Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness Chapter 824

Chapter 824: Chapter 820: The Struggle Between the Bird and the Snake Chapter 824: Chapter 820: The Struggle Between the Bird and the Snake Bi Fang, of course, couldn't really go eat flies.

With his current capabilities, apart from a deliberate demonstration, there was no need for such a “tragic” survival tactic.

After seeing Umai Lake and checking in, he had essentially concluded a part of his journey. He found some food in the nearby vegetation, made some tools, and then continued on his way. He smoothly entered the territory of Chad from Libya and saw several volcanoes.

Wa'an-Namus was an extinct volcano, overlooking the Sahara Desert from high above. This dead volcano appeared like a black scar on the face of the Sahara.

Beneath the volcano were towering rocks, and entering them was almost like entering a maze. Occasionally, you could see a venomous snake curled on top of the stones, blending with the brown rocks, hissing and flicking its tongue at the humans who ventured in.

Moreover, one visibly noticeable thing was the increasing number of birds above.

Beneath the rock walls, Alpha was tied to the ground, while directly above, Bi Fang clung firmly to the rock face. With a strong grip on the edge, he exerted force and flipped his body onto a ledge, discovering a bird's nest in a recessed area.

Bi Fang stuffed the bird eggs into his chest with a smile brimming on his face.

Along the way, he had already found no less than three bird nests on these rocks, which were quite nutritionally rich.

“Upon reaching Chad, life wasn't so tightly stretched as before. This place could truly be said to be a grassland. Wherever the eyes could see, there were trees, although they were quite sparse.”

He carefully retraced his steps, Bi Fang didn't immediately mount the camel but instead cooked the bird eggs on the spot. Otherwise, they might get damaged in the bag, which would be a loss.

After preparing simple provisions, Bi Fang untied Alpha's ropes and resumed his journey.

“Nature has an abundance of resources on which humans rely for survival. But if humans only take from nature without protecting it, they will ultimately reap the consequences.”

“As said in the Han Dynasty work 'Huainanzi': The laws of the ancient kings did not fish dry a pond, nor hunt a forest to ashes.”

“The harmful outcomes from excessive exploitation of natural resources throughout ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, are not uncommon.”

Bi Fang led Alpha by the reins, walking slowly between the canyons.

“The Republic of Chad is a typical inland desert country, with over half of its territory belonging to the Sahara Desert or semi-desert.

Although it is a desert country, the Republic of Chad unlike Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates lacks substantial oil resources. Chad is an agricultural and pastoral country with a very backward economic condition and its population lives in poverty.

Not only is it one of the least developed countries in the world, but it has also been rated by the United Nations as the poorest country in Africa.”

[I always feel like Africa is very poor]
[Is it possible that this isn't just a feeling? (Dog's head)]
[I've heard several times about being among the poorest, they all seem to be clumped together]
“Due to natural environmental constraints, economic development across the entire African continent is slow, with most countries being very poor, and Chad has the direst situation among them.

Chad is not devoid of natural resources. In recent years, gold, diamonds, and iron ore have been discovered within the national boundaries of the Republic of Chad.

However, due to Chad's overall backward industrial technology level and poor economic condition, it is unable to mine on a large scale. This creates a vicious cycle: no money for resource extraction, and without extraction, there's even less money.

Chad's poverty is also reflected in its use of electricity. Nationwide electricity coverage is only 2%.

For ordinary residents, using electricity becomes a luxury. They rely on primitive methods like burning wood or animal dung for lighting.”

“And I just mentioned not long ago that known as the 'Dead Heart of the Sahara,' Chad suffers from extreme water scarcity,”
“The country has only one water source–Lake Chad.”

“Originally, Lake Chad was shared by four countries: Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon. But as of now, only Cameroon and Chad have access to the lake.”

“And this is not good news for Chad, not because the country has grown stronger and annexed more land, but because Lake Chad is disappearing.”

“Lake Chad is very famous in Africa, not only as Africa's second-largest wetland but also as one of the major inflows to the Nile River.”

“However, the area of Lake Chad has shrunk from 330,000 square kilometers over 7,000 years ago to just 2,500 square kilometers today, half the size of Qinghai Lake.”

“And this situation has not stopped; Lake Chad is like being swallowed by the desert, continuing to shrink.”

“Without a doubt, this is terrible, especially for the poor Republic of Chad, where it is fatal.”

“There are many reasons why Lake Chad is drying up so quickly.”

“The first reason is surely the proximity of Lake Chad to the Sahara Desert, causing a high rate of natural evaporation.”

“As the world's largest desert, the Sahara is also expanding continuously.”

“Because Lake Chad is close to the Sahara Desert, with its dry and hot climate, the water evaporates constantly, and the inflow to the lake is decreasing. The imbalance of inflow and evaporation means that the area of Lake Chad is becoming ever smaller.”

“Don't underestimate Lake Chad; 5,400 years ago, it might have covered an area larger than the current world's largest lake–the Caspian Sea.”

“Due to the extensive period of time, it is now impossible to calculate the exact size of Lake Chad at its peak, but it is certain to have been no less than 300,000 square kilometers, and it might even have reached or exceeded 400,000 square kilometers.”

“Such a vast lake naturally has many connections with the Nile, the longest river in the world, also located in Africa.”

“The Nile River is precisely the longest river in the world, and Lake Chad was once one of its sources.”

