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Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl-Chapter 346 - 344: The Female Tiger is Fierce, Even Stronger as a Mother
Chapter 346 -344: The Female Tiger is Fierce, Even Stronger as a Mother
The male tiger had come looking for Chen Ying.
In the evening, he had found that very “time-savvy” male leopard.
He was just curious as to why that leopard kept following the two-legged beast, showing none of the pride typical of their kind.
That cowardly leopard said he felt very happy following this human, even happier than being with the female leopard.
Curiosity was common to all felines, and the male tiger was no exception, so he had come.
Moreover, the leopard might not have noticed, but the tiger had smelled it—this human had the scent of other tigers on him, somewhat strange and unlike anything he had smelled before.
It was a weak scent, belonging to the male tiger.
Upon reaching Chen Ying, he took a deep sniff and let out a big sneeze.
“Two-legged beast, where have you taken the young cub?”
Chen Ying was startled at first, then realized he was asking about the tiger cub with the injured leg.
He briefly explained, unsure whether the male tiger understood, but he seemed to ponder for a moment.
Do tigers even have such expressions?
“So, you two-legged creatures can cure its leg, does that mean you can also cure other tiger cubs’ legs?”
Chen Ying, keenly catching his drift, wondered if there were other injured Little Brain Tigers.
“I can’t guarantee that; I need to see them first. Why, are they your cubs?”
“No, I just saw them on my way here. Their mother is beautiful, and I like her!”
Chen Ying’s lips twitched—did this tiger even know what he was saying? Oh well, an animal is an animal; straightforwardness was one of their few qualities.
Although he had no comment on the male tiger’s morals, he still needed to inquire further about the tiger cub’s condition.
After much effort communicating, Chen Ying finally understood that the female tiger had only one cub, but its hind limbs seemed paralyzed.
In such cases, the female tiger would not hesitate to abandon the cub because of natural selection—she couldn’t help the cub to live a full life; better to let it be free from suffering sooner.
But the male tiger mentioned that this female was a new mother, somewhat reluctant to give up her first cub.
Chen Ying thought for a few minutes, then geared up and took his medical kit; he asked the male tiger to lead the way, as he needed to see the situation for himself to understand what to do.
Seeing Chen Ying preparing to go out, the director knocked on the window, signaling him to take a call.
“Dr. Chen, what’s going on? Where are you going?”
“This tiger came for help; it seems like he wants to take me somewhere. I’ll check it out and come back.”
“Is it far? Should we come along?”
“I don’t know, better not; I can’t guarantee what else we might encounter on the way.”
“Dr. Chen, just wait a moment; let us discuss this. It won’t keep you for more than five minutes.”
Regardless of whether Chen Ying was acting impulsively, protocol required that a camera crew and an assistant attend him since he was a guest going out.
Besides, the director held Chen Ying in high regard, believing he wouldn’t just make up an excuse. It was very likely indeed that a tiger had come seeking help.
Isn’t that a headline-worthy event?
Within fifteen minutes, the director had everything prepared.
Dog sleds, tremble, dogs!
The tiger showed a curious look and approached a big dog which, unsurprisingly, urinated.
Chen Ying held his forehead, somewhat speechlessly frustrated.
Whoever thought it was smart to have dogs pull a sled behind a tiger? After all their efforts, would they just be left as a meal?
Eventually, Brother Hai contacted a friend who provided them with seven or eight prototype electric snowmobiles to use in return for a usage review.
With this help, their travel speed increased significantly.
The male tiger seemed very interested in the snowmobiles, running and then turning back to howl at the snowmobile under Chen Ying’s feet, acting like a truly spirited tiger.
After twists and turns, covering about forty kilometers, the male tiger stopped and laid down.
Across a frozen river, on a stone at the mouth of a stone cave, a slightly emaciated female tiger lay restlessly.
Upon sensing the male tiger’s arrival and the human presence, she stood up abruptly, staring at them with icy glare.
Behind the female tiger in the snow, a young tiger was playing, but its hind limbs couldn’t support its body—it moved using only its front limbs.
Chen Ying had seen this condition before; a cub at the Panda Center had the same problem—a spinal issue, a congenital malformation that required surgery to correct.
But not every animal with such conditions could be healed by surgery.
Chen Ying was unsure of the tiger cub’s exact condition; he needed to examine it first.
But the female tiger was different from the other tigers Chen Ying had encountered before, very cautious and would not allow any animal to approach its cub, not even Chen Ying.
The male tiger had not gotten too close, watching eagerly as Chen Ying’s one-sided communication with the female tiger was cut off, and he walked over a few steps in irritation.
But soon, a roar from the female tiger sent him retreating further away.
“I really mean no harm, I am here to help you and your child. I want to check its condition to determine if it can undergo surgery. Do you know about surgery?”
The female tiger didn’t know a thing, only that it wouldn’t allow any creature to harm its child.
