I have a wildlife zoo

Today was the first time Fang Ye and the lion had contact without the barrier of fences and metal nets.

For an animal like the lion, its intelligence might be limited, but it clearly understands the effect of fences or glass!

Seeing Fang Ye standing not far away, the lion actually became a bit nervous and, opening its mouth wide, was about to roar.

Even though he had been feeding the lions almost every day, becoming familiar with them, and his Heart of Nature had increased their fondness for him, they no longer bore any hostility towards him.

But if it were in an online game, the affection level was roughly only between indifferent and friendly, still a bit away from truly affable.

An ordinary animal keeper would need at least a few months to cultivate a friendly relationship.

Unless the keeper had raised the lion from a cub, it might take several years of interaction and care for their relationship to become intimate.

Generally, if one fed the lion meat for about ten days and then recklessly went to pet it, it could be likened to looking for trouble in the worst way!

Not to mention, Qiqi's temperament was rather fierce. When she first arrived, she roared fiercely at a group of animal keepers.

Fang Ye dared to be so bold only because he had an "affable skill" up his sleeve.

Seeing Qiqi's mood turn to "alert," he immediately activated his affable skill.

Smiling, he greeted, "Qiqi, you handsome lad!"

Exuding a scent that attracted the lion, Qiqi quickly relaxed. The roar that was half formed in its mouth turned into a harmless yawn, and it voluntarily walked towards him.

Watching the lion sway its golden mane as it approached under the Sunshine, the online viewers exclaimed in admiration!

"Wow, that's a big lion!"

"Daxi Ji looks so majestic and cute!"

"The mane of a male lion is so interesting. It looks like there's a swim ring around its neck."

"Oooh, I love big cats the most!"

"I used to like watching cat videos online, but ever since I started following the zookeeper, those little cats just don't do it for me anymore. Only big cats can get me excited!"

"+1! The little cats' 'meow' can't compare to the roar of an emperor's engine."

Qiqi's huge body passed by Fang Ye, and its big head casually rubbed against his leg, gazing into the distance with a content and pleased demeanor.

Fang Ye touched Qiqi's thick golden-brown mane, feeling equally content—he had been wanting to pet a lion for a long time!

Previously, separated by a fence, he could only rub their noses with his fingertips while feeding them.

A viewer asked curiously, "Zookeeper, what does it feel like to pet a lion? Is it different from petting a tiger?"

"Same question. I guess I'll never have a chance to touch such a ferocious animal in my lifetime."

"With such dense mane, it must be very comfortable to pet!"

Seeing the comments, Fang Ye explored carefully and shared his feelings, "Hmm...how should I put it, petting a lion is quite pleasant, but the tactile experience might not be as good as you imagine.

The fur feels different in various parts. The fur on the back is rough to the touch, similar to the feel of a short-haired dog.

The mane feels both rough and stiff, and it's prickly on the hands. After all, they need their fur to defend themselves during fights, to protect themselves.

The fur on the belly, however, is quite soft! It's a bit like a soft blanket, and the ears, too, are quite soft to the touch, similar to the feel of a cat...

"Hey, I thought the mane would be very soft!"

"Oh my, watching the zookeeper pet the lion is just too blissful."

"If that's the case, if I raise a dog and then a cat, wouldn't that be like indirectly having a lion?"

"You're really clever!"

When touching the ears, Fang Ye didn't use much force but simply let his fingers glide gently over the back of the ears.

But this spot seemed generally sensitive to the lion; Qiqi appeared somewhat reluctant, shaking its ears, turning its head, opening its mouth, pulling a face, and giving him an unhappy glance before shaking its head and walking forward a couple of steps.

Fang Ye followed, walking alongside Qiqi, his hand on Qiqi's forehead, rubbing it as a barber would apply shampoo, chuckling, "Don't be mad, the online friends are just curious! Giving you a massage, how's my technique? Is it comfortable?"

The online friends saw Qiqi walking forward with a sulking face, feeling both thrilled and amused!

The thrill was because the lion clearly didn't enjoy being touched, and people dared to continue petting it without fearing to anger the beast—only the park's director dared to do so!

The amusement came from seeing a lion, normally majestic and powerful, now look like a moody little kitten, creating a wonderfully endearing contrast.

"Lion: You've won, just stop bothering me!"

"What I admire most about the director is his fearlessness towards fierce animals like lions and tigers! If it was me, I'd be too scared to even move."

"Hardcore cat petting!"

At first, Qiqi wasn't accustomed to the head massage and shook its head, letting out a low growl.

However, Fang Ye's pressure and technique were spot on—after a while, oh, it seemed pretty comfortable!

It stopped in its tracks, lay down on the tender green grass, looked back at Fang Ye and roared, "That's the feeling, keep massaging!"

"See, I didn't deceive you, huh?"

Fang Ye smiled somewhat smugly, quite confident in his cat petting skills!

Sitting beside Qiqi, he pressed his hands on its huge head, occasionally rubbing the cheek, scratching the chin, and stroking its broad back.

Qiqi, feeling the breeze, enjoyed Fang Ye's massage, eyes gradually closing in contentment!

Watching this, the online friends also felt a sense of tranquillity and relaxation.

"Watching the director's livestream, my favorite part is seeing him harmoniously interact with animals."

"Plus, the environment is beautiful. The park's scenery is too pretty, barely any different from the wild. If I were a lion, living in such an environment would definitely make me happy."

"This lion is even more well-behaved than my house cat! Every time I try to hold it and pet it, it runs away after a little while."

"Ah, watching this makes me want to pet a lion too! Rub its head, then pat its bottom. Must be really satisfying."

"Nice idea, bro!"

"How about giving the lion an extra meal? /playful"

"Hope the meat's tasty /bless"

"When we arrived at the scene, we found a lion /doge"

"Hahaha, that's hilarious."

Roar!!

At that moment, another lion's roar could be heard in the distance, seemingly from the direction of the pond.

It seemed Kaka had found a water source, calling everyone to take a look.

Qiqi got up from the ground, its steps a bit wobbly, not yet fully recovered from the aftereffects of the massage, its tail cheerfully swinging as if drunk, ready to check out what was over there.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

After walking a couple of steps, Qiqi stretched its front paws forward, its bottom raised high, comfortably stretching itself.

Then, it started striding toward the pond.

Fang Ye also stood up, twisted his waist and neck, loosening his muscles, and said with a smile, "Today, we've seen macaques, petted a lion, and enjoyed the scenery of our new exhibition area. Let's wrap up today's livestream here! If you liked it, feel free to visit and see for yourself how the animals play and move around!"

"Alright, see you, director!"

"I'll definitely visit when I get the chance!"

The online friends bid their reluctant farewells.