Mr. Lin Yutang believes that there are many beautiful things in nature, and birds are one of them. He said, "Peacocks, parrots, larks and canaries are all singing songs that cannot be imitated. There is nothing better than birds in the universe. "
Mr. Liang Shiqiu loved birds but didn't keep them when he was alive, so he had special feelings for birds. His prose "Birds" begins with the words "I love birds", expressing simple and strong feelings, just like lovers pledging their vows. He likes birds, not only listening to their melodious songs, but also their shapes. He thinks birds are the most handsome animals in the world. In Birds, he spent a lot of pen and ink to vividly describe the posture of various branches of birds, with meticulous observation and appropriate metaphor, which is unparalleled.
Mr Qin Mu's favorite bird is the lark. He said: "I have always had a feeling of admiration for this bird with beautiful feathers but loud singing." Mr Qin Mu loves to hear birds singing. He once wrote in the article "Southern Bird Festival": "They are really excellent singers. They sing so beautifully and magically, and sometimes they sing a long vibrato to make people enjoy beauty. "
Ren Jianguo, 48, is an operator in the oxygen workshop of Jigang. 1June, 1996, he was laid off because of the factory depression, and received 200 yuan's living expenses every month, while his wife Wang Shuyun was laid off four years earlier than him. The family suddenly cut off their financial resources, and the couple were sad all day.
One day, as soon as the old man entered the house from the outside, he excitedly said to his wife, "Wife, I found a job!" " There is an unnamed island by the Songhua River, and tourists are willing to go there to play. We might as well buy two boats and rent them there. 10 years ago, when I was working on a sand dredger in a factory, I learned superb rowing and swimming skills. I can also be a volunteer lifeguard. So you have no money to earn? "The wife is full of joy. So, they bought two old boats with 800 yuan money borrowed from the east and the west, and after simple decoration, they officially opened.
Nameless Island (later named "changbai island") is located in the upstream center of Songjiang Bridge. Here, the banks of the river are flat and open, with green grass and green willows. Changbai island is 200-300m away from the river bank, with an area of only over 300m2. The island has lush vegetation and reeds, pleasant summer scenery and flocks of wild ducks. Many tourists come every day.
Ren Jianguo and his wife think their life will improve. Unexpectedly, just a few days after their opening, a catastrophic flood broke out, the worst in 50 years. The flood washed up on the island, scared away tourists, invested in Shui Piao, and owed a lot of debts. The couple hugged each other and cried.
My wife had to go home to do odd jobs and rent out an already narrow house to make ends meet. The old man did not leave. He is reluctant to part with the Songhua River, the two iron boats that unite the family's hopes, and the wild ducks he just met.
It was only a few days after he came to changbai island. One morning at 5 o'clock, he came to the river to swim. Just ashore, I saw two young people chasing an injured wild duck from a distance. I saw a young man grabbed the wild duck, snapped it by the neck, then quickly stuffed it into a plastic bag and rode away.
Only for a moment, Ren Jianguo was shocked: such a lovely animal was destroyed by people ... He thought for a few days and finally made up his mind: I want to use all my strength to protect these waterfowl!
From then on, he began to carefully observe and understand the laws of life, habits, food and so on. Trying to protect them from harm.
The boatman became a volunteer bird keeper.
Lao Ren lives in the residential building of the municipal steel plant, which is at least15km away from changbai island. He walks for an hour and a half every day. At first, the wild duck was afraid of him, and he flew away as soon as he came. Later, I saw that he was harmless to people and animals, so I whistled to them with a smile, so I slowly stopped flying and swam more than 20 meters with him.
In winter, the temperature in Jilin city drops to MINUS 20 or 30 degrees. When the weather is cold, wild ducks often stand on the island and moan because they have nowhere to feed. Lao Ren brought some corn kernels from home and evacuated them to the island. But the next day he found that wild ducks didn't eat at all. The old man thought, it seems that they don't eat these, so he ran to the library to check the information. Later, I learned that the wild ducks in the river are mallard ducks and spotted ducks. They feed on algae, small fish and shrimp, and occasionally eat some small grains. So he went to the market to buy some small fish, shrimp and corn grits and took them to the island.
The wild ducks were afraid to go near Lao Ren at first, and always waited for him to leave before eating. Later, they swaggered to eat. As soon as the old one appeared, they began to sing happily.
Since then, Lao Ren and the wild ducks have become good friends. Every morning, he must go to the river to meet those wild ducks. If you don't see me for a day, you will feel something is missing.
