The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, from spinning the manhole cover off to diving in completely, all in less than three seconds.
The two little girls were completely dumbfounded!
How could such a fat raccoon vanish in the blink of an eye?
Just then, the manhole cover actually moved again, it had originally been sitting slightly askew, revealing a small gap, but now it sealed back up perfectly!
"Damn!" a tourist nearby couldn't help but curse aloud, "This raccoon is a genius!"
"It even covers it back up—such a slick move."
"Awesome."
In the raccoon exhibit, besides trees, shrubs, and a pool with a sprinkler cooling the area by spraying mist, there were also artificial objects like manhole covers, garbage bins, and boxes.
These were designed as hiding spots for raccoons, rather than actual manholes and trash cans.
The raccoon could easily spin the manhole cover, not because it was incredibly strong but because the cover was made of plastic and painted a color resembling the grey of a metal manhole cover.
Placing these items not only served as concealment, reducing the raccoons' stress and serving as enrichment where animal keepers could hide food but also allowed visitors to see how raccoons, as one of the animals best adapted to urban life, skillfully navigated manhole covers and trash bins, facilitating education about raccoon invasions into cities.
It let visitors know that while raccoons may look amusing, they have become a serious problem in certain urban areas and countries.
The design of zoo exhibits doesn't preclude the presence of manmade architecture or decoration but must fit into a specific context, like the appearance of Indian temple-style structures within the Asiatic elephant exhibit being acceptable to the public.
At this moment, there were a few tourists pondering in front of the information boards, tilted as if in thought.
However, these informational panels discussing serious conservation issues were all placed above a height of 1.5 meters, not easily seen by children.
Children below ten years of age haven't developed the capability for analytical reasoning or the ability to conceptualize abstract ideas; their cognitive capacity and problem-solving skills are immature, and their psychological resilience is limited.
If we teach them abstract concepts such as the destruction of tropical rainforests, acid rain, ozone layer depletion, and whale hunting, it might only confuse and frighten them, making them feel helpless about changing environmental problems and leading them to shut themselves off from topics on conservation.
Thus, the lower-hanging signs in the zoo featured fun cartoon images and explained the diet and interesting traits of the animals, allowing young visitors to learn how the animals look and what they eat, presenting them as adorable and fun and fostering a love and interest in animals.
Conservation education is a slow, iterative process, not a crash course that can be completed in a single zoo visit.
Raising children with a friendly perspective toward wildlife and the environment from a young age naturally leads to a consciousness and sense of responsibility for these matters as they grow older, understanding which actions are positive and which are not, and knowing what they themselves can contribute.
"It's not scared of people at all, totally different from the red panda."
"Well, of course, one is naively cute, and the other is incredibly smart, able to open manhole covers and spray people with a hose. I'm starting to suspect it's being controlled by an intelligent chip."
The visitors looked into the raccoon's lively little eyes, chatting amongst themselves.
Tang Xiaoxin suddenly had a moment of inspiration, "Hey, Keke, take a photo for me!"
Then she squatted in front of the glass wall, stretching out her arms in a hugging pose as well!
A lovely girl, a chubby raccoon.
Separated by the glass, it looked as though they were embracing each other.
The raccoon paused for a moment, looking at her with confusion. What's this, striking a pose like me, do you want food?
Qian Keke quickly took out her phone, hurried to capture the moment.
Muttering under her breath, "You have to take one for me later too!"
However, as soon as Tang Xiaoxin stood up, the raccoon pawed at the glass, not having received the food it wanted, and ran back into the bushes.
"Ah ah ah!" Qian Keke watched the raccoon slip away, pouting her lips in disappointment, "It ran away!"
"Then just stand here, and I'll take a photo of you with that raccoon in the tree behind," Xiaoxin suggested.
"Hmm, okay then, that's the only option~"
After taking the photo, Tang Xiaoxin and Qian Keke watched the raccoon with relish for a while longer, then moved on, eagerly discussing, "So raccoons are really smart!"
"Yeah, they look so cute. I used to think they could only steal stuff."
Then they bent their heads together, looking at the photos they had just taken.
"Look at this one I took..."
"Wow! That's awesome."
"Did you get the one with the manhole cover?"
"No, I was so stunned at the time, I didn't think to take a photo. Plus, it moved so fast."