Should anyone dare breach her blockade and touch her precious one, the female tiger would make them profoundly understand what a tiger mother’s terrifying anger meant.
From afar, the accompanying village cadre, the Forest Station Patrol Officer, the director, and his three subordinates kept a safe distance, silently filming the interaction between Chen Ying and the female tiger.
The female tiger seemed to accept Chen Ying approaching, but still did not allow him to touch her child.
After observing for a while, Chen Ying realized that something was also off with the female tiger’s state.
How to describe it? Like a single mother in human society who discovers her baby has a terminal illness, knows there’s no cure yet cannot bring herself to give up on treatment, experiencing both physical and mental exhaustion, enough to drive one to despair.
It was the same for this young mother nursing her first cubs.
Chen Ying touched her head affectionately, not focusing too much on her child, but used his unmatched cat-petting skills to ease the female tiger’s tense body, helping her lie down for a good rest and relaxation.
The technique was effective, and soon, the fierce tiger lay snoozing on Chen Ying’s legs.
Even in her sleep, the female tiger pinned Chen Ying down, not giving him a chance to approach her child in the den.
Chen Ying did not go, but Little Brain Tiger came out on his own.
It had been very alert, hiding inside the den, but on realizing that its mother was asleep and relaxed, Little Brain Tiger’s simple little mind formed a simple understanding: this two-legged beast wasn’t bad, mom trusted him, so the baby could too.
Then, the tiger cub used its powerful front paws to drag its weak hind legs closer to Chen Ying’s side.
Chen Ying didn’t reach out but let Little Brain Tiger come and sniff him on its own.
Sniffing around, Little Brain Tiger tried hard to climb onto Chen Ying.
Unlike its cautious mother, Little Brain Tiger leaned more towards instinct.
It liked the scent on Chen Ying, it was comfortable, and besides, mom also lay sleeping on him, so the baby wanted that too!
From afar, the director of photography continued to shoot, while others watched with binoculars.
Upon seeing Little Brain Tiger, the expressions of the director and the Forest Station Patrol Officer changed, both frowning simultaneously.
This tiger was clearly troubled.
Compared to the Forest Station Patrol Officer, the director thought more deeply. He couldn’t help but glance at the nearby male tiger, thinking, indeed he has come seeking help.
Unexpectedly, upon Dr. Chen’s new arrival, a mere trial had led the animals to seek help themselves, what did this indicate? It indicated our work was very effective, showing that humans and animals could coexist peacefully.
At the director’s cue, the director of photography’s camera focused on the restless male tiger, while his gaze was fixed on Chen Ying and the female tiger beside him.
The director, unaware of the relations between the male, female, and little tigers, naturally assumed they were a loving family.
Since giving birth to Little Tiger, the female tiger had not had a good sleep for a long time.
This time, she slept deeply, not even waking when her son climbed into Chen Ying’s embrace.
Little Brain Tiger, who had offered itself, got cuddled and tossed around by Chen Ying for nearly twenty minutes.
Then, Chen Ying took out from his medical bag the silver needle he hadn’t used in a long time.
A long needle swiftly and deftly pricked into Little Brain Tiger’s back, it shivered unconsciously, as if feeling nothing, continuing to play with the toy given by Chen Ying.
Next, three more needles were inserted into Little Brain Tiger’s body; it let out a soft cry suddenly.
Chen Ying keenly noticed, its right hind paw seemed to twitch, stretching out briefly then retracting, the whole process lasting about a second or two.
After waiting a few minutes, Chen Ying adjusted another needle on the other side of the spine, the left hind limb showed no response.
A trace of regret flashed in his eyes as he removed the silver needles.
He then gave Little Brain Tiger another massage, carefully feeling the atrophy of its hind limb muscles and meridians.
The muscles in Little Brain Tiger’s hind limbs were almost nonexistent because of its prolonged dragging motion when moving; the fur on the parts of its hind limbs that touched the ground severely fell out, and the skin was a bit rough.
Regardless, Little Brain Tiger wouldn’t survive in the wild if released, being rescued and taken away, it could at least live out its life in a sanctuary or breeding center.
Humans would surely accept it, but it was a bit of a problem with the Tiger mother.
She loved her child too much and probably couldn’t accept being separated.
So, was there a way to let the female tiger stay with Little Brain Tiger temporarily in the Tiger and Leopard National Forest Park, until Little Brain Tiger grew a bit, or the female tiger trusted humans, then let it return to the forest alone?
Thinking this, Chen Ying took out his phone to snap photos of Little Brain Tiger and filmed several clips of it playing and dragging its hind legs, which he sent to the expert who had previously come to pick up a limping tiger cub for surgery.
The next moment, the expert’s call came through.
“Hello, Dr. Chen, where are you now, could you tell me more about this little tiger’s condition?”
The sound of the phone woke the female tiger; it jerked awake and saw its baby clutching a bone toy, looking dazed and pure, nestled in its arms, the entire scene seemed surreal.