這對海鷗，不好惹！

Aggressive Seagulls Keep Couple Hostage in Their Own Home for Six Days

好斗的海鷗把這對夫婦當作人質(zhì)關(guān)在自己家里六天。

An elderly couple in the UK claimed that they were held hostage by a pair of seagulls nesting on the roof of their Lancashire home. Every time they tried to leave the birds would become aggressive and attack them.

英國一對老夫婦聲稱，他們在蘭開夏郡的家中被一對筑巢的海鷗扣為人質(zhì)。每次他們試圖離開時，它們就會變得兇猛并攻擊它們。

Roy and Brenda Pickard’s story sounds like a real life version of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Birds”. The elderly couple were held hostage in their own home by a pair of adult Herring Gulls after the birds’ chicks slipped on the roof of the house and landed onto the canopy directly above the front door. Every time Roy tried opening the front door, he was confronted by two angry squawking adult seagulls. One time, when he decided to take his chances and go outside, the 71-year-old was hit so hard on the back of the head that he had to be taken to the hospital for help. Local authorities have installed a gazebo outside the couple’s home, which should offer some protection, but that’s the best they can do for now.

羅伊和布倫達·皮卡德的故事聽起來像是阿爾弗雷德·希區(qū)柯克《鳥》的真實版。這對老夫婦在自家被一對成年鯡魚鷗劫持為人質(zhì)，原因是鯡魚鷗的幼鳥在屋頂上滑倒，落在正門上方的頂棚上。每次羅伊試圖打開前門時，他都會遇到兩只憤怒的、尖叫的成年海鷗。有一次，當這位71歲的老人決定冒險出門時，他的后腦勺被撞得很重，不得不被送往醫(yī)院尋求幫助。當?shù)卣呀?jīng)在這對夫婦的家外面安裝了一個涼亭，這應(yīng)該可以提供一些保護，但這是他們目前所能做的最好的。

“The whole thing has been terrible,” Roy Prickard told reporters. “I’ve not been able to go out of the front door. If I try to get out of the door, the two adult birds are right there and I’ve got no chance. It’s genuinely frightening. My wife isn’t well or very mobile at the moment so we’re relying on me to get out.”

“整件事都很糟糕，”皮卡德告訴記者。“我不能走出前門。只要我想出去，兩只鳥就在那兒，我一點兒機會都沒有。真的很可怕。我妻子現(xiàn)在行動不便，所以只能靠我出去。”

Luckily, the Prickard’s garage is connected to their house and he can get out through there when he needs to do some shopping, but he doesn’t dare get out of the car to close the garage door, so he always leaves it open until he comes back.

幸運的是，他們的車庫與房子相連，他可以在需要購物時從那里出去，但他不敢下車去關(guān)車庫門，所以在他回來之前，車庫一直是開著的。

Roy has complained about the situation both to the local authorities and animal organizations like the RSPCA and RSPB, but their solutions have been less than ideal. The Wyer Council says that Herring Gulls are protected while nesting, so all they can do is try to make the couple’s life bearable by installing a gazebo and making arrangements so that 77-year-old Brenda can reach her private appointments safely.

羅伊向當?shù)卣拖窕始曳乐古按齽游飬f(xié)會(RSPCA)和皇家防止虐待動物協(xié)會(RSPB)這樣的動物組織投訴了這一情況，但他們的解決方案并不理想。懷爾委員會說，鯡魚海鷗在筑巢時是受保護的，所以他們所能做的就是安裝一個涼亭，并做好安排，可以讓77歲的布倫達安全地參加她的私人約會，進而使這對老夫婦的生活還能忍受一段時日。

“We sympathise with Mr Pickard’s situation, seagulls can be troublesome, particularly when nesting,” A Wyre Council spokesperson said. “We have visited Mr Pickard to assess the situation and have given advice on how he can deal with the gulls. For now, a solution is in place which will enable Mr Pickard to take his wife to her private appointment.”

懷爾委員會的一位發(fā)言人說：“我們非常同情皮卡德先生的處境，海鷗可能會很麻煩，尤其是在筑巢時。”“我們拜訪了皮卡德先生，評估了形勢，并就他如何應(yīng)對海鷗提出了建議。目前，已經(jīng)有了一個解決方案，可以讓皮卡德先生帶妻子去參加她的私人約會。”

Unfortunately, animal organizations wouldn’t help the Prickards either. For now, all he can do is wait for the chicks to fly away.

非常不幸，動物組織也幫不了受害者?，F(xiàn)在，他所能做的就是等小鳥們自己飛走。

“The RSPCA and RSPB have been no help whatsoever, they seem to put the rights of these birds above those of people, which is ridiculous,” Roy said.

羅伊說：“皇家鳥類保護協(xié)會和皇家鳥類保護協(xié)會毫無幫助，他們似乎把這些鳥類的權(quán)利凌駕于人類之上，這太荒謬了。”