Memphis Zoo, an established institution founded in 1906, spans 27 hectares and houses over 500 animals from various regions around the world.
Its facilities and financial investment rank among the top in the United States.
Even the rapidly developing Xihong Zoo today pales in comparison to Memphis Zoo in certain aspects.
This conclusion was reached by Yang Lin after personally witnessing the conditions within Memphis Zoo.
Before his arrival, he had even suspected that Memphis Zoo's impoverished state was the reason for the poor condition of Lele and Yaya.
However, it now appears that if Memphis Zoo is considered poor, then many zoos in China would be struggling to make ends meet.
"These sons of bitches are so rich, how can they..."
Among the expert team, an elderly professor from the Institute of Vertebrate Zoology couldn't help but curse after glancing at the zoo's entrance.
He only realized he had used profanity after speaking and was about to explain when Yang Lin gave him a thumbs-up.
"Professor Chen, you curse well. I wanted to say the same thing, but I think it's unfair to dogs."
He then said to the director next to him.
"Remember to mute this section for Professor Chen."
Upon hearing Yang Lin's request, the director from the official television station directly gave an OK sign.
This gesture seemed to open a floodgate of pent-up emotions. As the accompanying experts toured Memphis Zoo, they couldn't stop complaining.
"Damn it, even a monkey is fed so well. Are our country's pandas not worthy?"
"These bastards, it's obvious they're doing this on purpose."
"We shouldn't have leased them the pandas in the first place, nor renewed the lease. And they still want two young pandas? Dream on, you white pigs."
...
Listening to the curses around him, Yang Lin's entire impression of these experts and professors was completely overturned.
However, he didn't find anything wrong with it, only pitying the director who had to keep muting the microphones.
If this were a live broadcast, it would turn into a string of beeps.
And as these experts and professors grumbled, they were soon led by zoo staff to the panda exhibit, located in the outermost area of the park.
Indeed, the once celebrity animals of the zoo had been moved to a rather obscure corner after their prime had passed.
While other enclosures had a moderate number of visitors, the panda exhibit was deserted. There were no tourists, not even a single staff member in sight.
Seeing this scene, Yang Lin felt a shadow cast over his heart.
It was like seeing a daughter who had married far away living in squalor.
He thought this feeling was bad enough, but what followed next almost brought everyone to tears.
Through a thick layer of glass, a black and white silhouette first appeared before them.
Without a doubt, everyone knew this silhouette belonged to either Lele or Yaya.
But before they could feel any joy, the patchy fur and scabby skin on its back stabbed into their eyes like thorns.
Yang Lin had seen Lele without fur before. He knew that pandas with skin diseases would shed their fur.
However, the scabby skin before them, with dense scabs and pustules, clearly went beyond ordinary skin conditions.
Everyone's scalp tingled after just one look, let alone the panda enduring this torment.
Of course, this was not the main point. Skin diseases could be cured with some time and effort.
The main point was that this silhouette was far too sickly compared to a normal panda.
If a normal panda was a fully inflated balloon, the silhouette before them was a completely deflated one.
It was as if a layer of skin was draped over a skeleton. If not for its distinctive black and white coloring, one could hardly recognize it as a panda.
Unconsciously, Yang Lin, a man over 1.8 meters tall, had tears welling up in his eyes.
Just then, the panda, with its back to them, slowly picked up a completely withered bamboo stalk from the ground.
Yes, it was bamboo so old it would be deemed unsuitable even for fences.
Perhaps because the bamboo was too old, or perhaps because the panda's teeth were not good.
After several attempts to bite it without success, the panda's hand, holding the bamboo, drooped down powerlessly.
At this sight, Yang Lin and the expert team could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down their faces.
At that very moment, the panda on the other side of the glass seemed to sense something. Its emaciated head slowly turned around.
The next second, its face, weathered by time and tormented by illness, was revealed to the expert team and the camera lens.
At this moment, whether it was Yang Lin, the professors on the expert team, or the staff of the live reporting crew, they were all stunned.
Was this still the national treasure panda of China?
Was this the plump, cute, and pampered treasure they had in mind?
Sunken cheeks, distorted features, and eyes devoid of any spark of life.
If Yang Lin hadn't sensed the vital signs of life from it, he would have suspected that Memphis Zoo had deliberately created a panda specimen.
Heartache, anger, powerlessness, guilt – a series of negative emotions instantly filled everyone's minds, leaving them at a loss for how to express them.
As the people at the scene stood frozen, over ten million viewers in the live broadcast studio of China News Channel were in an uproar.
Like Yang Lin, they couldn't believe that the national treasure panda appearing on camera was the one they were seeing.
In the blink of an eye, the number of bullet comments on the screen reached its limit.
"Oh my god, how could they do this?"
"Heartbroken, so heartbroken!"
"Is this Lele or Yaya? How did they become like this? The last photos I saw weren't this bad."
"Even if they are 20 years old, pandas of the same age in other countries aren't like this."
"I don't care what they've been through anymore. I just want them to leave immediately and return to China."
"Yes, they can't stay a moment longer. Why do they have to suffer like this?"
"Can I curse?"
"I'll provide a free VPN. Everyone can go to the Memphis Zoo's official website and curse them out."
...
Heartache, curses – at this moment, netizens in China were truly enraged.
But just then, Yang Lin and his team, far across the ocean, made a new discovery.