Boulders Safari's six wolves arrived, including two older wolves and four younger wolves. However, they were not placed directly into the new wolf exhibit for display; instead, they were first sent to the zoo's quarantine facility for isolation.
When a zoo introduces new animals, it is not permitted for the newcomers to have direct contact with the existing animals or with visitors. This is mainly to prevent the introduction of animals carrying potential diseases, and to prevent issues like parasites and blood diseases that may be in their incubation period.
According to regulations, the general quarantine period is 15 days. For animals imported from overseas, the quarantine period is extended to 30 days, and even longer for large animals like elephants and giraffes, which may require up to 45 days of isolation.
Only after the animal quarantine has confirmed their health can they meet with visitors.
As for why previous animals were not quarantined... The animals rewarded by the system were naturally healthy and free from diseases, complete with matching quarantine certificates and all necessary paperwork, so this step was skipped.
After the wolves arrived, other animals such as raccoons, red pandas, and tortoises came as well!
Introducing raccoons was relatively convenient since, after all, they are quite cute, and many zoos breed them. Six were introduced at a time.
By the time the quarantine for the raccoons was over, their exhibit area was just completed.
Other large exhibits required over a month to construct, while the most difficult construction, the tropical rainforest aviary, required 3 months!
Even the system's lightning-fast construction team couldn't go any faster.
Red pandas posed more of a trouble, as they are quite rare. Fang Ye contacted zoos in other provinces and purchased three of them, plus one older panda.
As for the tortoises, they were even more troublesome. If one wasn't particular about the species, acquiring several sulcata tortoises was quite convenient, as they are more commonly bred in zoos. But the Asian forest tortoise, though some zoos do breed them, is often only kept in ones or twos, and the zoos were unwilling to transfer them.
The reputation of the Black Tortoise made the Asian forest tortoise quite popular among visitors!
However, the tropical hot spring pool exhibit was tailored specifically for the Asian forest tortoise. Although both the sulcata and Asian forest tortoises are tropical species, sulcata tortoises live in hot, arid desert areas, inhabiting burrows they dig in the sand, and have entirely different humidity requirements.
Getting by with sulcata tortoises was indeed possible, and even if the hot spring pool didn't suit their natural habitat, the environment was definitely much better than a typical zoo. But Fang Ye wasn't content with just making do.
The zoo was not only brimming with more animals but also with more animal keepers and other staff such as security and surveillance personnel, and they were still actively recruiting.
A few people had nervous and awkward expressions and greeted others with great respect, clearly the new employees. They were currently being taught and led by the more experienced staff, and in a few months, they too would become adept.
While eating, their eyes occasionally darted to him with curiosity, and during meals and conversations, the older staff loved telling the new ones about the extraordinary stories of their park director: how he supposedly came from a wealthy family worth billions (just a guess, not that wealthy in reality), nicknamed the 'Urban Archdruid,' the 'Linhai's King of All Beasts,' able to have unguarded contact with tigers, warmly kissed by wolves, outwitting tiger thieves, finding Black Tortoise while shopping for vegetables at the market, and turning a rundown zoo into what it was now, even receiving compliments from the mayor after a visit...
Some new employees had witnessed part of this, while others had not yet!
In any case, after hearing these stories, they all held Fang Ye in high regard. He was like a living legend, worthy of being a protagonist in a novel.
From the canteen window, wafted a tempting aroma that immediately made Fang Ye's mouth water, and he called out, "Old Zhang, get me a bowl of tofu pudding, some pickles, and three deep-fried dough sticks, please!"
Initially, with only a few employees, Old Zhang and his wife could help prepare meals and even assist with the animals' feed, but now with many more employees and animals, they naturally couldn't keep up.
So, a new staff member was hired for the canteen, and the purchase of animal feed was specially assigned to the keepers.
Old Zhang's round face appeared at the window, looking even more rosy and plump. He smiled with eyes squinted, resembling a jolly Maitreya Buddha, as he placed the food on the plate and handed it over, "All right! The same old three things!"
As the zoo flourished more and more, Old Zhang, an employee very fond of the zoo, felt naturally happy and would even sometimes stroll around the park with his wife during his spare time.
Fang Ye carried his plate to his usual spot at the table and sat down opposite Lan Li, eating and chatting, "Are you going to take care of Ice Cake later?"
Lan Li swallowed a mouthful of soy milk, licked her lips, and nodded, "Yes, I'm taking over Meng Shi's shift."
Ice Cake could be quite clingy with some keepers, not willing to sleep without their company, but with Meng Shi, the red panda would actually stay awake and even push him away with its paws. A truly unimpressed animal!
Because Meng Shi loved the tigers, Fang Ye would occasionally take him to feed Jiaojiao some meat or play with little Ice Cake, but the animal just wasn't very fond of him, which couldn't be helped.
It would still take time to get more familiar. For now, it was the gentle alpacas, and Little Black who weren't too resistant to him.