When spring comes, wild ducks will move back to Daxing 'anling and Siberia. A few mornings before flying away, hundreds of wild ducks will bark around him reluctantly.
A few years later, Lao Ren knew the exact date of the return of wild ducks as well as all kinds of waterfowl. Even as long as a waterfowl flies overhead, he knows what kind it is. Once he sees something he doesn't understand, he will go to the Municipal Forestry Bureau for expert consultation, or go to the library to check the information until he understands it.
Laoren runs his own small business while protecting waterfowl. In summer, many people visit this river. Some people had a bad idea when they saw the wild ducks in the river. During the incubation period of wild ducks, people often swim to the island to steal wild duck eggs.
Once, two tourists stole four wild duck eggs from the island, and the old man forced them to send them back to the island. Another night, a man sneaked on the island and found a bag of wild duck eggs, which was discovered by good people and reported to the police. Twenty recovered wild duck eggs were sent to Jiangnan Park for hatching, but no wild duck was hatched. Lao Ren said that it would be useless if duck eggs were touched by human hands. It pains me to think that more than 100 wild duck eggs are lost artificially every year.
From then on, during the incubation of wild ducks, Lao Ren simply lived in a small iron shed by the river. As soon as there is movement at night, he goes out to patrol with a flashlight. Four months later, Lao Ren was bitten by mosquitoes and covered in bags.
/kloc-guarded more than 8000 wild ducks in 0/0 year.
In the process of taking care of waterfowl, some people question which department Laoren belongs to and why he should be in charge. The old man replied that nothing is illegal to hurt wild animals.
Lao Ren's insistence touched the members of Songjiang Winter Swimming Team, who also volunteered to take care of wild ducks. The growth of the team strengthened Lao Ren's determination to be a bird people. He took out his rented boat to make money and made it a bird protection boat. Once the waterbird in the river is in danger, he will sail to save it. In winter, especially at nine o'clock, because the temperature is cold, wild ducks don't like activities, and the water under them often forms ice chips. When the cold wind blows, the ice chips may move to the ice on the shore and freeze, resulting in the death of wild ducks. I have to patrol the river several times a day. If he found a wild duck frozen on the ice, he swam to the wild duck against the cold, smashed the ice holding the wild duck with a small hammer, brought it back to the small iron shed on the shore, warmed the ice on the duck's feathers, and then put the wild duck back into the river.
Every year from mid-April to mid-July, it is the day when wild ducks lay eggs and hatch. For three months, Lao Ren went to the island every two or three days to carefully record the number of wild duck eggs and clean up the garbage on the island. In April, in order to better protect the smooth production of wild ducks, Lao Ren took his luggage and lived in his iron shed by the river for four and a half months until all the wild ducks laid eggs and hatched. In this way, every year around April 10, he moved into the iron shed by himself on a bicycle with his luggage. Daughter and wife advised him to go after May Day, and he said, "That's too late! Wild ducks will get hurt if they don't leave. "
The wife didn't understand at first, so she was so angry that she cried and said, "You are crazy!" "
With the care of Ren Jianguo 10 for many years, there are more and more wild ducks in Songhua River and changbai island. Every summer, many kinds of waterfowl gather in changbai island and the surrounding shallows. According to the information provided by Jilin Bird Environmental Protection Station, in recent years, wintering waterbirds 12 species have been found in the unfrozen reach of Songhua River, with a total of more than 8,000 birds belonging to 3 orders and 3 families. Among them, there are two kinds of animals protected by the state, and the largest number are red ducks and mallard ducks, totaling more than 4,000. Followed by magpie duck and common merganser duck, which add up to nearly a thousand. It is worth mentioning that mallard ducks breed on the beach island in the middle of the river, and the number is increasing year by year. I saw three birds from 1994, and now there are more than 3000 birds. They haven't left for many years and have become unique resident birds in this city.
The main reasons for the increase in the number of wild ducks in the river are as follows: first, the river water pollution has become clear year by year after treatment, and the life in the water has increased; Second, Jiangcheng people's awareness of protection is unprecedented, and human interference and hunting are greatly reduced. Nowadays, many waterfowl can approach people for 20 meters without flying away. Ren Jianguo personally protected and saved 2,000 wild ducks, and he carefully guarded more than 8,000 wild ducks in changbai island in 10.
Bird watcher became a celebrity and a pauper.
