第1736期:Should we have zoos?

For many of us, our closest encounter with wild animals is at a zoo. These places allow us to observe the behaviours and characteristics of amazing creatures from big cats to tiny amphibians. It's an enjoyable and educational experience for us, but is it the best environment for the animals?

对于我们中的许多人来说，与野生动物最亲密的接触是在动物园。这些地方让我们能够观察到从大型猫科动物到小型两栖动物的惊人生物的行为和特征。这对我们来说是一种愉快的教育体验，但它是动物最好的环境吗？

A long time ago, people could only see wild animals as stuffed dead exhibits in a museum. Later, live animals were captured by explorers, brought home and put on show to the public in menageries – animal welfare was not a priority. But modern zoos and wildlife parks have transformed the conditions and environments for animals, making bigger enclosures, removing bars, and, to some extent, mimicking their natural habitats.

很久以前，人们只能在博物馆里看到野生动物作为标本陈列品。后来，活体动物被探险家捕获，带回家并在动物园向公众展示——动物福利不是优先事项。但现代动物园和野生动物园已经改变了动物的条件和环境，建造了更大的围栏，拆除了栏杆，并在某种程度上模仿了它们的自然栖息地。

Some people have questioned the cruelty of keeping animals captive and using them just for entertainment, but zoos are keen to show they are here to help wildlife by educating us about conservation. In the UK, the introduction of The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 also required zoos to educate the public. Well-managed zoos are now also involved in supporting and funding conservation programmes.

有些人质疑圈养动物并仅将它们用于娱乐的残忍行为，但动物园热衷于表明他们来这里是为了通过教育我们保护野生动物来帮助野生动物。在英国，1981 年动物园许可法的出台也要求动物园对公众进行教育。管理良好的动物园现在也参与支持和资助保护计划。

Probably the biggest claim from zoos today is that they help to protect species that are under threat in the wild due to climate change. Robert Young, Chair in Wildlife Conservation at Salford University says: "There are quite a lot of different species around the planet which we wouldn't have today if it wasn't for zoos." Some zoos have captive breeding programmes which help to preserve the future of species that would otherwise face extinction. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio recently praised Chester Zoo in the UK for its conservation work. It brought a "rare fish species back from the dead" after breeding and releasing a school of golden skiffia fish back into their native river.

当今动物园最大的主张可能是它们有助于保护因气候变化而在野外受到威胁的物种。索尔福德大学野生动物保护主席罗伯特·扬 (Robert Young) 说：“地球上有很多不同的物种，如果没有动物园，我们今天就不会拥有这些物种。”一些动物园有圈养繁殖计划，这有助于保护可能面临灭绝的物种的未来。演员莱昂纳多迪卡普里奥最近赞扬了英国切斯特动物园的保护工作。在繁殖了一群金色的 skifia 鱼并将其放回它们的原生河流后，它带来了一种“死而复生的稀有鱼类”

While the debate about having zoos continues, new opportunities to meet wildlife are being explored, such as using virtual reality, and Jon Coe, a zoo designer, told the BBC: "Taking a walk through a herd of elephants in the Serengeti, I think, is going to be possible pretty soon."

虽然关于拥有动物园的争论仍在继续，但人们正在探索接触野生动物的新机会，例如使用虚拟现实，动物园设计师乔恩·科 (Jon Coe) 告诉 BBC：“在塞伦盖蒂 (Serengeti) 的一群大象中散步，我认为，很快就会成为可能。”

词汇表

encounter 不期而遇，偶然相遇
creature 动物，生物
big cat 大型猫科动物
amphibian 两栖动物
environment 环境
stuffed （动物）制成标本的
menagerie （供私人收藏或公众观赏的）野生动物园
animal welfare 动物保护
wildlife park 野生动物园
enclosure 围场
natural habitat 自然栖息地
captive 圈养的
conservation （动物）保护
fund 资助
species 物种
in the wild 在野生环境中
breeding （动物）繁殖，饲养
extinction 灭绝
golden skiffia 弗氏斯基法鳉
native 原地的，土生的
herd 兽群