美国国家公共电台 NPR Critically Endangered Black Rhinos Die After Transportation To Kenya National Park

Critically Endangered Black Rhinos² Die After Transportation To Kenya National Park

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And in what feels like a sad irony³, eight endangered black rhinos have died after being moved to a new wildlife reserve in Kenya as a way of protecting them. A preliminary investigation⁴ is pointing to too much salt in the water at their new home. NPR's Shannon Van Sant reports.

SHANNON VAN SANT, BYLINE⁵: The black rhinos were among 11 being taken from Kenya's capital and Lake Nakuru National Park to Tsavo East National Park. Save the Rhino¹'s Cathy Dean says the relocation of endangered species can help prevent their extinction⁶, but that the process, called translocation, is delicate and risky⁷.

CATHY DEAN: If you are intending to catch and crate⁸ and move an animal and release it somewhere else, it's going to be under sedation - under heavy sedation at the beginning and the end of the process, and then probably sedated⁹ at some level while it's in transit¹⁰.

VAN SANT: The animals then have to adjust to their new environment.

DEAN: The spaces available to wildlife, including rhinos, are shrinking. And you can't simply leave wildlife to get on with it. You've actually got to proactively manage your populations, whether that's for genetic¹¹ diversity or to relieve overcrowded areas or to create new populations. And, you know, a key part of that is being able to do translocations. But we have to find out what's gone wrong so that these mistakes are never repeated.

VAN SANT: Wildlife officials were hoping a new sanctuary¹² in Tsavo East National Park would serve as a breeding ground. Dean says there used to be thousands of black rhinos in Kenya. Now the numbers are in the hundreds. Rhino numbers have dropped dramatically in recent years because of targeting by poachers who want the rhinos' horns, and because of demand in Asia, where the horns are used in some medicines and displayed as symbols of status and wealth.

Kenya's government says it has suspended the transportation of black rhinos and that there will be an independent investigation of the rhinos' deaths. Shannon Van Sant, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF KHRUANGBIN'S "COMO ME QUIERES")

1 rhino   

n.犀牛，钱, 现金

参考例句：

• The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
• They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。

2 rhinos   

n.犀牛（rhino的复数形式）

参考例句：

• There are many reports of people taming and even training Indian rhinos. 有许多关于人们驯养甚至训练印度犀牛的记载。 来自辞典例句
• The rhinos had fed during the night in the rice fields of these villagers. 犀牛夜里在这些村民的庄稼地里也已吃饱了。 来自辞典例句

3 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

7 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

8 crate   

vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱

参考例句：

• We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
• The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。

9 sedated   

v.使昏昏入睡，使镇静( sedate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She's sedated,but she's probably scared out of her mind. 她很安静，但是她可能已经吓疯了。 来自电影对白
• Are you telling me the porn actually sedated you? 你是要告诉我，那毛片的确让你镇静下来吗？ 来自电影对白

10 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

11 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

12 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。