Being a Dad in the Animal World
o0o
The infamous dolphin slaughter in a certain island nation is well-known worldwide.
Back when I was still human, whenever I saw related documentaries or reports, netizens would often remark how fortunate dolphins born in the homeland of China were.
Although I wasn’t a dolphin at the time, Bai Yi also felt that dolphins born in China were the happiest in the world, especially rare species like the Chinese white dolphin.
The fact that these dolphins are given the title "Giant Panda of the Water" speaks volumes about the level of protection they receive from the country.
It’s a pity that fate missed by just a hair, causing me to miss out on being in China.
However, living along the coast of Mozambique isn’t too bad either. Aside from a few deranged poachers, there’s no large-scale slaughter, which gives Bai Yi some peace of mind.
A baby dolphin losing its parents generally has a hard time surviving.
They need to learn how to hunt from their mothers shortly after birth because fathers usually don’t care for their offspring.
They’re only interested in having fun.
Baby dolphins usually stay close to their mother’s belly, where the mammary pouch is located.
The pouch produces milk with a concentration six times that of cow’s milk, which is the baby dolphin’s sole source of nutrition.
Under the mother’s careful care, the baby dolphin can grow significantly within about a month.
But now, this baby dolphin has lost its parents and become an orphan.
Bai Yi couldn’t help but recall the years he spent raising Jason and his siblings, feeling a wave of sadness. He decided to adopt this little one.
He named it Jason.
It wasn’t that he hoped this child would grow up to be like Jason; he simply wanted to use the name to honor Jason’s memory.
The name Jason was personally given by Bai Yi to that male lion, never expecting it to leave such a deep imprint on his heart.
Male dolphins don’t usually adopt baby dolphins. Sometimes, they even kill them just for fun.
This is a lesser-known side of dolphins.
However, they are often very friendly.
With nothing much to do after a day of eating, they spend their time looking for amusement. Since they live in shallow waters, it’s common to see them leaping near the shore.
This also leads to dolphins having very fixed habitats. Other aquatic animals may have migratory behaviors, but dolphins don't. They spend their entire lives diving along the coast of a single sea area, which is the main reason they are more vulnerable to danger.
Also, because they are mammals, they can only give birth to one offspring at a time, making them quite unique.
Little Jason was the only precious one in that family of three.
Unfortunately, his parents were captured and killed by humans.
He's still too young, and whether he can survive is a problem. After all, Bai Yi is a male dolphin, without a pouch, so he has no milk to feed him. It's uncertain if he can eat seafood or other foods.
Bai Yi doesn't know how old he is himself. Since he doesn't have the original dolphin's memories, he can only slowly explore based on his own understanding of dolphins.
The little guy follows him closely, afraid of getting lost.
Bai Yi is also very careful, knowing that he needs to surface every two minutes to breathe, so he swims close to the surface, allowing him to breathe at any time.
Baby dolphins usually follow their mothers closely for two years. During these two years, they learn hunting skills and how to find food from their mothers. After two years, they gradually grow up and can survive independently.
At that time, females will stay with their mothers and the extended family, staying together until the end of their lives.
Male dolphins will leave the group to find other male dolphins as companions, and then begin their free and unrestrained lives.
It must be said that dolphins living in the ocean are very fortunate.
They are large carnivores, standing at the top of the ocean's food chain. Apart from some deep-sea sharks and killer whales, they don't have many natural enemies.
Because they are close to the shore, humans have become their biggest enemies.
But these cute little creatures never actively attack humans. Moreover, if humans fall into the water, they will come to the rescue in groups.
Having seen many stories of dolphins saving people, Bai Yi is quite moved.
He really doesn't know what those who kill dolphins are thinking. These little creatures have thoughts.
Their intelligence is similar to that of a seven-year-old child, which contributes to their playful nature.
They are a group of lovely ocean angels.
Of course, Bai Yi is now one of them.
He also has his little angel following him.
Baby dolphins can only be weaned after four months, but this little cutie was forced to wean during this night, which makes Bai Yi uneasy.
The little guy's participation indicates the beginning of his foster father journey.
He must start hunting hard to raise the child, otherwise, without milk, he will probably starve to death.
Hey, little Jason, you'll be with your big brother from now on.
You know, big brother used to know an older brother, not of the same species as you, but he was very kind to big brother, so I named you after him, hoping you like it.
Because I like it very much.
Obviously, the little guy also knows that this dolphin is his only reliance, so he always stays very close to Bai Yi, making physical contact from time to time.