“However, due to changes in terrain, the depth of Lake Chad has decreased. In addition, long-term silt accumulation has gradually blocked the lake's outflow channels, eventually severing its connection to the Nile River.”

“After being isolated, Lake Chad has become a true inland lake.”

“Fortunately, thanks to the filtering effect of underground infiltration, Lake Chad remains a freshwater lake to this day, even as a small inland body of water.”

“It doesn't end up like its other counterparts, becoming a salty lake full of flies.”

“How much has it shrunk?”

“What's the current size?”

“In the 1960s and 70s, scientists made a measurement, and Lake Chad was approximately 20,000 square kilometers in size then.”

“This is a surprising figure. In the past 5,000 plus years, Lake Chad has slowly transformed from a lake of three or four hundred thousand square kilometers, the world's largest, to a small lake of just over 20,000 square kilometers.”

“But even more shocking is that Lake Chad's shrinkage has not ceased and continues at an accelerated pace, with the lake now having only 1,500 square kilometers left.”

“That's right, over the past 5,000 years, Lake Chad has shrunk by 90%, and in just the past 60 years, it has shrunk by another 90% based on what was left.”

“Damn, that's, like, outrageous.”

“Awesome, it's probably going to be gone in another decade, right?”

“If the first reason is an objective factor that human effort cannot prevent, then the second reason must be attributed to humans themselves.”

“Similar to many poor countries, Chad did not restrict reproduction, and the population has increased greatly in recent years, needing to satisfy basic needs for food and warmth.”

“And since agriculture and livestock in the Republic of Chad are nearly non-existent, people have turned their attention to Lake Chad.”

“Lake Chad has not been subjected to any industrial pollution and has exceptional water quality with abundant fish resources. But even abundant resources cannot withstand uncontrolled exploitation, and thus Lake Chad's resources have become scarcer and the environmental damage has worsened.”

Although Lake Chad had hardly been affected by industrial pollution, human activities still greatly harmed the environment.

Originally Africa's second-largest wetland, Lake Chad was lush with vegetation and had a high plant coverage. But because of human deforestation, its water retention capacity was compromised to some extent.

Furthermore, the domestic wastewater discharged into the lake by the people living along its shores pushed Lake Chad's capacity to purify its environment towards saturation.

All of these factors led to the largest freshwater lake getting smaller and smaller, and perhaps in a few decades, it would be gone completely.

Bi Fang still felt fortunate, glad that he had the chance to see this last oasis. If it were the next century, that might not be the case.

Just as Bi Fang was chatting with the audience, the scene before him gradually became clearer.

“We should be heading out now.”

“Although there is light in such canyons, it's still very easy to get lost without direct sight of the sun.”

Not all canyons are like the Great Rift; the one Bi Fang was in was like a handful of pebbles scattered on the ground, densely packed, leaving only gaps between the stones.

It was a rather uncommon type.

The light in front of them grew brighter and just as they were about to exit the canyon, Bi Fang suddenly seized the reins.

It was not that he had seen something but rather heard something unusual.

The drone's recording function was powerful, and the audience heard it too, holding their breath in anticipation.

“What's that sound?”

“Sounds like birds chirping?”

“Quack, quack, quack. Is it a duck?”

“Not sure.”

Bi Fang thought about it and suspected, “It might be an ostrich. Let's be careful and approach it.”

Bi Fang dismounted from Alpha.

Except for putting on a show on purpose, there was no need to make survival so “miserable.”

After visiting Umai Lake and checking in, it was considered the end of one journey. He found some food among the nearby greenery, fashioned some tools, and then continued on the way, successfully entering Chad from Libya and seeing several volcanoes.

Wa'an-Namus is an extinct volcano. Seen from above, this extinct volcano is like a black scar on the Sahara Desert.

Below the volcano were towering rocks, like entering a labyrinth. You might occasionally see a venomous snake perched on top of the rocks, blending with the brown stone, hissing and flicking its tongue at any humans who entered.

And one thing visible to the naked eye was the increased number of birds overhead.

Below the rocky walls, Alpha was tied to the ground, while above it, Bi Fang clung firmly to the rock face, gripping the edge with both hands, heaving himself up with a powerful push, and landing on a platform, where he found a bird's nest in a recess.

Bi Fang smiled broadly as he stuffed the eggs into his chest.

Along the way, he had already found no fewer than three bird's nests among these rocks, which was indeed nutritious.

“Arriving in Chad, life's no longer as tense as before. This place could truly be called a prairie. Wherever you look, there are basically trees in sight, though sparse.”

Carefully retracing his steps, Bi Fang didn't immediately mount the camel but instead cooked the eggs right there. Otherwise, keeping them in his bag risked damaging them, and that would be a loss.

After preparing simple rations, Bi Fang untied Alpha's ropes and continued on his journey.

“Nature is blessed with abundant resources on which humans rely for survival. But if humans only know how to take from nature without protecting it, they will surely suffer the consequences.

Just as the Han Dynasty's 'Huainanzi' says, 'The laws of the ancient kings did not fish a water body dry, nor hunt a forest into extinction.' The adverse effects of overexploiting natural resources are not rare in both ancient and modern times across the world.

The Republic of Chad is a typical desert-locked country, with over half of its territory part of the Sahara Desert or semi-desert.”

“Except for putting on a show on purpose, there was no need to make survival so “miserable.”