VOA慢速英语--猪瘟肆虐 世界稀有最小野猪濒临灭绝

Virus Lockdown for World’s Rarest Wild Pigs

Pygmy hogs² — the world's smallest and rarest wild pig — are under a virus lockdown, but it has nothing to do with the coronavirus.

Officials in India are restricting the movement of pygmy hogs because of the country's first outbreak of African swine fever.

There are nearly 300 pygmy hogs living in the northeastern state of Assam. But scientists fear the virus could destroy these rare animals.

Adult pygmy hogs are very small. They grow to a height of about 25 centimeters. Pygmy hogs were thought to have died out in the 1960s. But over the past 20 to 30 years, a captive³ breeding program and other protective efforts have increased their numbers.

There is no vaccine⁴ or cure for the disease that has already killed over 16,000 domestic⁵ pigs, said Pradip Gogoi, an Assam state official. Domestic animals are bred and trained to accept the care of human beings.

Officials confirmed that African swine fever reached India on May 18. Scientists restricted entry to the pygmy hog¹ breeding centers and took other steps, said Parag Deka. He heads the Pygmy Hog Conservation Program. The program is a project led by Indian officials, the Britain-based Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and a local not-for-profit group.

Deka told The Associated Press that the virus could possibly destroy the whole pygmy hog population. The virus spreads mainly by direct contact between pigs. It can also spread through infected meat or other materials.

Linda Dixon has been studying the virus at The Pirbright Institute in Britain. She explained that a vaccine for the swine fever is probably two or three years away. The virus kills almost all infected pigs, both wild and domestic, she added.

Scientists have set up two security fences at each of Assam state's breeding centers. No visitors are permitted, and cars cannot be left at the centers.

Workers who live outside the centers must leave their shoes at the entrance when they arrive. They must wash and clean themselves, and then put their feet in a special kind of cleaning solution. Then they can put on clean shoes to go inside.

"This is the new normal," Deka said.

Pygmy hogs are among the few mammals — and the only pig — that build large nests out of dried grass. They live in these nests in families of four or five.

The virus threat also means a change of diet for the rare pigs. While these animals still eat fruits and grains, they cannot eat vegetables that grow underground. This is because the virus survives longer in soil.

Keeping the pygmy hogs and the breeding centers secure is especially important now, Deka said. He noted⁶ that officials say that the virus has already begun spreading in wild boars in the area, making the disease more difficult to stop.

Deka says that because of economic issues, money has become a problem. Some aid groups said they no longer have enough to give aid. The result is that it is difficult to find money for new security measures and employee training.

"I believe that when you make a change, it will be hard in the beginning, messy in the middle and good at the end," he said. "Right now, we are between the hard and messy stage."

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

lockdown – n. restrictions⁷ ordered as part of security measures

outbreak – n. a sudden start or increase of fighting or disease

breed – v. to keep and take care of animals or plants in order to produce more animals or plants

domestic – adj. existing inside a country; relating to a home or family members

conservation – n. prevention of wasteful⁸ use; protection of wildlife or the natural environment

mammal – n. a warm-blooded animal that drinks milk produced by its mother

nest – n. a place chosen by an animal for sheltering its young

boar – n. a kind of wild pig (also a kind of male pig)

messy – adj. not clean; very unpleasant and complex

1 hog   

n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占

参考例句：

• He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
• Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。

2 hogs   

n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人

参考例句：

• 'sounds like -- like hogs grunting. “像——像是猪发出的声音。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• I hate the way he hogs down his food. 我讨厌他那副狼吞虎咽的吃相。 来自辞典例句

3 captive   

adj.被俘虏的，不得自由行动的，被监禁的

参考例句：

• They led him captive.他们将他活捉。
• The rock star had a captive audience.那位摇滚歌星倾倒了许多观众。

4 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

5 domestic   

adj.家里的，国内的，本国的；n.家仆，佣人

参考例句：

• This is domestic news.这是国内新闻。
• She does the domestic affairs every day.她每天都忙家务。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。