本集內容

Koalas return to the wild 澳大利亞林火獲救考拉重歸自然

學習要點

有關 “wildlife（野生動物）” 的詞匯

邊看邊答

How many koalas lived on Kangaroo Island before the bushfires?

文字稿

They survived Australia’s fires. Now, these koalas are ready to go back where they belong.

它們在澳大利亞的叢林大火中幸免于難。現在，這些考拉已經準備回到屬于它們的地方。

It’s a very different scene from nearly a year ago – pictures of the badly burned animals shocked the world. Hundreds were brought to this wildlife park when the flames tore through the island.

這一幕與近一年前的情景大不相同：那時，被嚴重燒傷的考拉照片震驚了全世界。當大火席卷該島時，數百只考拉被帶到了這個野生動物公園。

Dana Mitchell, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park
As well as being faced with the burns and the starvation and the dehydration, they were also very mentally affected as well. A lot of them were just feeling so terrible that they were just, kind of, cuddled in a ball - they didn’t have that fight response which a wild animal should.

丹娜·米切爾      袋鼠島野生動物園（Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park）
“除了面臨燒傷、忍受饑餓和脫水，這些考拉的精神狀況也受到了很大的影響。許多考拉身心交瘁，身體縮成一個團。它們沒有野生動物面對危險時應有的那種打斗反應。”

Of the 50,000 koalas living on Kangaroo Island before the bushfires, it’s feared most of them were killed.

在叢林大火之前，袋鼠島上生活著5萬只考拉，人們擔心它們當中的大多數已經死亡。

Images of the destruction and the loss of wildlife were seen across the globe – prompting millions of dollars in donations.

野生動物遭到破壞和傷亡的畫面傳遍了全球，這促使了數百萬美元的善款。

Helping koalas survive here is vital for Australia’s ecology. It’s the one place where the animals are disease free.

幫助考拉在這里生存對澳大利亞的生態環境至關重要。因為只有這個地方的考拉沒有疾病。

Shaimaa Khalil, BBC reporter
For months now, hundreds of koalas have been looked after in the wildlife park, and it’s been a long and tough journey for many of them. The aim is to get them strong enough to survive on their own here in the wild, and today, one of them is being released.

莎伊瑪·哈利勒     BBC通訊員
“幾個月來，數百只考拉在這個野生動物公園中被人照料，而對于許多考拉來說，這是一段漫長而艱難的旅程。工作人員的目標是讓它們強壯到能夠在野外獨立生存，就在今天，其中一只考拉將被放歸野外。”

After ten months of care, it’s time for Murton’s big move.

經過工作人員們十個月的照料，考拉莫頓要離開了。

For Dana, it is a bittersweet separation.

對丹娜來說，這是一次苦樂參半的離別。

Dana Mitchell, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park
There’s no better feeling watching someone that you’ve helped either raise from a joey or get through all of that treatment, and then you get them back out to the wild, watching them climb back the tree where they’re meant to be.

丹娜·米切爾      袋鼠島野生動物園（Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park）
“這種感覺再好不過了：看著自己幫忙養大的一只小考拉慢慢成長，或是陪它做過所有必要的治療，然后把它放回野外，看著它爬回原本適應它們生活的樹木上。”

It’ll take years for the island to recover. But it’s hoped koalas like Murton can still thrive in a much changed habitat.

這座島尚需一段時間才能恢復正常。但人們希望像莫頓這樣的考拉仍能在一個歷經了巨變的棲息地上茁壯成長。

詞匯

survive 存活，幸存

ecology 生態，生態環境

raise 養育，喂養

joey 年幼的有袋類動物，如考拉和袋鼠

thrive 茁壯成長

問題答案

50,000 koalas lived on Kangaroo Island before the bushfires.