Once They Watched Us, Now We Watch Them: The Shanghai Zoo Under COVID-19
The staff said: ‘It’s a wonderful experience: before, when we observed the animals, they seemed to be looking at us. Now, it’s as if they are looking at me.’
The flamingos in the flamingo exhibit, which were originally quiet and peaceful, became much noisier because of the staff’s arrival.
Rather than hiding their heads, ashamed, I prefer to see them with their long necks stretched up, flapping their wings and coming towards me as if to say: ‘Look, look, this is our familiar two-legged animal, why have we been so long without seeing it?’ This wonderful and delightful greeting is truly surprising.
I looked at the quiet peacocks. These blue and white spirits didn't greet me warmly when they saw a familiar person, instead they chose to perch on branches or walk around their territory. Some were bolder, strutting confidently, and I wondered if they were trying to intimidate others by being outnumbered.
The staff quickly left because they saw their unprecedented beauty and confidence, and they wanted to see other animals change as well.
‘Hello, hello,’ said the large-breasted parrot, as if greeting me. I had to hurry over to say hello. This large-breasted parrot was taken in, and it probably learned its tongue from its previous owner. The caretaker didn't teach it anything else, but it was happy to show off its talents in front of people, and so it gradually became a ‘little celebrity’.
‘Hello, hello,’ it imitated, repeating the phrase over and over, but it didn’t respond. I sighed and walked away, thinking: ‘It hasn’t had anyone to talk to for so long, and it’s missed this opportunity, truly a pity.’
But when I turned around, it said, ‘Hello, hello’ again, happily responding, and then it didn’t pay attention to me, just as it was about to walk away, it started shouting ‘Hello, hello’ again, and I felt like I had been tricked by this parrot! After staying in the park for a long time, seeing so many people, it actually learned the art of ‘playing coy,’ which is really amazing!
The pelicans were leisurely preening.
The black-billed spoonbills were huddled together.
A red-breasted cock was in the process of courtship.
The swan geese were walking leisurely in pairs.
There was also a little swan basking in the sunlight on the shore.
During the closed period, without the noise, they only heard the voices of their companions, they were healthier because they didn't receive food, and their territories seemed to be wider, and their behavior seemed freer and more joyful, but they still missed us!
‘Being observed by them,’ is a novel experience.
Author: Bozhen Shi, Xiao Huang
Illustration: Yunjie Yang, Xiao Huang
Editor: Xiaoming Zhang
