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Their abilities to travel, multiply and spread disease have always made rats one of mankind's greatest pests. New Zealand says it's time to wipe them out. Every last one of them.
老鼠的迁移，繁殖和传播疾病的能力已使得它成为了人类最大的敌人之一。新西兰政府日前表示，现在是时候消灭它们了。并且要一只不留。
Prime Minister John Key last Monday announced an ambitious plan to completely rid the South Pacific nation of rats and some other nuisance animals, including possums and stoats, by the year 2050.
总理约翰·基于上周一宣布了这一雄心勃勃的计划，到2050年，新西兰要彻底消灭老鼠和包括负鼠和白鼬在内的其它一些害虫。
The government is hoping a rat-free countryside will give a boost to native birds, including the iconic kiwi. Many bird species are threatened with extinction because rats and other pests feast on their eggs and compete with them for food.
政府希望无鼠乡村能够促进本土鸟类的繁殖，包括具有象征性的几维鸟。由于老鼠和其它害虫嗜食这些鸟类的产卵，并与它们争夺食物，因此很多鸟类面临着灭绝的危机。
However, some scientists caution the goal, while laudable, will be extremely difficult to achieve in a nation that's similar in size to the United Kingdom.
不过，一些科学家在对该计划表示赞赏的同时也警告称，在一个与英国国土相当的国家实现“无鼠”目标将会困难重重。
Speaking from a wildlife sanctuary in Wellington, Key said the goal would require the help of everyone from philanthropists to indigenous Maori tribes.
约翰·基总理在惠灵顿的一家野生动物避难所表示，该目标的实现需要从慈善家到本土毛利部落每一个人的参与。
"This is the most ambitious conservation project attempted anywhere in the world, but we believe if we all work together as a country we can achieve it," he said.
他说：“这是世界上最具雄心的环境保护工程，但是我们相信，若我们齐心协力，我们就能够实现。”
He said the government would initially contribute 28 million New Zealand dollars ($20 million) over four years toward setting up a company to run the program, and would consider partially matching money contributed by local councils and businesses.
他表示，政府在未来四年首先会斥资2800万新西兰元（2000万美元）成立一家实施该计划的公司，并会考虑部分资金由地方议会和企业筹集。
New Zealand's Department of Conservation has eradicated rats from several small islands using traps, poisons and baits. But it would require a massive escalation of those efforts to completely wipe out the pests.
新西兰环保部通过使用鼠夹，鼠药和毒饵已经灭绝了几个小岛上的老鼠。但是要想灭绝老鼠，他们仍需加大努力。
Ecologist James Russell, from the University of Auckland, has written about the idea before.
奥克兰大学的生物学家詹姆斯·罗素此前就写过关于灭鼠的文章。
"I really do think it's possible," he said. "It will require people working in every nook and corner of the country."
他说：“我真的相信这是可能实现的，但是它要求人们在国家的每一个角落下功夫。”