In the 10 years after being laid off, the old man made a living by renting a boat. I didn't expect it to turn its main business into a sideline because of protecting birds and saving people. The chartering industry only makes profits in July and August, and no one rents it in autumn and winter. The best year is 1997, which is only three or four thousand yuan a year. What is more difficult is that bird protection and charter flights are often contradictory: July and August are the times when tourists are the most, and at this time, wild ducks are hatching and are afraid of being scared. The old man has repeatedly advised tourists not to run around the island and not to catch wild duck eggs. Most tourists can understand. Once he meets someone with a bad idea, he simply doesn't rent it. In this way, the income will be greatly reduced. Later, when his wife saw that his income had decreased, she was stubborn, incomprehensible and often quarreled. Lao Ren didn't refute, just the same.
That year, there were mice on the island, and mice ate wild duck eggs. Old Ren dared not ask his wife for money, so he borrowed 200 yuan from a friend who was swimming in the winter to buy rat poison. He kept it secretly for more than half a year before returning the money.
Saving lives is a matter of saving money. Many times, life jackets were given to the rescued people, who were taken to the hospital or taken home after being rescued ashore. Life jackets are rarely returned. In the past eight years, he has made seventeen or eighteen pieces. In recent years, I don't know how a family can live without the monthly income of renting half a house in 300 yuan. The whole family hasn't bought a new dress for several years, and the clothes are also given by relatives and friends. The 9-year-old daughter has to pay 60 yuan for food, 40 yuan for bus and 50 Jin of rice every month, and the rest is her daily expenses. From May to September last year, Lao Ren went to the iron shed by the river to see waterfowl, almost three times a day, and bought buns with three yuan to fill his stomach. Daughter "June 1" went to see him in the iron shed by the river, and the holiday gift he bought for her was actually a one-yuan steamed stuffed bun! Lao Ren said: "Now I want to vomit at the thought of steamed stuffed bun!"
After several media in the province introduced his deeds, Lao Ren became a celebrity. In praise and admiration, some people don't understand him, saying that he is a "bookworm and fool", and even some relatives and friends say that he "has no business, and a big man can't support his family" and so on. Lao Ren never refutes this. "Sometimes I really feel a little silly. A man can't support his family alone, so I don't blame others! My mother returned 300 yuan, but she gave us 100 every month for fear that her granddaughter would be wronged. Alas! A 45-year-old man asked his 70-year-old mother for help. I am really incompetent! Sometimes I really want to quit! But I just feel that I can't live without this big river and these waterfowl. "
He wants to protect birds and make a living without delay.
Moved by Lao Ren's noble spirit and material poverty, some good people extended a helping hand. A primary school principal personally found him and asked him to be a receiver in the school with a monthly salary of 400 yuan. The old man thinks that sending and receiving work is on duty all day. Who will take care of the wild ducks by the river? So I politely declined. Another stranger introduced him to a job of working overtime. 350 yuan a month was also rejected by him. He was afraid to tell his wife, but he was grateful to these kind people.
Just a few days ago, a 70-year-old woman who lives far away went to changbai island on foot to save money. She had a small bench in her hand and sat down to have a rest when she was tired. She walked for more than an hour, rested for more than a dozen times, and then walked to the river. With trembling hands, she took out 100 yuan and handed it to the old man: "Son, you only do good things for others. Your family is so bitter. Use this money to buy something delicious for your daughter! "
Laoren quickly declined and said, "Aunt, you still come to see me at such a big age. Keep the money! " Unexpectedly, the old lady said, "What? What newspapers and TV programs say is false ... "The inarticulate old Ren Lian said," No, it's not ... "He had to accept it. His eyes went red when he told the author about it.
In June 2005, Ms. Liang, the owner of a beauty salon in Jilin City, was moved by her professionalism and hired him as an "honorary employee". From now on, she will give him 300 yuan's salary every month. I don't have to go to work, I just hope he will protect the bird to the end. This alleviated the urgent needs of his family to some extent.
On May 13, 2006, more than 900 members of Jilin Jiu San Society donated 20,000 yuan to build a new bird protection home with plastic steel for Ren Jianguo, who has lived in a small iron shed for a long time. Ren Jianguo finally has a decent place to live.
When the author asked about his future plans, he said, "bird protection must persist until the end, because this has always been my goal in life." But I have to live my own life, or I will be sorry for my wife and daughter. If the relevant government departments can help me arrange a stable job in environmental protection and tourism development, so that I can protect birds and maintain my life without delay, that is my greatest wish. □ Gao Weijie, a special contributor to Democracy and Legal Times, is from Jilin City, Jilin Province.