Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 284 - 240: Adoption (2)

Feng Mountain braced himself and pushed the cart into the enclosure, feeling a mountain of pressure.

More than ten tigers were gathered on the grassy field before him.

’At such a close distance, if one of those tigers suddenly launched a sneak attack, I probably wouldn’t be able to fend it off, even as a Witch.’

The man in glasses, however, seemed quite calm, unhurriedly walking beside the cart as if performing a task he couldn’t be more familiar with.

He skillfully picked up a whole frozen chicken from the cart, his gaze locking onto a tiger with a big, round face. Then, with a swing of his arm, he tossed it toward the tiger.

"Tyson, eat up!"

The whole chicken traced an arc through the air before landing on the grass with a THUD, rolling a few times before it came to a stop.

The tiger called Tyson slowly got to its feet after hearing the call.

It started with a long, lazy stretch and a yawn, revealing a set of sharp fangs. Then it ambled over to the chicken, lowered its head to pick it up, and began to eat, just as slowly as before. ’What a lazy slob. A complete disgrace to all tigers.’

Feng Mountain, watching from the side, couldn’t help but shake his head in resignation.

’The way these tigers are, forget releasing them into the wild to hunt and survive. Even if someone opened the gate and let them out right now, they’d probably starve to death.’

"Barry, here’s yours."

"Charles, dinner time."

"Kari, yours."

"Lightning, eat up."

The man in glasses took chickens from the cart, nodding as he tossed them out.

All the tigers were basically the same, each one looking lazy and lethargic, which made Feng Mountain shake his head again and again.

’They’re like a bunch of freeloading couch potatoes. They have none of the spirit a tiger should possess—that imposing majesty, that drive to roam the mountains and forests, hunting to survive on their own ferocity.’

Feng Mountain couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer and asked, "Are these tigers just kept here at the rescue station? Is there no way to find them another home?"

Hearing this, the man in glasses looked away from the bloated, lazy tigers and let out a deep sigh.

"As things stand, there aren’t any other good options. You have to understand, the global wild tiger population is only around 3,200, but the number of captive tigers is as high as 20,000—and all of them are within the United States."

"It’s very easy to buy a large cat as a pet in many states. You can’t get lions, tigers, or leopards from a pet store, but you can purchase them online through the Internet. Newspapers and magazines often have ads selling pet tigers and lions. Sometimes, buying a tiger cub costs less than 400 US Dollars—even less than you’d pay for a purebred pug."

The man in glasses paused, pushed up his spectacles, and continued.

"These privately-owned captive tigers are difficult to regulate. People keep them for all sorts of bizarre reasons. And just like with cats and dogs, where there’s ownership, there’s abandonment. It’s just that abandoning a tiger is a lot more complicated."

Feng Mountain’s heart grew heavy hearing this. He asked again, "Can’t zoos take them in? Or is anyone willing to adopt these tigers?"

The man in glasses shook his head, a bitter expression on his face.

"These pet tigers were all raised from cubhood, so they’ve lost any chance of being returned to the wild. They’ve also lost their reproductive capabilities, so zoos and circuses aren’t willing to take in this kind of tiger.

"According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which prohibits trade in tiger parts, if these tigers are ultimately not adopted, they will be humanely euthanized."

As he spoke, a flicker of sorrow crossed the man’s eyes. Though these tigers had lost their wild instincts, they were, after all, living beings.

However, the practical dilemma was stark.

The amount of food these tigers consumed was no small matter.

Each tiger required 10 kilograms of meat per day, meaning 100 kilograms for ten tigers. For a rescue station that relied solely on donations, this was undoubtedly a heavy financial burden.

"What if someone were willing to adopt them?" Feng Mountain asked quietly.

’It’s a waste to keep these tigers at the rescue station, since they’ll just be euthanized in the end. It would be better to take them back to the Crown Territory.’

