VOA标准英语2014--圣地亚哥动物园努力拯救袋獾

 

San Diego Zoo Helps Endangered Tasmanian Devils 圣地亚哥动物园努力拯救袋獾

SAN DIEGO —

The Tasmanian Devil, an animal native to the Australian state of Tasmania, has become endangered by a rare contagious¹ cancer. But now the San Diego Zoo is part of an international effort to save the species.

The Tasmanian Devil is known to children as a character in a cartoon, but the real devil is an iconic animal the size of a small dog in Tasmania.

Last October, four devils arrived at the San Diego Zoo. 

A nocturnal animal, it has left its outdoor habitat this early morning and returned to the enclosure called its nest box.  Senior keeper Jennifer Roesler says these meat-eaters play an important role in maintaining the natural balance of their native habitat.

“In the wild, they would generally eat kangaroo or any road kill, wombats², depending on where they are in Tasmania, but here in the San Diego Zoo, we feed them rats, mice, rabbits - a carnivore diet.”

She says devils in San Diego are adapting to their new environment.

”When we bring them in in the mornings, we usually give them a reward, generally a mouse.”

This reporter observed one savoring³ a dead mouse, eating the head and body, and finally gobbling down the tail.

These Tasmanian Devils are healthy, but between 40 and 90 percent of Tasmanian devils in the wild, depending on the region of Tasmania, have been killed by a rare cancer that is contagious.

Researchers in Australia are working to save the devils, says the San Diego Zoo Chief Life Sciences Officer Robert Wiese.

“They have over 500 that are in breeding programs that are disease-free and are available to be put out in the wild, and they are starting to do reintroduction programs at this time.”

He says the disease, first noticed in the 1990s, has devastated⁴ the devil population.

“There is still a part up in the northwest part of Tasmania where the disease has not reached yet, but it is anticipated it will reach there very quickly.  And the disease is 100 percent fatal, as far as we know,” said Wiese.

As researchers try to understand the killer⁵ cancer, zoo workers in San Diego care for four healthy members of this threatened species.  Four other Tasmanian Devils are housed at the Albuquerque BioPark in the U.S. state of New Mexico.   

1 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

2 wombats   

n.袋熊( wombat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Wombats:Not big difference. 袋熊：没有很大的区别。 来自互联网
• Wombats wanted to wiggle along the ground. 袋熊想在地面上扭动前进。 来自互联网

3 savoring   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的现在分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• Cooking was fine but it was the savoring that he enjoyed most. 烹饪当然很好，但他最享受的是闻到的各种味道。 来自互联网
• She sat there for a moment, savoring the smell of the food. 她在那儿坐了一会儿，品尝这些食物的香味。 来自互联网

4 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

5 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。