Zhanyuan is the well-deserved No. 1 classical garden in Nanjing. In order to add some liveliness to the garden, ornamental birds such as mandarin ducks, black swans, and crested ducks have been introduced into the garden. Together with the stray cats who have settled here, they form a complete The "Four Great Divine Beasts" Heavenly Group.
Recently, the reputation of Zhanyuan’s “Four Divine Beasts” has become more and more famous. Not only local citizens gather around to take photos of them, but also photographers from other places come here to take photos of them. Want to know their life stories? A reporter from Modern Express will take you to visit the garden and see cute animals.
Overlord Black Swan also has a "sad past"
△Black Swan
The big goose has the final say whether there will be chaos in the garden. Black swans can be called the "overlords of South Park" in Zhanyuan. They occupy the largest area of the water surface and show their elegant appearance to tourists. Whenever tourists take photos, the black swan is very cooperative, sometimes performing "Qu Xiang Xiang Tian Song", and sometimes doing a "big goose spreading its wings", grabbing all the shots. Although they look elegant and proud in front of the camera, in the eyes of other animals in the park, these two geese are a bit "ferocious".
The diamond peck and the iron wing skill are the two unique skills of the swan. The nimble stray cats crumbled in front of them and had to stay away. "Two days ago, a stray cat tried to pass by the stone bridge in South Park, but the goose pounced and bit it, forcing the cat to drive away. Last year, the mandarin duck wandered into South Park and received a beating from the goose. I don’t dare to come here anymore.” The staff joked that even the security guard didn’t take the swans seriously. Whenever the security guard stretched his feet to the edge of the pond, the swan would peck and bite him and would not give up until the security guard was driven away.
In fact, swans have a strong sense of territory. On the one hand, it is their nature, and on the other hand, it is also because they have been "injured". They can be regarded as the victims of the "monkeys causing trouble in Nanjing" in 2022. That year, a monkey entered the city of Nanjing, broke into the university campus, went in and out of residential areas to steal food, bullied stray cats, and even visited Zhanyuan Garden. "We originally had three black swans, two males and one female. When the monkeys made a big fuss in the garden, they scared the female swans and flew away." The staff said that since the female swans "never returned", the two male swans have They can only rely on each other for survival and cling to their own water.
Although Black Swan is wary of large creatures, it is very friendly to various weak and small animals. Sparrows often come to steal the grains fed to the geese, but the swans never drive them away. Koi in the water are also good friends of swans, and swans even feed fish with grains.
Mandarin ducks and crested ducks have become "roommates"
△Mandarin ducks Photo courtesy of Zhanyuan
Mandarin ducks are the "old neighbors" of the big goose. In fact, they are older than the big goose, and they are considered the first batch of "animal employees" of Zhanyuan. These two mandarin ducks are also "singles", they are two male birds, and it stands to reason that they share the same fate as the geese. But they were not favored by the big goose. Perhaps the mandarin duck's brilliant feather color aroused the black swan's "jealousy".
Today, the mandarin ducks can only live in the pond in the North Garden. This water area is not as spacious as the South Garden, but it is worse than being in the upstream of the water cycle in the park. The goose drinks their "foot-washing water" every day, which allows the mandarin duck to regain a little psychological balance.
△Crested Duck
Recently, Yuanyang also welcomed 4 "new roommates". These four sisters seem to be "classical beauties" that have stepped out of a painting. They have black beaks, white feathers, and crested heads. They are crested ducks. Don't think that Duck's background is inferior to that of Yuanyang. In fact, these four sisters have extraordinary backgrounds. They are often found in ancient books and famous paintings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Gao Shiqi of the Qing Dynasty recorded in "Pengshan Secret Records" that during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, "crested white ducks were playing in groups" in Changchun Garden, but the emperor "loved their whiteness" and was reluctant to eat them. This kind of duck, which even the emperor was reluctant to eat, disappeared for a time in modern times. It was not until 2005 that agricultural science and technology workers discovered mutant individuals of the crested duck from the duck population in Zhenjiang. Through trait-directed selection, purification and propagation, the crested duck gradually reappeared in the world.
The staff of Zhanyuan were worried about whether the crested ducks could adapt to the environment at first, but they didn't expect them to recognize life at all. On a sunny day, the crested ducks occupy the center of the water and bask in the sun, but the mandarin ducks keep a distance from them.The staff also didn't understand whether Yuanyang was afraid of "offensive beauty" and acted a little shy, or he felt that he was "outnumbered" and was afraid of being bullied again by Crested Duck.
To control people's hearts, you have to look at cats
△Cat
In fact, among the "four mythical beasts" in Zhanyuan, cats are the ones who know how to control people's hearts best. On the surface, they will be bullied by the geese, but in fact, stray cats have long understood that if they really bite the geese, their lives may not be so pleasant. Cat food, canned food, cat bars... Even though they are stray cats, their food is no worse than that of domestic cats. They live in the "No. 1 Park in Jinling" and their living environment is the best among their kind.
△Cat
"There are currently 8 cats in the park, and they have two gangs, with four cats in each group. They are evenly matched." The staff said that those living in the west gate are the "Orange Cat Gang" and those living in the east are the "Tabby Cats" help". Earlier this year, the "Orange Cat Gang" had an accident. A little orange cat jumped up to the roof and did not dare to come down. The staff member said: "The cat stayed on the roof for nearly two months. Our staff were worried about it, fearing that it would starve to death, and even threw food on the roof. In the end, it was the professional pet rescue team that saved the cat. Only then did I catch it."
With the "life-saving grace", this little orange cat became very dear to me. On March 12, when a reporter from Modern Express was interviewing Zhanyuan, it was basking in the sun on the stone steps. Children sat next to it and took photos. The little orange cat also appeared very relaxed.
△Visitors and cats
The members of the "Tabby Cat Gang" are relatively alert, especially a tabby cat, which is a famous "ruthless character" in the park and often conflicts with other animals. In order to reduce the threat posed by the growing number of stray cats, Zhanyuan follows the internationally accepted method of “trap, sterilize, and release” and sterilizes stray cats. Usually, when staff see tourists wanting to get close to cats, they will remind them, "It's okay to take photos, but please don't touch them." In fact, domestic cultural relics protection units generally maintain a tolerant attitude towards stray cats. Thanks to the efforts of cats, these ancient buildings are kept away from rats.
Although the "Tabby Cat Gang" is not easy to mess with, wild birds still often visit Zhanyuan. "There is a night heron that will come to our garden to eat small koi carps, often in the evening." The staff found that this night heron is so agile that even the "four mythical beasts" can't do anything to it, and it always strikes with one blow. When he was in the middle, he picked up the fish and ran away, quite like a master from this world.