’The Crown Territory is vast, with huge mountain forests and tundra—more than enough space for these tigers to roam and play. Plus, they could be a tourist attraction. I could charge a fee for interactions with them, and that would basically be them earning their own meat money.’

’And I did promise Coca-Cola a few days ago that I’d find her some underlings. This bunch of tigers seems perfect for the job.’

The man in glasses, however, seemed to guess what Feng Mountain was thinking from his question, and a wry smile touched his lips.

"Very few people are willing to adopt these tigers."

"First, adopting a tiger isn’t as simple as adopting a cat or a dog. They’re large, ferocious animals that need space to roam, and the average person simply doesn’t have those kinds of resources. Besides, even for someone with enough land, the cost of feeding a tiger is incredibly high. As I mentioned, they eat an enormous amount."

"On top of that, the safety risk is a huge factor. Although these tigers have lost some of their wild nature, their core instincts are still there. If an accident happened, it could cause tremendous harm to the adopter and anyone living nearby."

After listening, Feng Mountain still wasn’t ready to give up. He waved a hand dismissively. "No, no. I have a private territory in the Far North Tundra. It’s quite large, about 2,000 square kilometers..."

Before he could finish, however, the man in glasses cut him off, his face alight with excitement. His eyes widened in disbelief as he asked urgently,

"You’re Feng, the Carnation Knight, owner of the Crown Territory?"

"Yes, that’s right. You know me?" Feng Mountain was slightly taken aback.

"No, I don’t know you personally, but I’ve heard your name." The man’s excitement subsided a little, though his eyes still shone with an unconcealable thrill. "The rescue station actually tried to contact you. Because you own private land, we were hoping you might be able to adopt some wild animals, but we could never find your contact information."

"Well, my friend, it’s your lucky day. I’m here!" Feng Mountain said, nodding with a grin. He pointed at the chubby tigers. "If I want to adopt them, what’s the procedure? I hope it’s not too complicated."

"Not at all! For an adopter of your status, you just need to fill out a few forms." The man in glasses waved his hands quickly, then added, a bit sheepishly, "There is, however, an adoption fee to cover the animals’ vaccinations and health exams. And if you could also donate some dog or cat food, that would be even better."

A donation?

’That’s easy enough.’

Feng Mountain pulled out his checkbook, quickly wrote out a figure, then tore off the check and handed it to the man.

The man hurriedly took the check, his eyes instinctively glancing down at the amount written on it.

One look was all it took. His eyes flew wide, his pupils dilated, and his face filled with utter disbelief.

The check was clearly made out for 100,000 US Dollars.

This was the largest single donation the animal rescue station had received since its founding.

"Mr. Feng, please wait a moment. I’ll go get the director right away."

The man was so excited his voice trembled.

This donation would greatly alleviate the station’s current financial pressures. From buying food and medicine to improving the animals’ living conditions, everything would now be much better funded.

With that, he turned and hurried toward the station’s office area, his pace much quicker than usual.

「A short while later.」

A flurry of footsteps approached.

The man in glasses returned, walking quickly toward the enclosure with three or four other people. He gestured to a white-haired elderly man next to him.

"Mr. Feng, this is the director of the Anchorage Rescue Station, Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence has dedicated his life to taking in stray animals. Thanks to his meticulous care and tireless efforts, he has rescued over 20,000 animals."

Feng Mountain’s gaze fell upon the elderly man. His clothes were plain, making him look like an unassuming street cleaner, yet he radiated an aura that instinctively made people want to get closer.

After the introduction, Director Lawrence stepped forward with a smile. He enthusiastically extended his hand and grasped Feng Mountain’s firmly, shaking it gently. His voice was filled with sincere admiration and gratitude.

"Mr. Feng, I never would have thought... Not only do you possess the noble virtues of a knight, but you also have such love for animals. It’s truly a rare thing."

"No, you are the one with the truly noble character," Feng Mountain replied quickly.

He held Director Lawrence’s hand, giving it a firm squeeze to express his own heartfelt respect.

...