评论
打印
manatees have no natural predators here in Florida and until recently they flourished
海牛在佛罗里达没有天敌，直到最近它们才开始繁衍
without predators to evade, manatees didn't have to be very fast
没有天敌，海牛不需要快速移动
in fact they move so slowly that algae grows on their backs
事实上，海牛的行动速度非常缓慢，背上都长起了藻类
I often see fish dining on the algae which seems to annoy the manatees
我经常看到鱼在海牛背上食用藻类，这似乎惹恼了海牛
and so manatees can't move fast enough to get out of the way of a speed boat
因此，海牛得快速移动才能避开快艇
dozens of manatees die each year from collisions with boats
每年都有数十头海牛死于与船只相撞
or from injuries that set in after a boat's propeller slices up the manatees back
或者死于背部的螺旋桨创伤
most manatees we see have propeller scars
我们看到大多数海牛都有螺旋桨伤痕
living in speedboat infested waters is like living next to the freeway
生活在快艇出没的水域就像生活在“高速公路”边上
24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days a year for 50 to 60 years
一天24小时，一周7天，一年365天，持续50~60年
to take a breath, the manatee has to basically run out in the middle of the freeway and then run back
为了呼吸，海牛必须在“高速公路”中间来回穿梭
before people and speedboats, manatees have the place to themselves
早在人类和快艇之前，海牛就已经生活在这片水域了
they breathe a lot easier, here in the sanctuary, there's a strictly enforced speed limit
在这里，海牛呼吸更容易，而且速度也有严格限制
but it's difficult to enforce speed limits everywhere
而在其它任何地方，“限速”很难施行
right there, right in front of you is an animal right there
对的，没错，在你面前的是一只动物
people come to Florida in part to go boating and they want to go fast sometimes
人们来佛罗里达划船，他们想要快点离开
and not everyone's backyard is a safe manatee refuge
并不是每个人的身后都是海牛的安全避难所
sometimes manatees get themselves into trouble
有时海牛也会深陷困境
like this one, stuck in a storm drain, SeaWorld is rescuing it
就像这个海牛，困在下水道，“海洋世界”正在拯救它
injured manatees are often brought back to SeaWorld, which operates a sort of manatee hospital
受伤的海牛经常被带回“海洋世界”，“海洋世界”经营着一家海牛医院
there's even a pediatric ward, pistachio was barely a week old when he was orphaned
医院里甚至还有儿科病房，开心果刚出生一个星期就成了孤儿
Seaworld's veterinarians developed a special formula for the calf designed to replicate its mother's milk
“海洋世界”的兽医们为小海牛研发了一种特殊配方，专门用来复制牛妈妈的乳汁
for adult manatees, SeaWorld uses a special tank with a floor that can be raised and lowered
对于成年海牛，“海洋世界”使用一种特殊的水箱，水箱的地板可以升降
so the veterinarians and handlers can easily treat the animals
兽医和饲养员在治疗动物时会很容易
snorkel arrived at SeaWorld seriously may ciated
“海洋世界”在处理重症患者时可能需要使用潜艇换气装置
since her arrival here,
杰西卡来这儿之后，
she's gained weight but today they're trying to clear a blockage in her intestine
体重增加，但今天医护人员正在试图清除其肠道内的堵塞物
jessica is in danger of losing her flipper
杰西卡可能要失去鳍状肢了
she's objective was fishing line wrapped around her flipper, which cut off the circulation
用鱼线缠在杰西卡的鳍上，这样就阻止了血液循环
another man-made threat, the treatment over the exhausted manatees are lowered back into their pool
在水池中治疗筋疲力尽的海牛也会存在危险
lunch is waiting and a bit of a rest
午饭还没好，休息一会儿
perhaps some day soon, these two animals will be released back into the wild to live out their natural lives
也许不久的将来，这两只动物会被放生，回归到大自然
manatees have been around for 50 million years
海牛已经存在了5000万年
people have been around for less than a million years
人类存在还不到100万年
so they've been here much much longer than us
所以海牛在这里的时间比我们人类长得多
but in recent years, they're dying faster than they can reproduce
但近年来，海牛的死亡速度超过了繁殖速度
we need to act quickly and decisively to stop the loss of manatees
我们需要迅速果断采取行动，阻止海牛灭绝
and help this species recover
帮助海牛繁衍
if we don't, the manatee will vanish forever
否则海牛将会永远消失
it would be a very blue world indeed without manatees
这片蓝色世界将不会有海牛的存在。
