Super Zoo-Chapter 448 - 443: As if I would go to the battlefield!

Last time during the 3A tourist attraction evaluation, Yangchuan City Zoo didn’t really go through much trouble, a few office clerks just prepared some materials and sent them off, and a reply granting approval came back quickly.

That "3A Model Scenic Spot" gold-plated sign is still in Mrs. Tong’s storage box in her large office.

According to regulations, the sign should be displayed outside, but Suming thought hanging a 3A sign was too embarrassing and didn’t let it be hung up; it’s been gathering dust in the box ever since.

When it comes to the selection of model scenic spots, the zoo’s staff, including Mrs. Tong, were more enthusiastic than Suming the zoo director.

The truth is, even if they were awarded 5A, it wouldn’t result in a pay raise for the employees, but life isn’t all about money. Now that the overall income of the zoo has greatly improved and material conditions are basically met, the focus shifts to superstructure endeavors such as gaining honors.

On the other hand, if they really were to achieve a 4A or even 5A rating, although it wouldn’t lead to a pay raise, the ancillary income it would bring to the zoo would benefit everyone who works there.

The zoo’s hardware currently does not meet the standards, just as Old He had said, trying to score a high rating without any particularly distinctive cultural features would be difficult.

"No rush, no rush, no rush…" Suming was not worried at all, assuming the attitude of someone leisurely fishing without a care in the world.

He had come to understand that for these domestic evaluations, companies shouldn’t go begging the government. The more you implore the government, the more they’ll dilly-dally with issues here and excuses there.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

4A and 5A ratings are determined by the National Tourism Administration, and the Yangchuan City Government, including Wang Jian She, can at most play a recommending role. Even if he were Wang Jian She’s own son, he wouldn’t dare confidently guarantee that he could get it done. The zoo’s current prominence mainly exists within Yangchuan City and within the province, thanks to several news stories such as the Xiangjiang robbery incident, and with the universe-wide live streaming platform, it has some influence across the nation, but not enough to offset the strict conditions necessary for scenic spot ratings.

It’s better to focus on increasing the zoo’s fame until it becomes a household name, and at that point, whatever standards and conditions won’t matter; even if the zoo doesn’t want the status, the Tourism Bureau will be eager to deliver the 4A sign.

Instead of following the official procedure and exhaustingly seeking their approval, it’s better to focus on growing the business.

The martial arts competition was one of many plans to promote Yangchuan City Zoo and it successfully initiated a retro cultural trend in Yangchuan City; this was a good phenomenon. Now that the competition is on the right track, it’s fine to let it grow healthily without overexerting in pursuit of a 4A rating at the start and squeezing every bit of value.

"There’s another issue, Director. If we want to apply for the rating, there’s one hurdle that we might not be able to get around," Mrs. Tong said.

"The number of animals, right." Suming nodded. Yangchuan City Zoo currently houses 108 species with 2212 individuals/heads; the numbers are quite auspicious — 108, like the heroes of Liangshan from the Water Margin.

Most of them are birds, numbering over a thousand, with sparrows and crows being the most common...

Speaking of sparrows, Suming was left speechless. Visitors come to see animals for their novelty, and animals that are big, odd-looking, or even vicious are the most attractive. Compared to reptiles and primates, apart from exceptions like Diamond Parrots and peacocks, the majority of bird species actually exert relatively little appeal on visitors, which is why the zoo didn’t used to have many birds — only about four hundred or so.

In the past year, as the zoo animals’ diet continued to improve and often with leftovers, numerous sparrows, crows, and magpies that roamed the mountains and the city’s edges were attracted and took up residence in the zoo.

There are many big and small woods in the park area, and these creatures have no shame at all. Without the zoo’s permission, they just nest in the trees, turning the forest canopy into a place riddled with nests. Every time Suming passed through the woods, he had to wear a hat to avoid being hit by bird droppings.

Excluding the birds, the zoo really didn’t have many other animals left, fewer than a thousand.

The limited number and variety of animals were always a major weakness in the development of Yangchuan City Zoo. Even setting aside the pursuit of a 4A or 5A rating and considering solely from the perspective of the zoo’s growth and expansion, increasing the number of animals was very necessary. Otherwise, even if the area around the zoo is well developed and has little to do with the animals, it would lose the unique character of being a zoo and instead create a scene where the guests overshadow the host.

Additionally, the more animals the zoo has, the better Suming’s spiritual power can develop, as animals also have a reciprocal boosting effect on spiritual power.

There aren’t many ways to increase the number of animals in the zoo. Decades ago, when zoos were first being established, it was most convenient to just have local troops and militia help by capturing animals directly from the mountains... Of course, that’s no longer possible now, so the most common method is through natural reproduction by existing animals, such as Huiya; or by rescuing illegally sold and transported animals, like the group of dogs in the hills behind; with some luck, one might find and rescue injured wildlife, such as the family of river dolphins...

