As fat as two wolves! Should the wolves in Hoh Xil be fed?

Recently, a lone wolf in Hoh Xil became an Internet celebrity because it was fed by tourists.

It was originally skinny, but it gained weight because someone fed it regularly. Many people were happy about it, but experts warned that feeding wild animals can easily cause accidental injuries and goes against the laws of nature.

Image source: pixabay

In recent years, many accidents have occurred due to feeding animals. Experts point out that private feeding, whether in the wild or in the zoo, will either cause harm to the feeder or to the animals being fed , and may even cause an epidemic. Feeding is not advisable.

Wild wolves fed with food have become as fat as two wolves

Recently, a netizen posted a video saying that a wild wolf in Hoh Xil, Qinghai Province, had become "as fat as two wolves" because it was often fed by passing tourists and drivers. Not only did its body become round, but it also wagged its tail and exposed its belly to beg for food from passing vehicles.

Afterwards, this wild wolf that was "fed to become an internet celebrity" quickly became popular, attracting widespread attention and discussion from netizens.

A lone wolf being fed. Image source: Internet

Dai Qiang, a researcher at the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes that feeding wild animals may bring risks to oneself. Wild animals living in the wild, especially injured animals, may carry pathogens, and there is no guarantee whether they are aggressive. On the other hand, it is not advisable to arbitrarily interfere with the survival rules of wild animals. "Unless it is an endangered species and it is caused by human factors, artificial intervention is not recommended."

Dai Qiang said that the natural ecosystem is a complex food chain, and the birth, aging, illness and death of animals, and the survival of the fittest are natural laws, and animals have their own laws of survival. Such feeding behavior may also cause animals to become dependent and have adverse consequences.

Qi Xinzhang, deputy director of Xining Wildlife Park and deputy director of Qinghai Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center, also said that feeding animals randomly should not be allowed. "I am willing to believe in the kindness of those who feed animals, but kindness needs to be supported by reason, otherwise it may lead to bad results with good intentions."

Feeding animals without permission causes many accidents

On March 26 this year, a woman in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, tried to feed a monkey resting on a roadside railing with a box of pineapples while visiting a scenic spot. But when she put down the fruit box, the monkey that was originally resting on the railing suddenly attacked the female tourist and slapped her hard.

On the 27th, staff at the scenic spot responded that the scenic spot broadcasts reminders to tourists every day that it is forbidden to feed wild macaques, because this behavior can easily irritate the macaques, making them think that tourists are attacking them and therefore take self-defense actions. Too many tourists will also make the macaques nervous.

A similar incident happened in Sichuan last year. According to media reports, on February 26, 2022, a woman in Chengdu, Sichuan, encountered a wild monkey while driving out for fun. When she got out of the car to feed it, the monkey began to snatch the bag of eggs in the woman's hand. When it failed, it opened its mouth and tried to bite the woman's head. The video shows that the monkey opened its mouth to reveal its sharp fangs, and its fierce appearance scared the people around it to scream. Afterwards, the woman said in an interview that she didn't know it was fierce. She pushed the monkey away when the incident happened and was not injured.

Image source: pixabay

Field trip feeding marmots, pikas, brown bears

Experts: Even if there is no danger, it is absolutely not feasible

Recently, many tourists have posted videos of themselves feeding marmots and pikas while traveling in the northwest grasslands, which attracted many people to watch and think these animals are cute. During this year's National Day, someone posted a video of feeding five black bears in Yushu, Qinghai. Experts remind that even if there is no danger for the time being, such behavior is very dangerous and should never be done.

Videos of feeding marmots and pikas on the grassland frequently appear on major social media platforms. People think these two animals are very cute. Some people not only feed them, but also hold and kiss them. Medical experts warn that these two animals are likely to carry plague bacteria, so don't get in close contact with them.

On October 7, a netizen posted a video of himself encountering a wild brown bear at Xianggu Temple in Yushu, Qinghai, and became an Internet celebrity. In the video, an adult mother brown bear and four cubs came to the outside of Xianggu Temple in Yushu, Qinghai, and the netizen threw food in the direction of the brown bear.

Tourists feed brown bears. Source: Internet

It is reported that the big brown bear will bring the little bear down the mountain to look for food. The villagers near Xianggu Temple feed them in front of the temple all year round, so they come almost every day. The villagers never hurt or drive them away, and there has been no bear-injury incidents for many years. Experts remind that although no accidents have occurred so far, there are great risks in feeding untamed wild animals, so please do not follow suit.

Planning and production

Source: CCTV.com

Editor: Bai Li