-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
An owl1 twice attacked a Washington woman. A biologist says it's becoming more common
Kirsten Mathisen was walking alone in the woods by her Hansville, Wash., home when she was attacked.
There was no warning. Her attacker was fast and silent, but left its mark.
"It felt like getting punched in the back of the head by someone wearing rings," Mathisen told NPR.
Luckily, she was able to get photos and video of her attacker: a white barred owl.
The attack was unprompted, Mathisen said. She was just walking, as she always does. In fact, she had seen this owl before and there was never any problem.
When she got home, her boyfriend helped disinfect her scalp — now bloodied3 and cut — and she told him the unbelievable story. Later on, at the urging of her friends, she went to the doctor, who recommended she get a tetanus shot to avoid any further issues from the owl's bacteria-carrying claws.
Mathisen wasn't going to be kept captive in her house, so she did her best to avoid the owl's territory.
"I just was like, 'OK, I just won't walk that way for a few days.' But then, exactly a week later, on the next Saturday, I was on my driveway much closer to the house. And same thing."
Yup, the owl struck again. This time it left behind five or six deeper cuts and Mathisen far bloodier4.
She thought, "What is going on?"
She turned to Reddit for answers when local wildlife authorities were slow to respond. Some people said she was cursed. Others joked she was missing her Hogwarts acceptance letter.
Even more people shared with her a popular theory about the death of Kathleen Peterson, whose husband was convicted of killing5 her. The documentary The Staircase covered the case. Those who don't believe Michael Peterson killed his wife suggest that she was mortally wounded in an aggressive owl attack.
Mathisen also found several other stories about people in the Washington state area who had been attacked by other aggressive barred owls6. A runner in West Seattle posted her very similar story on Reddit. She found a unique way to continue her runs without being attacked: She dons an owl mask on the back of her head. The city of SeaTac even put up a warning sign in a local park to warn visitors of its owl problem.
Barred owls are "aggressive owls and they're highly territorial7," Jonathan C. Slaght, a wildlife biologist with Wildlife Conservation Society, said. He examined a photo that Mathisen took and confirmed the animal to be a barred owl.
They traditionally nest in the cavities of trees. Unfortunately, these owl-human confrontations8 are more common now because of the shrinking availability of dense9 forests that allow the owls to be more secluded10, he said.
"The more you reduce the places where an owl can nest, the more likely it's going to be nesting somewhere in close proximity11 to humans," Slaght said. "If they're kind of amped up and a fox walks by, a deer walks by, a human walks by, whatever, they'll pop down and try to chase it off."
Mathisen has altered her walking path altogether to avoid where the owl lives. She has also taken to wearing a hat or carrying an umbrella to protect against further whacks12 on the head, but she's hoping she won't have to do this forever.
"I don't want the owl to be put down or something. It's very beautiful. It's just a pretty bitch," she said.
Slaght had bad news for her: "I think she's doomed," he said.
The actions of the owl suggest it's nesting or pre-breeding, he said.
The good news is that this is seasonal13, so the owl may eventually move on or quit being so territorial.
"It's not like forever. This will sort of work its way out," he said.
In the meantime, he suggested Mathisen wear a hat, continue using the umbrella or just admit defeat and find somewhere else to walk.
1 owl | |
n.猫头鹰,枭 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 transcript | |
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 bloodied | |
v.血污的( bloody的过去式和过去分词 );流血的;屠杀的;残忍的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 bloodier | |
adj.血污的( bloody的比较级 );流血的;屠杀的;残忍的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 owls | |
n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 territorial | |
adj.领土的,领地的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 confrontations | |
n.对抗,对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 dense | |
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 secluded | |
adj.与世隔绝的;隐退的;偏僻的v.使隔开,使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 proximity | |
n.接近,邻近 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 whacks | |
n.重击声( whack的名词复数 );不正常;有毛病v.重击,使劲打( whack的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 seasonal | |
adj.季节的,季节性的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|