A group of people didn't dare to enter, fearing to startle the Lynx.
Chen Ying brought a bowl of Meidi's food into the room, hoping to lure the Lynx out.
However, the problem was that this Lynx didn't consider itself a guest at all and showed no interest in Chen Ying's food, lazily stretching out on the bed and rolling around casually like a domesticated animal.
From this creature's series of actions and expressions, Chen Ying truly felt it might have been raised by humans; otherwise, it wouldn't be so familiar with human housing.
YN City is close to Kazakhstan, and this neighboring country allows private individuals to raise Lynx, though it comes with conditions, requiring keepers to adhere to domestic laws and provide proof of adequate facilities and expertise.
Besides, anyone capable of raising such a fierce animal as a Lynx is certainly not an ordinary person.
Chen Ying placed the food bowl on the table and climbed onto the bed to pull the Lynx's hind legs. The creature thought Chen Ying was playing with it and, like a big cat, lightly bit Chen Ying's forearm, emitting a gentle "woof-woof" before releasing and making a short "huh" sound as it turned back to burrow into the blanket.
"Come out now. You're filthy. If you crawl in there, how am I supposed to sleep?"
Chen Ying's face turned dark as he grabbed its short tail, then quickly switched to holding its stomach, dragging the Lynx out entirely.
His family had Jinya who wasn't as shameless, this clingy Lynx really didn't treat itself as an outsider.
Kelas and Meidi on the bed next door also grew bolder after Chen Ying came in.
The most crucial part was observing this Lynx's behavior; Kelas, who specializes in Iberian lynx studies, realized it might have been raised by humans.
Meidi watched for a while and then jumped onto Chen Ying's bed, hiding beside him to quietly observe the Lynx, epitomizing bravery mixed with fear.
The result of tug-of-war with the Lynx was a failure. After all, can you really bear to be harsh when such a stubborn furry creature acts cute towards you? Anyway, it's just trying to find a safe place to comfortably sleep.
Chen Ying took a small blanket from the cabinet and placed it over the Lynx. It slept soundly with its belly covered, lying on its back.
By the window, the employees watching this spectacle thought it was incredible how this Lynx was more docile than a big cat.
Meidi, the small timid one, cautiously approached, probably staring so long that she herself got sleepy and soon curled up beside the Lynx, falling asleep.
Despite the spectacle, they still needed to investigate how this suspected human-raised large cat appeared in the wetland.
Theoretically, wildlife from neighboring countries might make a long-distance journey across borders, but in reality, the national wetland park is a long way from the border, and the Lynx's range usually limits such long-distance crossings.
Moreover, Lynx prefer forest and mountainous environments, and during migration may lack suitable habitats and food sources. Also, the abundance of human settlements, roads, and fences along the way can hinder the Lynx's migration.
So the Lynx's mysterious appearance in the wetland park was suspicious initially. Coupled with its friendly attitude towards humans, everyone first suspected it might have been raised by someone within the country.
There is also a possibility someone rescued the Lynx and frequently fed it, even allowing it to live with them without restricting its freedom. This kind of behavior is hard to judge as illegal.
Like when they encountered the leopard cat on their way to Baishui River National Reserve before, not illegal in a subjective sense, but such actions aren't to be supported.
Just as they worried over this friendly Lynx, staff from River Source Nature Reserve in collaboration with Kazakhstan received a plea from zoologist Aleksey.
During a field survey, he accidentally discovered an abandoned cub by a female Lynx. From respect for life and a scientist's responsibility, Aleksey decided to rescue this little lynx and named it "Altai," hoping it would grow as strong as the Altai Mountains.
Little Altai was hand-raised by Aleksey and lived in the wild around the Altai Mountains with his Two-legged Beast.
Aleksey had a small farm here and spent most of the year observing and rescuing wildlife.
Little Altai, now one and a half years old, was at its most mischievous and due to prolonged human contact, didn't show too much stress towards humans. Nonetheless, the little fellow was smart and discerned human intentions by scent, cautious around strangers yet close and trusting towards Aleksey and his colleagues.
Aleksey had always wanted little Altai to return to the wild and never restricted its movements. Free and easy, it roamed between the small farm and nearby forests, occasionally wandering for days but always obediently returning to the farm, to Aleksey.
This time, during an investigation into Snow Leopard activities in the southern part of the Altai Mountains, Aleksey and colleagues accidentally encountered a Brown Bear awakening from hibernation. While evading, Aleksey's colleague accidentally fell, and at the critical moment, little Altai rushed out, bravely confronting the Brown Bear.