The Tequila fish is a small freshwater fish that lives in the rivers and lakes of southwest Mexico. This kind of fish could be easily found in Mexico many years ago. Unluckily, it disappeared ten years ago.

Recently, a team had a great try. With the help of workers at Chester Zoo in England, scientists in Mexico have changed this situation—they raised the Tequila fish first and put captive-bred(人工繁殖的) fish back to the wild when they grow up. The team has now made sure that the fish are producing eggs and that the population is increasing in the wild.

Gerardo Garcia, a worker from Chester Zoo, said that they were doing well. They started with the introduction of 1,500 fish, but now the number is increased by tens of thousands. And another good news is that this kind fish is slowly coming back into the local river system. They think that as a very good start and hope that more kinds of animals could have the chance to be alive.

It’s reported that one million kinds of animals are in danger around the world. So here in Mexico, what they did to Tequila fish is a sign that with people’s help, nature can make a comeback. For example, ▲ Many people believe that human will get on with nature well.

Pandas are not just a national treasure in China, but beloved around the world.

On March 16, 2022, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D. C. , started a six-month celebration. This year is the 50th anniversary of the arrival of two giant pandas.

The first pandas from China—Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing—arrived at the zoo on April 16, fifty year ago. In that year, China and the US set up diplomatic (外交的) relations. China gifted the US these two pandas as a gesture of goodwill. Over the past 50 years, eight pandas have lived ar the zoo.

From meals to daily fun, the zoo teams have found ways to take care of the giant pandas. A food team grows the animals’ favorite food—bamboo—in the zoo. Working with local landowners, it also gets bamboo from 20 stands (竹林) across Washington D. C., Maryland and Virginia. Sometimes, the team receives donations of bamboo from the public. Besides bamboo, the bears receive apples, sweet potatoes, high-fiber hiseeits and honey water. Sweet potatoes are a favoritc!

The team also prepares fun activities and toys, which help the pandas stay active and smart. Pandas can paint with the zookeepers, too.

Behind the protection work is a close partnership (合作关系) with panda experts in China. Usually, the zookeepers and Chinese panda experts visit each other several times a year to share knowledge about the animals. During the pandemic (疫情), they kept in touch through emails and video calls. It has been a really good experience for Brandie Smith, director of the zoo, to work with Chinese experts.

“After 50 years, giant pandas remain an iconic species (标志性动物) for our zoo,” said Smith,

“I hope the program will continue at least 50 more years.”

I’m Fang Ming. On holidays my parents often take me to the zoo in our city because I like animals very much. In the zoo I can see tigers, elephants, monkeys, pandas, bears, giraffes and many other animals. Some animals are very friendly, but some are not. Tigers, bears and lions are very dangerous, so they have to stay in cages（笼子）.

Tigers usually live in forests（ 森林） and mountains. They can run very fast. They catch and eat small animals like rabbits and deer, but now they live in small cages. They have nothing to do every day. So they walk in the cages, and they want to get out. When they are tired, they sleep. I feel sorry for them.