VOA新闻杂志2022--南佛罗里达州的孔雀问题

South Florida Has a Peacock Problem

The large, colorful birds called peacocks have spent the last 20 years walking through cities in South Florida with nothing to worry about. They are protected under the law.

However, local leaders voted recently to permit individual cities to remove the birds from unwanted areas. The Miami Herald¹ newspaper reported that cities just need to have a plan to remove the birds without killing² them.

Raquel Regalado is a local government leader. She represents parts of the cities of Miami and Coral Gables where people want permission to remove the birds.

"Mating season is when we get the most complaints. They get very aggressive," said Regalado. She added the birds would do things like damage cars with their beaks⁴.

Neighbors often disagree over what to do with the peacocks.

About two years ago, people who live in the Miami neighborhood of Coconut⁵ Grove⁶ asked city leaders to remove a large group of peacocks. The birds caused damage and left piles of waste in the streets. They called the birds "filthy⁷ and dirty."

But others liked seeing the unusual birds and thought it made their neighborhood look different, in a good way.

Danielle Cohen Higgins represents the Palmetto Bay area. She said her neighbors do not want to see the birds harmed. They see the birds as part of the community. "We learn to live with these peacocks," she said.

Peacocks are not native to South Florida. They originally come from Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia as well as Africa. They can be seen in zoos and places that display foreign animals.

The birds have been protected from killing or capturing in South Florida for about 20 years. The rule was put in place because people in the area wanted to save a group of peacocks.

But now the birds live freely in parts of Florida and they are not uncommon⁸. It is hard to find zoos that want them while state laws prevent non-native species like peacocks from being released in the wild.

Kathy Labrada works with Miami-Dade Animal Services. She said she has not yet found a zoo that wants to take the peacocks. If no zoo will accept the birds, Labrada added, they might have to be killed in a process known as euthanasia.

The Miami Herald newspaper reported that Regalado first wanted to remove the protection for the birds completely, but other local leaders resisted. Oliver Gilbert, another local leader, asked, "Are we talking about sentencing peacocks to death now?"

In a close vote, the local leaders finally agreed to let cities come up with a plan to deal with the birds. Regalado said the problem now will be to decide where to put the peacocks.

"This really is not about killing," she said. "This is about moving."

Words in This Story

beak³ –n. the hard usually pointed⁹ parts that cover a bird's mouth

filthy – adj. very dirty

species –n. a group of animals that are similar and can produce babies

display - v. to put (something) where people can see it

1 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

4 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

5 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

6 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

7 filthy   

adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
• You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

8 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。