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Drought Is Killing Kenya's Endangered Wildlife

时间:2022-10-09 06:09:20

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(单词翻译)

Drought Is Killing1 Kenya's Endangered Wildlife

Kenya's worst dry weather in forty years has killed almost two percent of the world's rarest zebra in three months. Over the same period, 25 times more elephants died than usual, as well.

The drought is starving Kenya's famed wildlife of usual food sources and driving them closer to population centers. The ever-widening search for food can result in deadly conflict between animals and people.

Without interventions2 to protect wildlife or rain, animals in many parts of the East African country could face a crisis, conservationists say.

"It's a serious threat to us," said Andrew Letura, an animal observation officer at Grevy's Zebra Trust (GZT). The Grevy's zebra is larger than a standard plains zebra and has narrower stripes and wider ears. They are the rarest of zebra species: just 3,000 remain in the world --- 2,500 of which are in Kenya.

Drought has killed about 40 Grevy's since June - which is how many would be expected to die over a whole year, said Letura. He spoke3 to Reuters at the Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya.

"If we are losing 40 within three months, what would that mean to the remaining population?" he asked.

GZT has begun to feed Grevy's zebras hay poured over a mix of molasses, salt and calcium4, helping5 to reduce the number of deaths, the trust says.

The situation in southern Kenya is also bad.

"Rangers6 have counted eight times as many animals dead or too weak to stand, compared to a normal September. The Amboseli Trust for Elephants have recorded 50 elephants dead or missing," said Benson Leyian, the chief of Big Life Foundation. The group works with local landowners to protect conservation areas and open rangelands of the Amboseli Ecosystem7.

The smell of death

In the Kitenden Conservancy nearby, the smell from dead animals is strong. It sometimes leads visitors to wear face covers, a Conservancy officer said.

Some wild animals are dying at the hands of people.

"We're seeing a five-fold increase in incidents of people poaching for bushmeat, as compared to other dry seasons," Leyian said.

Another group, Save the Elephants, said it is finding a growing number of elephants killed by guns or spears, but with their tusks9 in place. The tusks are what poachers sell. So, experts say these elephant deaths were due to conflict with local people, not poaching.

The crisis is not the result of drought alone, experts say. Large numbers of farm animals are eating up rangelands, said David Daballen, field operations chief for Save the Elephants. He added that the lack of grasses makes it harder for ecosystems10 to recover from drought.

The next usual seasonal11 rains are from October through November. Letura of GZT does not want to think of the possibility that the rain might not come.

"The situation is already bad. But that would make it a serious crisis," he said. "The first words anyone says now is that they are praying for rain."

Words in This Story

rangeland – n. an open region over which animals (such as livestock) may roam and feed

spear – n. a thrusting or throwing weapon with long shaft12 and sharp head or blade

bushmeat – n. meat from wild animals, especially in Africa and Asia

tusk8 – n. a very long large tooth (as of an elephant or walrus) that sticks out when the mouth is closed and is used especially in digging and fighting

poach – v. to hunt or fish unlawfully


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1 killing kpBziQ     
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。
2 interventions b4e9b73905db5b0213891229ce84fdd3     
n.介入,干涉,干预( intervention的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
  • The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网
3 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
4 calcium sNdzY     
n.钙(化学符号Ca)
参考例句:
  • We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
  • Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。
5 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
6 rangers f306109e6f069bca5191deb9b03359e2     
护林者( ranger的名词复数 ); 突击队员
参考例句:
  • Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗? 来自超越目标英语 第3册
  • Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者,所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
7 ecosystem Wq4xz     
n.生态系统
参考例句:
  • This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
  • We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。
8 tusk KlRww     
n.獠牙,长牙,象牙
参考例句:
  • The wild boar had its tusk sunk deeply into a tree and howled desperately.野猪的獠牙陷在了树里,绝望地嗥叫着。
  • A huge tusk decorated the wall of his study.他书房的墙上装饰着一支巨大的象牙。
9 tusks d5d7831c760a0f8d3440bcb966006e8c     
n.(象等动物的)长牙( tusk的名词复数 );獠牙;尖形物;尖头
参考例句:
  • The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
  • Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分(高一)
10 ecosystems 94cb0e40a815bea1157ac8aab9a5380d     
n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样,从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句
11 seasonal LZ1xE     
adj.季节的,季节性的
参考例句:
  • The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
  • The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。
12 shaft YEtzp     
n.(工具的)柄,杆状物
参考例句:
  • He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。
  • This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。

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