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"Crocodile Lizard Dad" He Nan: Developed 4 sets of artificial breeding standards to help nearly quadruple the population of "living fossils" in Nanling
About an arm's length, with a head like a lizard and a tail like a crocodile, it crouched motionless on branches and by the water...... In Shaoguan, Guangdong, the crocodile lizard, a national first-class protected animal, is quietly recovering. Thanks to the efforts of the Guangdong Luokeng Alligator National Nature Reserve (hereinafter referred to as the "Luokeng Reserve"), these "living fossils" are getting rid of the "critically endangered" dilemma.
He Nan, a senior engineer, is one of the researchers in the Luokeng Reserve. Since joining the company in 2011, he and his team have overcome a number of technical problems and developed perfect artificial breeding techniques, which have increased the number of crocodile lizards in the reserve from 220 to 850, accounting for two-thirds of the country.
From investigation and research to protection and missionary work, although he lives in the mountains, He Nan's work has always been intense and arduous. In the past ten years, the number of He Nan's companions and crocodile lizards has increased together. Today, Yao and Han villagers in Luokeng Town, students from all over the world, film and television producers, etc., have participated in the protection work; The artificial breeding methods explored by He Nan have gradually formed four sets of technical standards to provide solutions for other crocodile lizard protection institutions.
Walk through the perilous realm to find out the unsolved mystery of the crocodile lizard
When the reporter met He Nan, it was in the afternoon of late September. Taking advantage of the good daylight, He Nan was drying grain with the villagers of Luokeng Town, and the fragrance of rice wafted into the Luokeng Conservation Area, and the air was filled with a sweet smell.
"It's also my first time planting rice, and I can harvest it all thanks to the guidance of my fellow villagers." He Nan said with a smile, "Luokeng water clears the soil and fertilizer, we rented 10 acres of land to try planting, and hit 7,000 catties of wet grain." ”
Luokeng Town is located deep in the Nanling Mountains, which not only nourishes good rice and tea, but also creates a good habitat for crocodile lizards. This "living fossil" has been living in Luokeng since more than 100 million years ago, and it was not discovered until the beginning of the 21st century, when Luokeng became the first crocodile lizard habitat discovered outside Guangxi.
At that time, people still knew little about crocodile lizards, and only Guangxi Normal University had studied them. He Nan, a fourth-year student majoring in ecology at the university, immediately realized the value of scientific research when he heard the news.
"There may be similarities and differences in populations in different regions, and more unsolved mysteries can be solved by comparison." He Nan said. After staying in school in 2007 for graduate school, He Nan has been stationed in Luokeng for a long time to conduct research on the local crocodile lizard population.
Studying crocodile lizards is difficult. The taxonomic nature of the alligator lizard is extremely isolated, with very small populations and impassive sexual properties, and there is a shortage of samples. In order to obtain first-hand samples, He Nan carried out several searches, but found very little.
"You can only enter the no-man's land and try it in the original habitat of the crocodile lizard." He Nan said.
This means risk: in the outdoor sports world, the bottom of the boat in Luokeng is one of the most dangerous peaks in Guangdong. Rao is like this, He Nan still walked the main locations in the no-man's land very well, not only found the wild crocodile lizard, but also gradually figured out the detailed conditions of the crocodile lizard habitat.
"For example, we found that although the crocodile lizard is a semi-aquatic creature, not all waters are suitable. Only the creeks and gullies with quartz sand as the base, the depth is shallow, the water flow is gentle, and the vegetation is luxuriant. He Nan said.
Habitat characteristics are a key part of the "science and technology tree" of crocodile lizard research, and a series of mysteries such as the living habits and physiological characteristics of crocodile lizards have been solved after the scientific research progress of Luokeng Nature Reserve. One of the most important is the creation of artificial habitats, which make it possible to breed crocodile lizards in captivity and help them get out of the "critically endangered" situation and usher in hope.