Physical contact is the most important part of parent-child relationships. Such behavior makes the little dolphin feel secure and strengthens the bond between him and his mother.
Therefore, physical contact created a warm connection between Bai Yi and the little guy.
Not long ago, he was still planning how to pet the little dolphin, but how long has it been, and the little dolphin is already his.
Then Bai Yi definitely wanted to indulge his desire, so he often used his nose and mouth to touch the little dolphin's head.
The little guy seemed to know this was a gesture of goodwill, so he responded very enthusiastically to Bai Yi's rubs.
Bai Yi's heart melted.
Damn, how can he be so cute!
Don't worry, even if big brother starves to death, I won't let you go hungry! So you must grow up healthy and happy!
Bai Yi learned the true age of this dolphin from the researchers. It turns out he's also just a six-year-old cutie.
Female dolphins generally mature earlier, reaching adulthood around eight to ten years old and can participate in breeding, while male dolphins are around eleven years old, or at the latest fourteen years old.
That is to say, he is six years older than his little cutie Jason.
Dolphins have a relatively long lifespan, normally living for more than forty years, which is much better than lions.
So, little Jason, this time big brother can accompany you for a longer time, you are much happier than the previous Jason brother.
The previous Jason brother, big brother only accompanied him for about eight years.
A baby dolphin without a mother is very easy to get hungry. He will keep calling when he is hungry, and Bai Yi, the foster father, has to find food for him.
The hungry child always looks for a pouch under his belly, trying to find milk, but Bai Yi doesn't have that thing, he can only go hunting as soon as possible.
He has seen the couple fish, so this time he took little Jason and followed a few stingrays.
Following stingrays is actually very dangerous, because there are many fish behind them who want to get food like Bai Yi.
One of these fish is called the stingray, they have thorns on their tails, and if they accidentally poke the little dolphin, they will be injured.
Bai Yi swam slower to protect him, keeping him under his belly, close to his body.
This can effectively protect the little dolphin.
Normally, dolphins go out in groups and follow these fish. They are smart and won't eat the leftovers of the stingrays.
They will use their sonar echo imaging to accurately find food in the sand.
Bai Yi also used this skill. He had to eat his fill before he could feed the little guy.
It's not difficult for him to eat, just catch and swallow, without chewing.
Although dolphins have dense teeth, they rarely chew their food.
But Bai Yi's teeth are now coming in handy.
He had to use his teeth to chew the food into small pieces and feed it to Little Jason. The child was too young, and his digestive system was probably not fully developed, being still a nursing cub.
Adult dolphins have a large appetite, needing to eat more than ten kilograms of food to be full. Female dolphins, raising their young, might eat even more, as they need to have enough milk to feed their offspring.
It was difficult to get full hunting alone in this environment. Bai Yi ate about thirty percent full and then hurried to find food for Little Jason.
Squid was the easiest to chew, and it had no bones, making it safe to feed the child.
Bai Yi used his developed sensory system to catch two larger squids and then quickly took the child to the surface to breathe.
He had held his breath for quite a long time this time, about twenty minutes, and the little guy had also held his breath for that long. Seeing his excellent performance, Bai Yi decided to reward him.
They swam to the surface, and Bai Yi began to chew the food for the child.
The little dolphin, hungry, was wriggling under his belly, biting him from time to time.
He knew he was starving.
After chewing the two squids into small pieces, he had to feed the child mouth-to-mouth.
Unconsciously, he recalled the years when Jason had fed him like this. Bai Yi felt a warmth in his heart and wanted to smile, but also felt sad.
Dolphins have pointed mouths, and their teeth are dense and sharp, so chewing food into pieces was not a problem at all.
However, his mouth was too big, and he didn't have much experience chewing food into pieces, so Bai Yi missed a lot.
He looked at the crumbs floating on the sea surface, feeling a little sorry.
But he hurriedly passed the food in his mouth to the little dolphin.
Obviously, the child was trying this food for the first time and was not used to it. He tried for a long time at his mouth but only ate a little bit.
Bai Yi persevered and fed him again, making sounds from time to time.
Hey, little guy, you have to eat, you'll be hungry if you don't eat.
Your parents are gone, no one will spoil you!
Although he thought so in his heart, seeing the little guy's adorable appearance, Bai Yi still had to spoil him.
He put the food to the little dolphin's mouth again, opened his mouth, and the little dolphin carefully groped in his mouth.
Alas, he's cute, but a bit difficult. When will this little one grow up!
