Super Zoo

After leaving Mr. Song, Suming still felt somewhat unconvinced.

For a national-level protected animal like the finless porpoise, ownership belongs to the state, not to any particular province or city, and certainly not personal property.

But in practice, who is responsible for raising and managing the finless porpoises can be quite different.

It was like with Zhao Yun, whose private museum housed many items that the nation prohibited from trade, which plainly speaking, are national property. Zhao Yun was merely a custodian.

Yet, over a decade, with the help of these 'state-owned' collections, Zhao Yun rose in prominence, becoming a member of Yangchuan City's elite and even establishing substantial connections overseas.

Therefore, economically speaking, it was essential to keep the finless porpoises; from a personal attachment perspective, the finless porpoise family was like friends to him. After spending time together, they had developed a friendship, and a forced separation would be hard to accept.

If someone suddenly tried to take away his canine companions or the feline stars from Suming's side, he would certainly disagree. Even with creatures like Da Tou, Er Gouzi, and the crocodile snakeheads, Suming couldn't bear to give them away.

Besides, without me, the finless porpoise family would have long perished. Now you come to put in your two cents and claim credit?!

He sat in the pavilion by the water, pondered for a while, and then made a phone call to Wang Hao.

"Looking for my dad?" Wang Hao was initially startled and said jokingly, "Hey, Su, you're really moving up in the world, treating my old man as your equal now. Just two days ago, he was talking about you, telling me to learn from you more."

Soon, a deep voice came from the other end of the phone, Wang Jian She.

After listening to what Suming had to say, Wang Jian She thought for a brief moment and said, "Mr. Song is right, although Yangchuan City would also like to have the custody of these fish..."

Suming's mouth twitched, thinking to himself, Leader, finless porpoises are not just any fish; you are, after all, in charge of parks, agriculture, and fishery - could you not be a bit more professional?

However, it was unnecessary to get hung up on these details; he just waited to hear Wang Jian She say 'but.'

"But... as much as everyone desires it, there's hardly any possibility in operation. Mr. Song has already told you the reasons. Moreover, my position isn't suitable for speaking out lightly."

Anyone reaching Wang Jian She's position was shrewd. Although he had an appreciation for Suming, without full confidence, Wang Jian She wouldn't rashly suggest keeping the finless porpoises. If the attempt ultimately failed, it would give the impression to superiors that he was unreliable in handling matters.

Wang Jian She pondered for a moment and then continued, "How about this, if you really are confident that you can keep these fish here, then let Mr. Song file a request. Draft a report in the name of the zoo, submit it up the chain to me, and I will consult with the city government, following the due process."

The zoo has a duty to protect animals, and developing its own business is also an implied part of its role. If the proposal to keep the finless porpoises came from the zoo and was reported step by step, even if it didn't work out in the end, Wang Jian She wouldn't be held accountable.

With no other options at the moment, Suming communicated with Mr. Song once more, Mr. Song thought it over and saw this as a glimmer of hope, so he drafted a proposal that very day.

"Suggestions on Keeping Three Wild Finless Porpoises in Yangchuan City Zoo for Raising and Care."

The proposal was processed through several steps and arrived at Wang Jian She's office. After reviewing it, he took it along with a few other forestry and agricultural documents to the municipal party committee and found a deputy mayor in charge of this area.

"Wang, what is your opinion?" Leaders generally do not take the initiative to express their views. After reading all the documents, Mr. Sun, the deputy mayor, picked out the report from the zoo and asked Wang Jian She.

Wang Jian She pondered for a moment and did not answer directly but smiled and said, "Thank goodness the finless porpoise is still at the zoo. If it had already been transported away, there would be nothing to discuss."

Mr. Sun also smiled and said, "Then should we have a meeting with the people from the provincial capital and talk about it?"

"To be honest, the chances are slim. However, if we don't fight for it, then there's no chance at all," Wang Jian She said.

With one word from the leader, the subordinates scramble to act. That very evening, the deputy mayor in charge of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries from the provincial capital, the heads of the relevant departments, and the Agricultural Sciences Academy all received a letter from Yangchuan City. A team led by Mr. Sun and managed by Wang Jian She was formed on Yangchuan's side to handle negotiations with the other party.

"What a joke! Song, do you know the condition of your zoo? Do you have specialized equipment, professional staff, and what will you do for the reproduction of the finless porpoise? Who will take responsibility for training the young porpoises for release into the wild? Who will look after their daily lives?"

Sitting around the conference table were rows of leaders of all levels, with Professor Chu bombarding his old classmate, Mr. Song, the head of the zoo, with a barrage of questions.

"Chu, calm down, we're in the middle of a discussion," Wang Jian She said amiably in an attempt to smooth things over.

Mr. Song replied indifferently, "Chu, what you're saying isn't right. If we don't have it, we can build it, we can buy it. Once we have the finless porpoises, we can then develop the necessary facilities."

"Song, you make it sound so easy. Of course, with the economic strength of Yangchuan City, I believe it can be done. But that's not something that happens overnight. If there is a problem with the finless porpoise in the meantime, who will take responsibility?"

The one speaking was Mr. Jiang, the head of the agriculture department from the provincial capital, who led the team for this meeting. The provincial capital had a slightly higher status than Yangchuan City, and Mr. Jiang's rank could barely match that of deputy mayor Mr. Sun. However, Mr. Sun did not attend the meeting, so the ranks were perfectly matched.

"Mr. Jiang, can you guarantee that sending the finless porpoise to the protection center will not result in any problems?"

Wang Jian She picked up his teacup, used the lid to wipe away the layer of tea foam on top, blew on the scalding water, and with a smile said, "As I understand it, when Professor Chu and his team were treating the finless porpoise, the animal wasn't cooperative at all and nearly died. It was only thanks to the core staff of Yangchuan City Zoo and Comrade Su that the problem was resolved. To go back further, when it was time to search for it, the comrades from the Agricultural Sciences Academy exerted great effort but failed to find the finless porpoise. Instead, it was Su who found a family of three finless porpoises. Without Su, the porpoises might have died long ago, and we wouldn't need to have this meeting to discuss the fate of the porpoise."

Professor Chu's face turned dark. As a respected professor and a top expert in his field, he had encountered significant 'errors' both in finding and treating the finless porpoise, and it seemed, was outperformed by an ordinary zoo employee, and a temporary one at that.
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In such a situation, how could he have the face to say that Yangchuan City Zoo couldn't take good care of the finless porpoise?

Seeing the change in Professor Chu's expression, Wang Jian She put down his teacup and chuckled towards Professor Chu, "Chu, don't misunderstand me. I'm not questioning your professional level. What I mean is that our Yangchuan City Zoo has talent too and is fully capable of taking good care of the finless porpoise."

Professor Chu frowned slightly and said, "If Comrade Su Ming were to take care of the finless porpoise, I would be at ease. However..."

"Wang, the state has spent tens of millions to establish the protection center. If the finless porpoise is not sent there, it would not comply with the policy!"

Mr. Jiang from the provincial capital interrupted Professor Chu, his eyes sweeping over the individuals from Yangchuan City and profoundly stating, "To put it bluntly, if we send the finless porpoise to the protection center and something unexpected happens, we will still be following regulations. But if it stays in Yangchuan City, and given that the city's conditions are somewhat inferior, if something happens to the finless porpoise, how will you explain to the higher-ups and the public?"