与挚友分别后北极熊死于悲伤过度

 　　She lost her appetite. She grew listless. Something didn’t seem right over the last few days with Szenja, a beloved 21-year-old polar bear at SeaWorld in San Diego.

　　圣地亚哥海洋世界里倍受喜爱的21岁北极熊，Szenja，近来有些反常，她食欲尽失，变得无精打采。

　　Then, she died suddenly on Tuesday, “a very difficult day for all of us,” Al Garver, SeaWorld San Diego’s vice¹ president of zoological operations, said in a statement.

　　不久后，Szenja在周二突然病逝，圣地亚哥海洋世界动物管理部副主管AI Garver,在声明中说到，那对我们来说真的是非常艰难的一天。

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　　“Szenja not only touched the hearts of those who have cared for her over the last two decades, but also the millions of guests who had the chance to see her in person.

　　Szenja的死讯不仅让那些在过去20多年里照料她的人悲不自胜，也让那些亲眼看过她的百万游客心痛不已。

　　“We’re proud to have been a part of her life and to know that she inspired people from around the world to want to protect polar bears in the wild.”

　　我们为曾经出现在她的生命里而感到骄傲，也为她曾经激励了世界范围的人们去保护野生北极熊而感到骄傲。

　　A necropsy will help determine why Szenja died, but animal activists² think they already know.

　　尸检能够验明Szenja的死因，但是动物保护者说他们已经知道了原因。

　　People for the Ethical³ Treatment of Animals says that Szenja died because SeaWorld sent her “best friend” — another female polar bear named Snowflake — away to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium⁴ for a breeding visit in late February.

　　善待动物组织声称，Szenja的死因是由于二月末，海洋世界将她的伙伴，一头叫雪花的母熊，送到了匹兹堡动物园及PPG水族馆进行繁殖。

　　The two bears had lived together at SeaWorld for 20 years.

　　这两头熊已经在一起生活了20多年了。

　　“Szenja died of a broken heart,” Tracy Reiman, PETA executive vice president, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “After losing her companion of 20 years when SeaWorld shipped Snowflake to the Pittsburgh Zoo in order to breed more miserable⁵ polar bears, Szenja did what anyone would do when they lose all hope, she gave up.”

　　善待动物组副主席特蕾西.雷曼在圣地亚哥联合论坛报中说,Szenja死于悲伤过度。当20多年的伙伴雪花被送掉匹兹堡动物园进行繁殖活动后，正如任何人在失去希望后会做的那样，Szenja丧失了继续生活的欲望。

　　PETA had quickly objected when SeaWorld announced plans to move Snowflake to Pennsylvania.

　　当海洋世界宣布将要把雪花送到宾夕法尼亚时，善待动物组织就马上反对。

　　According to the Tribune, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk sent a letter to SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby that the move would leave Szenja “sad and alone.”

　　据联合论坛报报道，善待动物组织的主席英格丽.纽柯克曾致信海洋世界的首席执行官约尔·孟比说，雪花的离去会让Szenja处于悲伤孤独之中。

　　“Snowflake and Szenja have already been deprived of everything that’s natural and important to them,” Newkirk wrote. “Please do not add to their suffering and sentence more polar bears to a dismal⁶ fate by moving forward with this ill-conceived plan.”

　　纽柯克回信道，我们已经剥夺了雪花和Szenja的一切——包括她们的天性以及其他对她们重要的东西。请不要再加剧她们的痛苦了，不要再用这种拙劣的计划来让更多的北极熊遭受悲惨的命运了。

　　More than 56,000 people signed an online Care2 petition asking SeaWorld to not separate the “polar bear best friends.”

　　超过五万六千名民众递交了网上联名请愿书，请求海洋世界不要拆散这对“北极熊姐妹花”。

　　SeaWorld explained its participation⁷ in the Association of Zoo & Aquariums⁸ (AZA) Species Survival Plan, a global breeding program.

　　海洋世界解释说，这是为了支持动物园及海洋馆联合物种保护计划（SSP），一个世界性的物种繁衍项目。

　　“The SSP is a program developed in 1981 by the AZA to help ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild,” SeaWorld said in a statement.

　　海洋世界在声明中说，SSP是AZA于1981年设立的项目，旨在确保那些从动物园以及海洋馆中选定的濒危野生动物不会灭绝。

　　“The polar bear population in the wild is continuing to dwindle⁹, and since 2008, the polar bear has been listed as ‘threatened’ on the Endangered Species List by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.”

　　野生北极熊数量正在持续减少，自2008年开始，北极熊已经被列为美国野生动物服务部濒危物种表中的“极危”一栏。

　　Polar bears typically have a life expectancy¹⁰ of 15 to 18 years in the wild, though some can live as long as 20 to 30 years, SeaWorld said, citing Polar Bears International.

　　海洋世界援引北极熊国际保护中心的文献说，野生北极熊平均有15到18年的寿命，有些甚至能活到20到30岁。

　　Szenja lived nearly her entire life at SeaWorld. She was born at the Wuppertal Zoo in Germany in October 1995 and two years later was moved to SeaWorld’s Wild Arctic exhibit.

　　Szenja在海洋世界度过了她的一生。1995年十月，Szenja在德国的伍珀塔尔动物园出生，两年后被送往海洋世界的野外北极展览。

　　In a news release, SeaWorld said Szenja was an ambassador for arctic animals and raised awareness¹¹ of polar bears for the Wild Artctic’s nearly 50 million guests.

　　在一则新闻中，海洋世界声称Szenja是北极动物的大使，她增强了来野外北极展览参观过的近5000万游客对北极熊的保护意识。

　　She was also used for science, participating in studies on polar bear hearing sensitivity, social habits and reproductive hormones¹².

　　她同样也被用于科学研究，参与了关于北极熊听力敏感度、社交习惯以及生殖激素的科研项目。

　　“Most polar bears are solitary¹³, but there are exceptions,” Sharanya Prasad, Care2’s campaigns strategies manager, told NBC 7 in San Diego in March after the two bears were separated.“Sometimes, wild polar bears form relationships that can last for years. The state of captivity¹⁴ may have created an even stronger bond between Snowflake and Szenja.”

　　三月份，在两头北极熊被分开后，联名活动的战略经理普拉萨德在圣地亚哥NBC 7的采访中说到，大部分的北极熊都是独行侠，但也有些例外。有时，野生北极熊之间能建立起非常长久的情谊，而在封闭式养育下长大的雪花和Szenja有着更加深厚的情感。

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

5 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

6 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

7 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

8 aquariums   

n.养鱼缸，水族馆( aquarium的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Biotope aquariums represent the natural environments of ornamental fish. 生态鱼缸表现出观赏鱼的自然生活环境。 来自互联网
• There are aquariums in many cities in the world. 世界上好多城市有水族馆。 来自互联网

9 dwindle   

v.逐渐变小（或减少）

参考例句：

• The factory's workforce has dwindled from over 4,000 to a few hundred.工厂雇员总数已经从4,000多人减少到几百人。
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority.他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。

10 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

11 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

12 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

13 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

14 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。