Chao News client reporter Xie Chunhui Shi Xiongfeng correspondent Xie Ting
Hangzhou has cooled down, and it is snowing.
Some netizens left a message in the Chao News client: I watched the news before, and the rescued stranded finless porpoise was staying in the outdoor pool. Does the cooling have an effect on it? Is it okay? Stranded finless porpoises begin to feed on their own, occasionally "coquettishly", but there are still many difficulties to overcome
On the afternoon of December 15, the rescuers of Hangzhou Changqiao Polar Ocean Park "moved" the finless porpoise to a second home, moved it from the outdoor to the indoor, and replaced it with a larger and newer pool.
Now, the finless porpoise is still receiving meticulous rescue and care in Hangzhou Changqiao Polar Ocean Park.
On the evening of December 14, the scene of the rescue of the finless porpoise was taken by reporter Shi Xiongfeng
This round of cooling began gradually in the middle of the night on December 14. On that night, the Chao News reporter was given the opportunity to enter the rescue site at night, recorded the last night the finless porpoise spent in the outdoor pool, and listened to the rescuers tell the story of rescuing the finless porpoise in the outdoor pool for more than ten days.
The gaze never left the finless porpoise for a second
Watch it get better little by little
At half past seven o'clock in the evening of December 14, Chao News reporters came to the rescue site outside the beluga whale breeding center in Hangzhou Changqiao Polar Ocean Park.
This is the fourth time that a Chao News reporter has been here, and the first time that he has been here at night. Compared with the daytime, the rescue site at night is quieter, and in addition to the sound of the thermostat working in the pool outside the pool, you can even hear the sound of finless porpoises swimming and paddling. The finless porpoise surfaced from time to time, and the sound of breathing was heard clearly.
"Listen, how powerful its breathing is, it means that its strength is recovering. "In the pool, the nursery staff in the water pants turn around as the finless porpoise swims.
A keeper who accompanies the finless porpoise in the water. Photo by reporter Shi Xiongfeng
During the day on December 14, Hangzhou was so hot that it broke the temperature record for mid-to-late December. However, at night, the rescue site on the side of the mountain soon felt a little cool. "The temperature in the pool is controlled between 17°C and 19°C, and the water temperature is warmer at night. The nursery staff said that this water temperature is the most adaptable to the finless porpoise, but for people standing in the water, it is still cold, especially in the second half of the night, even if you are wearing waterproof water pants, the cool air will still penetrate the body.
Since the finless porpoise was stranded on December 5 and sent here for rescue, the aquatic animal keepers and veterinarians in Changqiao Polar Ocean Park have been watching over it in shifts. "We didn't dare to take our eyes off him for a second. Chang Changfeng, head of the cetacean of Changqiao Group and captain of the Changqiao Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Team, said that from the initial need for long-term support, to its own signal to want to swim, and now it can maintain its own swimming, the keepers are watching it get better little by little.
The keeper said that he still remembers the third day of rescuing the finless porpoise, when it suddenly "struggled" a few times in the hands of the keeper who supported it, trying to break free. "As soon as my colleague let go, it swam straight ahead, swam a meter or two and was about to sink. Chang Changfeng said that was one of the first few good signals in the whole rescue process.
Finless porpoise at rest. Photo by reporter Shi Xiongfeng
At the edge of the pool where the finless porpoise was rescued, a tent was set up with a sponge block and a thin quilt inside. "When I was really sleepy at night, I went to the tent to squint and rest for a while. Chang Changfeng said that at night in the nursing pool is a shift, each shift is usually three people, two nursery workers and one veterinarian. "The nursery staff take turns going into the pool to take care of the finless porpoise, and for the first few days they spend a lot of time caring for it, but now it's a little easier to watch the finless porpoise in the water. ”
Like humans, late at night, the finless porpoise will float on the surface of the water to rest or sleep. "When it sleeps, we try to stay away from it as much as possible so as not to disturb it, but we can't close our eyes for a moment for fear of accidents. Nursery worker Chen Peng said.
The "case book" of the finless porpoise has been written down in a thick book
It will be kept forever
Next to the tent where the nursery workers are resting, there is a stool with a thick booklet on it. The cover of the booklet reads "Hangzhou Changqiao Polar Ocean Park Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Center Ambulance Animal Diagnosis and Treatment Registration Manual", and the date of payment is December 5, 2023.
The "medical record" of the finless porpoise was taken by reporter Shi Xiongfeng
"This is the 'medical record' of the finless porpoise, and it is also an archive. The veterinarian on duty said that it recorded the basic information of the finless porpoise. For example, the body length is 1.42 meters, the sex is female, and the species is the East Asian finless porpoise. It also records the entire rescue process, every inspection, every medication and every feeding, and even accurately records every defecation time of the finless porpoise.
The Chao News reporter took a cursory look at the booklet, and everything about the finless porpoise was neatly recorded in it.
Chang Changfeng said that each aquatic wild animal they participate in the rescue will have such an exclusive booklet. "When we carry out rescue work, we are like an emergency doctor for wild animals. In Chang Changfeng's view, in the rescue process, meticulous recording, on the one hand, can make every step of the rescue operation traceable, just like a doctor treating a disease. On the other hand, the records of these rescue processes will be a handbook of human experience in the process of wildlife rescue.
So far, the rescue process of the finless porpoise has initially achieved results. Through rational and prudent medication and meticulous care, the inflammation in the finless porpoise has been controlled to a certain extent. "I had an infection in my lungs and a very bad ulcer in my stomach. The veterinarian on duty said that the treatment of finless porpoises could last for a long time.
Feeding the finless porpoise. Photo by reporter Shi Xiongfeng
At present, the finless porpoise is fed about five times a day, and the total daily feeding amount is less than 1 kilogram. "It is dominated by fish pieces and capelin, and its digestion is not good, so it can't put too much burden on its stomach. ”
In general, the last feeding time for the finless porpoise at night is between 9 pm and 11 pm.
Cooling down is a big test
Whether to move indoors or not, everyone thought about it for a long time
"We've also been watching the weather change. ”
On the evening of December 14, the nursery staff discussed the impact of the upcoming cooling on the relief work.
Chang Changfeng said Ocean Park had ordered a new pool and had plans to move the finless porpoises indoors to continue their rescue before the cooler arrived.
"You see how relaxed it swims now, and it comes up to play with me from time to time, and its stress response should be relieved well. The nursery said.
There are two major concerns about moving the finless porpoise indoors. One is whether the new environment will cause the porpoise to have a severe stress response again, and the other is that the outdoor environment will be closer to the wild and the air will flow, which is beneficial for the porpoise's lung treatment.
However, due to being in a weakened state for a long time, the finless porpoise has very little subcutaneous fat, which means that it has a poor ability to withstand the cold.
Transferring the finless porpoise to a new indoor pool Photo by reporter Shi Xiongfeng
That night, the nursery staff decided to make the decision to move depending on the weather conditions.
On December 15, with the arrival of a cliff-like cooling, coupled with rain. The rescuers made the decision to move the porpoise into a new indoor pool. "The water temperature and room temperature are constant, and fresh air is installed, so the air is circulated. ”
The finless porpoise is adapting to the new pool. Photo by reporter Shi Xiongfeng
The whole transfer process in the afternoon was very smooth, and the finless porpoise adapted well to the new indoor pool. "The overall state hasn't changed much. Said the nursery worker on duty.
Of course, as far as the current state of the finless porpoise is concerned, it has not yet reached the standard of being out of danger. "We will also accompany and help it in the water, and our next target point is that we caregivers can come out of the pool and look after it from the shore. ”
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