018 我的动物园管理员生涯

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Good day! My name is Melanie Hoff, and I'm a thirty-year-old

zookeeper at the Auckland Zoo in New Zealand.

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I've been a zookeeper for seven years

我做动物管理员已经七年了，

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but even now, in 2009, each day feels like a new beginning because you

never know what to expect when animals are involved.

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Right now I am working with tigers and cheetahs

目前，我负责照料老虎和猎豹。

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Last year something very extraordinary happened with our Sumatran tigers

Molek and Oz—they became the proud parents of three tiger cubs.

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But before I get into that, let me tell you a bit more

about how I became a zookeeper.

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As a little girl, I loved animals. I had a pet hamster and two dogs

还是个小女孩的时候，我就很喜欢动物。我曾养过一只宠物仓鼠和两只狗。

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My father was a veterinarian — an animal doctor — and every

summer he would volunteer at the zoo.

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Sometimes I accompanied him, and I would spend my time following all

the zookeepers around, asking lots of questions.

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I found out quickly that zoos aren't just parks where

wild and exotic animals are on display.

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Zoos are places that create public awareness about the kinds of animals

in our world, how they live, and how to protect them.

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In college I studied zoology, a branch of biology that

deals with animals and animal life.

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I learned how to classify animals — from starfish to elephants —

我学会了如何给动物分类——从海星到大象——

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and by the time I graduated, I knew all about how different animals

behave, what they like to eat, and where they live.

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Classroom study is very important, but zoos need people

with hands-on experience with animals too.

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So I volunteered at the zoo, just like my dad

所以我在动物园做志愿者，就像我爸爸一样。

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Right now I am taking care of our Sumatran tigers, which

are the smallest of all tiger species.

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They are found in the wild only on the Indonesian

island of Sumatra—nowhere else.

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Sumatran tigers are threatened because of the loss of their

natural habitat and illegal poaching.

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Their habitat is being destroyed in part because the

trees are being logged to make paper.

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And they are killed because tiger bones are used in traditional Chinese

medicine, and hunters want their teeth and claws for trophies.

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It is part of my job to educate people about endangered species, but my

first priority is to take care of the tigers to the best of my ability.

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My day starts around 7:30 a. m. Every morning the zookeepers from the

different animal areas in the zoo have a brief meeting.

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We discuss any changes in the behavior, diet, skin quality

or coat condition of the animals in our care.

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Next my coworkers and I prepare food for the tigers

which is usually meat on the bone.

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We hide the food throughout the exhibit so our tigers can

experience more natural foraging behavior.

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Then, from 8:15 until noon, we clean the animal

enclosures and the exhibit areas.

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During cleaning the tigers are moved back and forth between the

different areas or kept in cages in the tiger house.

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Most enclosures usually have ponds and climbing surfaces

within a natural-looking environment.

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The water needs to be fresh, and all the areas where the animals spend time

are secure and safe for both the animals and zoo personnel.

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New animals arrive at our zoo all the time; some are from other

zoos, while others are rescued from the wild.

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If they are sharing an enclosure, they need to learn to get along with

the other animals, so training is very important.

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For example, a zookeeper communicates with clear signals

比如，动物园管理员会用明确的信号沟通，

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which can be gestures or vocal cues, to tell animals to enter

or exit certain sections of their enclosures.

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At our zoo we have two very friendly Asian elephants

我们动物园里有两头非常友善的亚洲象。

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Their keeper has trained these gigantic creatures to walk around the zoo and

remain calm even when excited visitors scream with delight.

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We also have daily animal encounters:

我们每天还有动物互动环节：

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specified times when visitors can see and learn about some of their favorite

animals—such as giraffes, orangutans, and even snakes—up close.

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The keepers explain the animals' habits, what they like

to eat, and how they like to play.

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Sometimes the zookeepers will allow visitors to pet some of the

animals, but safety is always a top priority.

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It's important to remember that the zoo is not a circus

有一点很重要：动物园不是马戏团。

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In the past zoo animals were kept in small cages and made to do tricks

to entertain people. Thankfully things have changed.

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As you can see, being a zookeeper is a lot of

work, but it's also a lot of fun.

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One time a television crew was filming at our zoo, and the soundman

held up a big microphone with a fluffy cover on it.

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One of our cheetahs noticed this fluffy thing and decided to play with it

我们的一只猎豹注意到了这个毛茸茸的东西，决定跟它玩一玩。

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People burst out laughing. But scary things happen too

人们都哄堂大笑。但可怕的事情也会发生。

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One day I surprised a gorilla when I touched her, and she

turned around and almost bit my hand.

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It was entirely my fault, and I was reminded

again that these are wild animals.

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The saddest part of my job is when an animal dies

我工作中最悲伤的时刻，就是动物死去的时候。

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I still remember when Nisha, one of our Sumatran tigers, died in May 2006

我至今记得，2006年5月，我们的苏门答腊虎之一妮莎去世的情景。

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All of us at the zoo still miss her

我们动物园里的所有人，都还很怀念她。

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But the best part of my job is when we welcome new

animal babies into our zoo family.

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In early 2008 Nisha's younger sister Molek mated with Oz, another Sumatran

tiger, and gave birth in June to three cubs―two males and one female.

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The entire country was ecstatic over the news!

这个消息让全国都欣喜若狂！

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Being a zookeeper doesn't pay very well, and it involves long hours

当动物园管理员薪水不高，而且工作时间很长。

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So why do so many people want to become zookeepers?

那么，为什么还有这么多人想成为动物管理员呢？

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Because we love animals and want to draw attention to the

fragile planet we all live on together.

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For example, fewer than four hundred Sumatran tigers remain in the wild

例如，野外现存的苏门答腊虎不足四百只，

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so the publicity surrounding the birth of these cubs educated

people about how endangered Sumatran tigers are.

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Suddenly everyone wanted to help save Sumatran tigers from extinction

突然间，所有人都想伸出援手，保护苏门答腊虎免于灭绝。

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Through education the public comes to understand the need to preserve any

species that is in danger of being destroyed and lost forever.

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I believe there is nothing more rewarding than my work as a zookeeper

我相信，没有什么比做一名动物管理员更有意义的工作了。

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It is the best job a human can do for the earth and all its living things

这是一个人能为地球和地球上所有生灵所做的最好的工作。