I have a wildlife zoo

Chapter 319 Contact the Factory

There is also a matter regarding volunteer training!

The enthusiasm for signing up is still very high, with over a hundred people registering in half a month; first, we screened out more than twenty who did not meet the requirements, mainly due to being too old or too young.

Elderly men and women mainly learned about the volunteer recruitment through the notice at the entrance of the zoo, and probably wanted to contribute with great enthusiasm, but considering their age, it's quite tiring to stand for so long and patrol around, and their physical stamina may not keep up. What if they collapse?

Besides, when people don't listen while being dissuaded from feeding the animals and it leads to an argument, getting angry is not okay; a heart attack or cerebral hemorrhage could occur, which would be a serious problem.

Those over the age of 60 and with such health issues were gently refused.

There were also younger kids who wanted to be volunteers, which is quite good, as it can cultivate some environmental awareness and increase a sense of social responsibility, but it would definitely affect their studies; it would be fine during the summer or winter vacations.

I also replied to their emails, telling them they could sign up for volunteer recruitment during the vacations if they were interested.

Those whose resumes passed but didn't show up for the interview were about a dozen people, and there were also some who just liked looking at animals. After emphasizing to them that volunteer work is quite tough and not a form of entertainment, they beat a retreat. Then there were a few who were not so articulate, and another twenty or so people were eliminated.

In the end, there were just over fifty people left!

All of them genuinely loved the zoo, had the time and enthusiasm to contribute.

This included Daigo from the Linhai Zoo enthusiasts' group, who was not rejected because of his weight.

Continue reading on empire

He bragged smugly in the group for a while.

Fang Ye created a mini group for the volunteers and took time out to provide training!

The main focus was on mastering the standard phrases for deterrence, explaining why feeding was not allowed, and informing visitors of the dangers of feeding.

For instance, animals do not need food that they wouldn't normally eat; throwing bread or noodles to wolves merely turns it into trash. Food that doesn't match the animal's diet can disrupt their nutritional balance or, even worse, if they accidentally eat plastic bags, it could cost the animals their lives.

Although this is also written on the display board, some people just can't see it, become selectively blind, or simply dismiss it, thinking it's just for show. You banning feeding—that's your business, what's it got to do with me feeding them?

Still, it's necessary to have someone watching!

Another task is to familiarize themselves with the map of the zoo, so that volunteers can guide visitors who want to see certain animals or need directions to restrooms or eateries.

As for providing scientific popularization, volunteers are not required to do anything.

Becoming well-versed in such knowledge is too broad and difficult to pick up.

If volunteers are proactive and wish to engage in scientific communication, designing some language for it, that's okay too.

A booklet was distributed to them! It contained some basic information about animal welfare and enrichment, so they could study further if they wished.

...

Fang Ye then made a phone call to his mother!

The call was quickly connected.

He started off with a cheerful pleasantry, "Hello, Mom, how have you been lately?"

Mother Fang responded indifferently, "Oh, alright, I guess."

Fang Ye sighed, "Mom, why are you being so indifferent? Don't you miss hearing your son's voice after all this time?"

Mother Fang chuckled, "Did you call just to check on me and exchange pleasantries?"

"Cough cough," Fang Ye felt a bit embarrassed, "Yes, there is something I need to ask, but isn't it also nice to greet you, to ask if you are eating and sleeping well, if your health is good, and if there's anything interesting you'd like to share with me?"

Greetings triple shot!

Mother Fang was amused by him, "It's the same as usual recently. There's not much to talk about with you, you're not interested in the business. How about you? Things seem to be going well for you, got anything you'd like to share with me?"

For some reason, Fang Ye felt that his mother's last remark sounded a bit dissatisfied!

"Uh, well, there is a thing about the green peafowl! I took a trip to Yunnan, to save the last habitat of the green peafowl."

"Nothing else? I saw you being lovey-dovey with someone during your livestream," she remarked.

That's exactly what Mother Fang was dissatisfied about!

Although she was happy about her son dating, she wasn't pleased that he had secretly gotten a girlfriend without informing the family. She had been considering finding him some suitable matchmaking candidates and arranging blind dates for him when he came back for the holidays.

"Ah, Mom, you've been watching my livestreams!" Fang Ye scratched his head, feeling somewhat caught red-handed, "About that... I was thinking, since we just recently confirmed our relationship, I'd wait until we got to know each other a bit more before telling you all."

"If I don't watch your livestream, when will you tell me? Were you going to keep it a secret forever? What's there to be embarrassed about? Come on, spill the beans, how are things going with the girl?"

Mother Fang subtly inquired about Lan Li's background!

Actually, she didn't care much about Lan Li's family's socioeconomic status; as long as their own family's situation was good, what mattered more was the person's character.

That's why they say it's important to be well-matched. When a couple is well-matched, they're more likely to share common interests. Otherwise, if one likes to watch tacky videos and the other enjoys archery, they can't appreciate each other's hobbies, and even if they're attracted by looks, the relationship won't last.

Fang Ye honestly explained! Anyway, he and Lan Li were having a good time together, both being kind-hearted and animal-loving people.

Lan Li studied Telecommunications Engineering in college, which had nothing to do with animals. When she was picking majors, she was confused and just followed her parents' advice. After beginning her studies, she realized she didn't like the major at all.

In high school, she was a good student with decent grades! But in college, lacking interest in her major, her motivation to study dwindled, and she even failed several subjects like advanced mathematics.

However, she loved cute and adorable animals, and would often visit the zoo whenever she had free time during college.

Working a job she didn't like seemed worse than becoming an animal keeper! With that in mind, when she came back to Linhai seeking employment, she planned on finding a job at the zoo. She met Fang Ye, who was eagerly looking for talents, and was smoothly hired as an animal keeper, later being promoted to an assistant not long after.

Mother Fang didn't say much after Fang Ye finished talking, figuring they should just keep dating slowly. Maybe in a few more months, during the holidays, she could get Fang Ye to bring Lan Li home to meet her in person.

Then she asked, "By the way, what was the reason you called today?"

Fang Ye nearly forgot his original purpose due to the questioning, "Oh, our zoo is thinking of producing some commemorative sweatshirts, and I wanted to ask if you know any reliable clothing factories."

Mother Fang thought for a while, "That's not a problem. Aunt Zhang is in clothing. I'll send you her WeChat later. They use Xinjiang cotton! The clothes they make are of very good quality, smooth and shed very little fluff."

Fang Ye exclaimed with a laugh, "That's great, that's perfect! Our zoo aims to create cultural and creative clothes that are not just for memorabilia purposes, something that people are happy to wear frequently and that are comfortable."