But no matter the method, the growth rate is slow, especially for rare animals with weak breeding capabilities and of which there are not many left in the world. It’s not easy to encounter them just like that.

"Director, there’s actually another way..." Mrs. Tong suggested eagerly.

"Ah? What method?" Suming’s curiosity piqued as Mrs. Tong spoke mysteriously.

"Buy them!" Mrs. Tong said.

"Ah? Mrs. Tong, you better not be encouraging me to break the law!" Suming was speechless. What a joke, buying animals? It’s senseless to purchase animals that could be traded for a zoo; it’s just indirectly harming those little creatures that were originally living freely. And those rare animals that need protection are basically prohibited from being traded by the state.

"Of course not from domestic sources!"

"Mrs. Tong, the more you talk, the more outrageous you sound. Are you suggesting I smuggle?" Suming thought to himself that he was just idle and bored, wondering why he was discussing this with Mrs. Tong.

"No, let me tell you, Director. Some small-country zoos can sell their animals. Our zoo’s black panther was bought from a UAE zoo by the previous director a long time ago," Mrs. Tong explained.

Suming indeed knew about that black panther. It was quite the character, kept in a large glass room. Whenever tourists turned their backs to it, it would make a standard hunting move, stealthily approaching the visitors and then suddenly pouncing... bam! It would smack right into the tempered glass.

This scene had appeared countless times in live streams; despite the tempered glass barrier, the black panther never changed its ways.

"Mrs. Tong, if we are to buy, it’s not just one or two animals, we’re talking at least hundreds, right? Do you remember how much the old director spent on that black panther?" Suming rolled his eyes. Back then, a Huaxia tourist and business group cooperated with the UAE to construct an oil field. The old director was just tagging along, and the money for the panther was paid by the business group.

If they really had to pay the price initially asked by the UAE, even selling the old director wouldn’t have covered the cost of that black panther. Even with Suming’s current financial resources, it was impossible to buy animals in large quantities through international trades.

"Director, let’s not go to the UAE. That place is too rich; they don’t rely on selling animals to make money, so of course it’s expensive. We need to look for those countries so poor they can’t even maintain government expenses..."

While speaking, Mrs. Tong mysteriously took out a newspaper and pointed to an inconspicuous news piece on the corner of the page, "Look at this."

"What?" Suming took it and read. The news was brief, stating that due to perennial wars, some Middle Eastern countries could not afford to maintain their local zoos. Money was poured into war instead, and the living conditions of the animals in zoos and reserves were extremely harsh, with them starving to the bone and even resorting to cannibalism. This had caught the attention of some global animal protection organizations.

There was also a photo from Syria Zoo; in it, an emaciated tiger was gnawing on the corpse of another tiger, and shockingly, the two tigers were ’spouses.’

"Mrs. Tong, isn’t this joke a bit much?" Suming was genuinely overwhelmed this time.

Indeed, those countries at war could barely scrape together military expenses, let alone afford to maintain animals. To their governments, the zoos and reserves were a heavy burden. If someone was willing to buy, they’d surely be delighted, especially if the ’purchase’ was large-scale; the price would definitely be low. That much was predictable.

The problem was, those places were at war! Even the government forces couldn’t control the domestic situation, and the United Nations Peacekeeping Force couldn’t ensure their own safety amid the gunfights and bombardment. For himself to go there to buy animals was simply courting death.

Especially Syria, what a joke; it’s the world’s largest terrorist organization, IS****** country’s headquarters!

Suming had spiritual power and could control animals, but he was still flesh and blood. His physical strength had improved through the nourishment of spiritual power and Taishui water, but at best, he was just a bit tougher than an ordinary person, nowhere near as strong as Su Meng. It would be way too dangerous to venture into such warzones.

A rhino might survive a gunshot, but if Suming were shot... damn it, a rifle would blow his leg off.

And the people there were beyond negotiation, capturing hostages at a whim and treating them like slaves. Not to mention terrorists, even the government forces might turn bandit for money, and matters couldn’t be resolved just by offering some cash.

Living a decent life, would he be insane to run off to a terrorist stronghold?! That would be making life difficult for himself.

Seeing Mrs. Tong still deep in thought, Suming slapped his forehead, wishing her work enthusiasm wasn’t so high. Couldn’t he just enjoy a few peaceful days? The martial arts competition was progressing well, and the zoo was thriving in every aspect. Did they really have to discuss work on such a hot day?

Resolute in not discussing work, he decided on a whim to head back to his residence, stripped off his outer clothing, threw on big shorts, and jumped into the lake for a soak. After dressing up again, he wandered around.

As he strolled, he ended up at the nearly completed Whisperwind Pavilion Restaurant.

Lately, Suming often carried Nangong Yan on his back, sneaking off toward Whisperwind Pavilion. Read latest chapters at novelbuddy