Hua Eclipse is an independent writer, netizen director of Wuhan Zoo, and zoo enthusiast. He once studied the dialect phenomenon of birds, and later became a media person by accident, and published translated works such as "I heard you are also a naturalist", "The Book of Skulls", and "Evil Bugs". Like nature and religious architecture, and are willing to devote themselves to their hobbies.
Interviewing He Anan
This book
Visiting the zoo is really a very serious thing
Beijing News: In the public In terms of reading, there are actually not many books about zoos, and almost all of them are in the form of travel notes and guides. What do you most want to share with readers in this book?
Someone once asked me why I go to the zoo? Now that the Internet is so developed and there are so many documentaries, we can easily know what an animal looks like. But this is just observation with the help of other people's eyes and ears. When we go to the zoo, we can see with our eyes, listen with our ears, and smell with our noses. We can observe animals up close and feel the uniqueness of each animal. This is the real advantage of visiting a zoo.
Beijing News: Do you have any regrets or anything you want to add?
Flower Eclipse: There is a zoo map missing from this book. In fact, I went to almost all provinces in China, except Shanxi, because the Taiyuan Zoo was closed for renovation at that time. I plan to go back to it again in a while, write it down, and put it in a book. There are also some zoos, such as Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo. When I went there in 2018, they had just started to make certain changes. When I visited last year, there were already many very good improvements. These may become the focus of the next version of the book. In the future, the book may not be static and it will be updated every two or three years. I am still very confident about this book.
"Visiting the Zoo is a Serious Thing", author: Hua Eclipse, version: The Commercial Press, January 2020
This year
"Haha" Became a small "Internet celebrity" in Wuhan Zoo
Beijing News: What is your biggest feeling about the past year?
Hua Eclipse: How can I say this year? There are many things and many plans that have been completely canceled due to one reason or another. For example, in addition to animal protection, I also have a research direction on ancient architecture in Southeast Asia. I was originally going to submit a book manuscript in January 2021 about the old temples in Southeast Asia, but because I couldn't go abroad, the book was postponed. The epidemic has also had a huge impact on zoos. Because there are fewer visitors, some zoos cannot even pay their employees.
In the first four months of 2020, I stayed at home. I am from Wuhan, but I was not in Wuhan during the Chinese New Year. After Wuhan opened its doors to the public on April 8, I immediately returned to Wuhan. Because I accepted the honorary title of "Netizen Director" of Wuhan Zoo and went to work as a volunteer there.
Beijing News: As the "netizen director" of Wuhan Zoo, what do you need to do?
Hua Xi: I come from a media background. At Wuhan Zoo, my department is also responsible for publicity and nature education, and I have done more work in this area. When I was at the Wuhan Zoo, I participated in rescuing an animal. It was a raccoon dog, and its name was "Hehe" (the "Hehe" used in mockery). "Haha" is now a "little internet celebrity" in Wuhan Zoo. Many people go to Wuhan Zoo to see her. This is something that makes me very happy.
Beijing News: With the popularity of the concept of animal welfare, there is a view that zoos have original sin, because people capture animals from the wild and deprive animals of their freedom. There are even views that question the meaning of the existence of zoos. . How should zoos ensure animal welfare?
Flower Eclipse: At present, there are not many domestic zoos that do well in animal welfare, to be honest, and most of them are still in a stage of transformation. How do zoos transform? How to make money? Should it be public or private? These are all issues that make everyone feel very entangled, and there is no dominant trend of thought.
Animal welfare is the basis for everything done in the zoo. Only if the animals are well raised can they show better physical condition and more natural behaviors. In this way, whether it is doing research, nature exhibitions, or nature education, we can do better. Moreover, if the animals are kept miserable in a small cage, people will not be "entertained" in the zoo. Therefore, we hope that zoos can improve the welfare of animals and thus better achieve other goals.
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