Four sets of technical standards for artificial breeding have been formulated
The mountains are unpredictable, and dark clouds are coming in the blink of an eye. He Nan hurriedly grabbed the phone and shouted in Hakka with a Luokeng accent: "Hurry up and harvest the grain!" ”
The changeable weather also threatens the health of the crocodile lizard, making it difficult to "breed" artificial breeding. Now is the critical period before the hibernation of the crocodile lizard, and the mother crocodile lizard who is in "confinement" needs a quiet and stable habitat. To this end, the crocodile lizard breeding base in Luokeng Reserve not only specially built a conservation pond with a separate courtyard, but also specially transplanted live plants from the mountains, attracted flowing water sources, and equipped constant humidity spray with rotten wood and fallen leaves, etc., to imitate the original habitat of crocodile lizards in a small space of 4 square meters.
The reporter noticed that there are obstacles such as gravel and tiles in the water body of each conservation pond to block the water, which is convenient for crocodile lizards to enter and exit the waters, and the water flow is also similar to the original ravine. "Crocodile lizards are very sensitive to their surroundings, and their mating willingness and conception success rate are significantly increased in an environment that is almost consistent with their original habitat." He Nan said.
The creation of artificial habitats is still based on the results of field investigations, and the "pediatric" research on crocodile lizards is almost completely blank. Crocodile lizards are born and raised in nature, and there are no special veterinary drugs for crocodile lizards on the market, and peer research focuses on the diseases of adult crocodile lizards. Seeing the baby crocodile lizard's skin festering and lacking in energy, He Nan realized that the road ahead was only to grope on his own.
Since the first crocodile lizard offspring were bred, Luokeng Reserve has been trying to analyze and treat the diseases of crocodile lizard larvae and sub-adults with various methods. He Nan introduced, for example, for the common skin ulcers and other symptoms of crocodile lizard babies, he successively tried a variety of drugs such as broad-spectrum antibiotics for human use, common veterinary drugs, etc., and finally found that the symptomatic treatment effect of fungal infection is the most obvious.
The reporter saw in the conservation area of Luokeng Conservation Area that after about a week of treatment, the lesions on the head, toe tips and tail roots of several crocodile lizard babies were scabbed. "In the past, the effect of the 'local method' was relatively random, but now we have summarized the treatment options for several common diseases, and the effect has become more predictable." He Nan said.
The results are "predictable", meaning that the methodology is formed. Under the leadership of He Nan, the technical methods of artificial breeding of crocodile lizards in Luokeng have now formed 4 sets of technical standards, providing solutions for crocodile lizard protection institutions such as Daguishan and Linzhouding; At present, the crocodile lizard in Luokeng has successfully bred its fifth offspring, and the number of artificially bred breeding populations exceeded 850 in 2020, accounting for 2/3 of the national population.
He Nan's achievements have been widely recognized and admired by the industry, and he also changed his WeChat nickname to a nickname given by his peers -
"Daddy Crocodile".
Welcoming more crocodile lizard protection "companions"
The Nanling Mountains are one of the most diverse and varied climates in the country, and from cultivating rice to rescuing crocodile lizards, it takes a lot of effort to coexist with all things in heaven and earth, especially in the field of conservation and publicity.
"When we first started working, we often went into the mountains to promote the prohibition of indiscriminate logging, forest fire prevention and other work. At that time, I found that the simple Yao villagers paid special attention to forest conservation, and many people opposed poaching. He Nan recalled that in several key anti-poaching operations, Yao villagers actively reported and provided assistance, playing a key role.
"Once, when the villagers found a hidden culvert in the mountains, they reported it to us and stayed with us." "At night in the mountains, mosquito bites were frenzied, but the villagers persevered with us until dawn, and finally pulled out the poaching stronghold, and several trapped crocodile lizards were successfully rescued." ”
In recent years, the mountain Yao in the deep mountains of Shijuluokeng has become an important force in the work of the reserve. Today, the day and night patrols of the reserve are carried out by a team of rangers composed of Yao, Han and other ethnic groups, and they do not fall except in extreme weather. This year, 255 surveillance cameras have been installed in the core area of the Luokeng Reserve, "and many of the points are not even mapped, but they can only be reached thanks to Yao rangers." He Nan said.