Bai Yi only thought he was small but underestimated his appetite.
The little guy was exploring food for the first time, so he ate carefully, but he still finished the food that Bai Yi had chewed. After eating, he started touching Bai Yi with his small mouth, calling out in dissatisfaction, making sweet sounds.
The reason dolphin sounds are so soothing to the soul is because their calls are truly beautiful. Their voices, accompanied by ultrasonic waves, have the ability to heal autism.
Bai Yi enjoys listening to the little one’s calls, but it’s clear that the little guy is crying now because he’s hungry.
Bai Yi has no choice but to prepare to go hunting again.
To be honest, raising a child is really troublesome!
But seeing how adorable little Jason is, he decides to put in the effort.
After all, only by raising him well can he fully enjoy playing with him.
Yes, playing with him, giving him all the affection.
If the little dolphin knew Bai Yi’s true intentions for raising him, he would probably say, "'Daddy, it seems like you're even more fun to pet. Look at you, all pink and pretty. I want to pet you too"
Of course, Bai Yi couldn’t have imagined that while he was so focused on playing with the little dolphin, he would later become the one being played with.
Bai Yi: Tired. Being a rare species isn’t all that great. Everyone’s always watching you, leaving no privacy or freedom.
Local dolphin researchers have noticed a rare phenomenon: a male Chinese white dolphin has somehow picked up a baby dolphin and started raising it.
This has left everyone puzzled.
Since this 'celebrity dolphin' settled along the coast of Mozambique, the locals have paid close attention to him.
In their eyes, the pink dolphin is the embodiment of a divine angel.
His behavior has caught the attention of major media outlets.
It’s well-known that male dolphins never care for their young. Sometimes, when bored, they even attack baby dolphins. It’s only thanks to the mother dolphins’ protection that the young ones survive.
The pink dolphin’s actions quickly drew the locals’ attention.
This further solidified the belief that he is a divine being.
"In nature, male dolphins don’t raise their young. His behavior is so unusual that our institution has decided to study his daily habits. We specialize in dolphin research, but we’ve never encountered anything like this."
"Not long ago, there was a poaching incident along this shallow coastal area. Fortunately, our protected subjects were unharmed. This baby dolphin is the sole survivor of a family of three that the pink dolphin was following."
"Our research task has become more challenging. We’ve never observed this phenomenon before, and we hope it will provide valuable insights."
Bai Yi is a 'rare species' His presence has made the locals feel fortunate, while the country that lost him is making efforts to bring him back.
Yes, he was indeed stolen by poachers, and he wasn’t the only one. He was abandoned along the coast of Mozambique because he showed no signs of life during transportation.
Another dolphin of his kind was sold by unscrupulous poachers to a wealthy individual, becoming a plaything for the rich.
If this had happened in China, anyone daring to treat a Chinese white dolphin like this would face severe legal consequences.
Bai Yi once again reflects on how fortunate it is to be born in China.
Not long after he started raising the baby dolphin, he was noticed.
Researchers began appearing frequently, including some familiar yellow faces.
A group of researchers from China decided to take him back.
There’s no doubt that he is the one China lost, and the relevant personnel have tracked him here.
Seeing familiar faces in a foreign land, Bai Yi is incredibly excited!
My fellow countrymen are here to take me home!
Mom won’t have to worry about me not receiving proper protection here anymore!
"My fellow countrymen, I'm here!"
Bai Yi, with the little one, rushed towards the huge ship. He wanted to seize the opportunity to return to his motherland. Even though he was just a dolphin, he had a strong sense of national pride.
"Mommy motherland, I've been drifting abroad for so many years, it's time to go home."
"Take me away, right now!"
"Oh, and my little Jason, take him too."
Just as he rushed to the front of the ship full of hope, the people greeted him friendly. To show his health and activity, he even somersaulted in the air.
"Great, a perfect four-and-a-half free somersault, perfect landing, any diving judge would give him a ten!"
"Spinning and leaping, I close my eyes~"
"Fellow countrymen, have you seen my health and strength? It's right to take me home."
The researchers were very happy and cheered for him.
"He seems very happy to see you. I haven't seen him this happy in a month."
"He's always been cheerful. We came this time to bring him back."
The beautiful Chinese lady smiled gently and said these words to the researchers.
"Our country is committed to protecting these endangered animals and will definitely not let them be harmed."
Bai Yi's heart was filled with joy. He swam around in the water, and his little Jason followed him, calling out happily.
