to be a part of this team, one would have needed a background check; surely they couldn’t be up to mischief?

But just now, he clearly saw that what they were holding was not the usual tranquilizer gun, certainly not something ordinary folks like them would possess.

With a shiver, Chen Ying decided to keep close to his teammates for the next few days and never be alone.

Three people were squatting by the valley.

Two birdwatchers and one who photographs everything.

“Brother Ying, you’re here…”

The young man, who was greeting him, then saw a fierce tiger strolling out from behind Chen Ying.

Arriving at the edge of the valley, the fierce tiger found a rock to leap onto, lay on its side, let its hind legs dangle, and lazily swished its tail. The relaxation was unparalleled.

The expressions on the faces of the three were all somewhat complex, but they didn’t say much.

Mainly because they didn’t know what to say; human interactions differed, and this level of feline affinity was beyond their learning.

However, with a tiger nearby, the calls of birds in the vicinity had significantly weakened.

The small creatures on the opposite side of the valley also hid in the bushes.

Just when everyone thought it was time to pack up and return, a flock of birds flew overhead.

“Ah, look quick, they’re Grey-headed parakeets.”

This region wasn’t too far from a village and was a favorite habitat for the Gray-headed parakeets.

This flock of Grey-headed parakeets, roughly a hundred strong, formed an intimidating spectacle when they flew together.

Grandpa Hu didn’t find these noisy birds attractive; he only found them too loud.

Unfortunately, Grey-headed parakeets usually settled high in the treetops, and while tigers were not adept at climbing trees, Grandpa Hu could only sigh in frustration at the sight of birds.

But just because he couldn’t, didn’t mean other animals couldn’t.

The clouded leopard we’d seen the day before was now stealthily perched in the perfect hunting spot.

The Grey-headed parakeets were unaware of the looming threat, chattering noisily, as if boasting, “I just love that you can’t stand me and can’t do anything about it.”

And it was at that moment that the clouded leopard made a leap and bit into the nearest Grey-headed parakeet.

The other parakeets and the mess of birds were so frightened they flapped their wings and took to the sky.

In that instant, tens and hundreds of birds soared, set against the azure sky and thin clouds tinged with gold, creating a picturesque scene.

(This is a Rosy-faced Parrot, I couldn’t find a picture of Grey-headed ones in flight.)

Seeing the noisy birds chased away, Grandpa Hu joyfully stood on the rock and let out a tiger roar that echoed through the forest.

The clouded leopard in the tree was startled, almost dropping its food, and in irritation left the poor parakeet, cursing loudly.

Grandpa Hu shook his head, turned an ear, and thought, “Heh, can’t hear you!”

Chen Ying rolled his eyes and slapped Grandpa Hu’s behind.

“Look how pleased you are, come on, let’s go.”

Grandpa Hu let out a growl towards Chen Ying, exhaled, and seeing the other back off in a fluster, he cheerfully curled the corners of his mouth, huffing, then leapt to the other side and disappeared into the forest with a few bounds.