It has gradually become common for villagers to plant rice and protect forests with Luokeng Conservation Area. Looking back more than ten years later, He Nan found that there were more and more people standing with him.
In the office of the Luokeng Conservation Area, the workstation that once belonged to Teacher He Nan has been seated in the junior colleagues, and the materials of patrol, scientific research, and propaganda have been carefully summarized into a book, and the dilemma that the crocodile lizard will not survive without "Dad" has gradually become far away. He Nan introduced that now, all the members of the mission and education department of the Luokeng Conservation Area, where he is located, have the corresponding graduate degrees, and the level of scientific research and conservation has been greatly improved.
Not long after taking a break in the office, a colleague came up with a mobile phone: "A fishing tourist took a photograph of one, not in the ravine, but on the side of the road, which is quite rare." ”
"Adult, male, healthy, the same location has never been recorded." He Nan stared at the screen and said, "Let's go, go and see." ”
As soon as the words ended, He Nan and his colleagues put on their coats and jumped into the work car in the raindrops, and the sound of the engine was swallowed up by the mountains, leaving only two ruts on the dirt road - a new ecological survey began.
dialogue
Showcase the achievements of ecological civilization to the world
Their existence is the best proof of this
South+: More than a decade later, how do you think your work has changed?
He Nan: At the beginning of this century, there were only about 200 crocodile lizards in the wild, which were mistaken for the "five-clawed golden dragon" of Chinese medicine, and poaching and poaching were once commonplace. After its protection status was clarified, there were also criminals who ventured into poaching, and the occasional alligator lizard could be seen on the table.
However, the research and conservation of crocodile lizards is relatively weak. When I first arrived at the Luokeng Reserve, there was only one full-time technician, and after I officially joined the company, the core technology of crocodile lizard scientific research and breeding was in a situation of "one line".
Now, poaching and poaching have been eradicated in Luokeng, and scientific research and conservation have formed four industry standards to promote. The province's wildlife protection efforts and investment have been continuously strengthened, and the public's awareness and sense of participation in the protection of wild animals have been continuously improved, which has jointly created a good momentum of the two eliminating the other.
South+: In order to protect the alligator lizard, the time, energy, and social resources invested by individuals are not insignificant, and it seems that it is not proportional to the "feedback" of the alligator lizard, so what is the significance of its protection?
He Nan: Crocodile lizards prey on all kinds of small animals, insects, and are preyed on by large animals, and this food chain has existed for hundreds of millions of years. If it is completely extinct, the food chain will be difficult to sustain and the damage to ecosystems will be immeasurable – this is the traditional view in the field of ecology.
From a practical point of view, with the recovery of the number of crocodile lizards, Luokeng Reserve and Luokeng Town have successively designed crocodile research activities and cultural tourism projects, and have also cooperated with well-known animation IPs in animated series, so that more and more people know and love crocodile lizards, and also bring considerable benefits to the local area.
It also illustrates the value of rare flora and fauna: from giant pandas and crested ibises to crocodile lizards, when discussing the topic of "conservation and development", their "persuasiveness" is far beyond that of ordinary flowers, plants, birds, and animals.
Therefore, when we need to show the world the achievements of ecological civilization, the crocodile lizard is the "common language" that the whole world understands, as evidenced by the fact that its population has been around for hundreds of millions of years and continues to recover.
(In the classics of traditional Chinese medicine, the "five-clawed golden dragon" refers to a plant of the family Spiral, which has nothing to do with any lizards or reptiles.) ）
Written by: Southern + reporter Shao Yihong Ye Zhiqiang
Photography/Videography: Southern + Reporter Xu Shuzhi
Editor: Southern + reporter Jin Di
【Author】 Shao Yihong; Ye Zhiqiang; XU Shuzhi; Dysprosium
[Source] Southern Press Media Group Southern + client