"Little Jason, you're going to my motherland with your big brother. The people there are very friendly and loving. Living in that country will be the happiness of your life."
He happily sprayed water at the ship, trying to touch the Chinese lady, but the ship was too high, and he couldn't reach her.
The lady felt warm seeing him so happy living here.
She said again:
"Since you have applied to keep him here, as long as the motherland agrees, we will definitely support your work. Just please be sure to protect him. We will send relevant personnel to cooperate with your work."
"He is not only your celebrity dolphin but also our celebrity dolphin. He has a lot of fans online, and everyone is waiting for him to go back."
"He has saved many people in the sea and is a very spiritual creature. To be honest, I'm reluctant to leave him here."
The researcher became anxious: "We will definitely protect him. We are only borrowing him for a period of time. During this time, we will abide by all the regulations in the contract. We will definitely give him a good living environment and will never let the theft happen again."
Bai Yi, who was cheering in the water, was stunned. He blinked his very innocent little eyes and wanted to make a sad expression.
"Miss, don't leave me here, take me home!"
"I am a Chinese dolphin in life, and a Chinese dolphin corpse in death!"
The child was anxious to speak.
The researcher said: "Look how happy he is living in this sea area. He must like it very much."
Bai Yi was almost dying of anxiety.
"Damn it, when did I ever like this place!"
"I have a natural smile. Even when I cry, I look like this. Where's the happiness?"
"Miss, you absolutely can't believe his nonsense. I'm very sad right now. What kind of agreement did you sign? Did you rent me out to these researchers without my consent?"
"Aren't you afraid they'll skin me alive?"
"I also think he seems very happy. In that case, let's leave it at that. All his indicators are fine, so I can go back and report. In a few days, relevant personnel will come to this sea area to follow up on his situation. May we have a pleasant cooperation."
Bai Yi: "..."
Although he was very helpless and wanted to cry loudly to express his position, no one knew what he was thinking no matter how hard he tried.
However, he felt that something was wrong with this matter.
Before he turned into a lion, he interned at the "Animal Kingdom" crew. The first project he participated in after joining the crew was to follow a Chinese white dolphin along the coast of Mozambique.
That was more than ten years ago, if you count the eight years he was a lion.
Bai Yi was a little uneasy, thinking that time couldn't go backward, this was just a coincidence.
That follow-up only lasted three months because the pink dolphin symbolizing good luck was hunted in this sea area.
At that time, it shocked the entire internet because this dolphin was very famous in China. It was well-known by netizens for saving people many times and had countless fans online.
There was also an official account, a celebrity big V with over ten million Weibo fans.
So the death of this dolphin caused a great sensation at that time, basically shocking the entire internet.
And their "Animal Kingdom" crew was cyberbullied from that time.
That was the largest cyberbullying incident. For this dolphin, everyone related to this dolphin was cursed.
Bai Yi thought, it should just be a coincidence, how long has it been, it definitely won't be that time again.
It's just that his experience is similar to that of the dead Chinese white dolphin.
Bai Yi stopped thinking about it after figuring it out. His plan to be taken home was ruined.
He touched his little dolphin with his mouth and sighed.
"Originally, big brother wanted to take you back to the motherland to see, but it seems there's no hope."
Sad, but not discouraged.
After all, you have to work hard to survive wherever you are.
Bai Yi didn't take who he was to heart until a girl came. She sat on a fishing boat and shouted "Er Dan" at him.
Bai Yi was about to take the little dolphin to the seabed to hunt when he was startled by this harsh sound.
He was stunned for a long time, looking at the girl, wondering, is she calling me?
Er Dan?
How coincidental, the Weibo name of the pink dolphin that was hunted was "Wang Er Dan who can save people".
Bai Yi: "..."
Putting aside the whole celebrity thing, this "Wang Er Dan" doesn't fit the temperament of a Chinese white dolphin at all, hey.
The woman quickly reached Bai Yi's side. Bai Yi didn't get close to the fishing boat. The woman waved to him excitedly: "Er Dan, I'm Mom, have you forgotten me?"
Bai Yi: "..."
A twenty-something-year-old girl in simple clothes, claiming to be his mom.
Could it get any more outrageous?
However, the outrageous thing wasn't this girl who claimed to be his mom, but the arrival of the "Animal Kingdom" follow-up team.
Bai Yi was completely confused because time had gone back ten years, but this time, he wasn't in the follow-up team.
o0o
Author's Note: Bai Yi: Confused, everyone.