VOA慢速英語：兔耳袋貍一個多世紀以來首次重返野外

Threatened Australian Animal Back in the Wild for the First Time in a Century

兔耳袋貍一個多世紀以來首次重返野外

For the first time in more than a century, bilbies are running wild in Southeastern Australia.

一個多世紀以來，兔耳袋貍首次奔跑在了澳大利亞的南部地區(qū)。

The small animals were once widespread across much of Australia, but were last observed in the wild in New South Wales state in 1912.

這種小動物曾經廣泛分布在澳大利亞的大部分國土，但是最后一次在野外看到它，是在1912年的新南威爾士州。

Every year bilby populations continue to decrease. Wildlife experts are afraid that the bilby, a small marsupial, could eventually disappear forever, either because of land clearing or fires. Another reason is a threat from cats and foxes, which hunt down and kill bilbies.

兔耳袋貍種群每年都在縮減。野生動物專家擔心兔耳袋貍這種小型有袋動物可能會因為開墾土地或火災而永久滅絕。另一個原因是來自貓和狐貍的威脅，它們捕殺兔耳袋貍。

In northern New South Wales state, environmentalists are celebrating what they are calling a historic moment.

在新南威爾士州北部，環(huán)保主義者正在慶祝他們所謂的歷史性時刻。

Thirty bilbies from a captive breeding program have been released into a large predator-free enclosed area north of Sydney.

來自圈養(yǎng)繁殖項目的30只兔耳袋貍已經被放生到了悉尼北部一處沒有捕食動物的大型封閉區(qū)域。

Without the protection of a 32-kilometer fence, experts say the animals probably would not survive.

專家們稱，如果沒有這32公里圍欄的保護，這些動物可能無法生存。

Tim Allard heads the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, which is involved in the project.

Tim Allard是參與該項目的澳大利亞野生動物保護協會的會長。

He says the release of these beloved animals is a big deal.

他說，放生這些心愛的動物是一件大事。

"Bilbies only really survive behind fenced areas. There are some remaining wild bilby populations, but they get predated upon heavily by feral cats and foxes."

他說：“兔耳袋貍只能在圍欄區(qū)域生存下來。目前還存在一些野生的兔耳袋貍種群，但是它們受到了夜貓和狐貍的嚴重掠食。”

Allard said the point of doing this project is to return the countryside to what it used to be before Europeans arrived.

Allard表示，做這個項目的目的是讓郊外恢復到歐洲人抵達之前的狀態(tài)。

"So in the not-too-distant future, you will be able to go inside the fenced area and it will be like stepping back before Europeans turned up," he said.

他說：“因此在不久的將來，你將能夠進入圍欄區(qū)域，就像回到了歐洲人出現之前一樣。”

Bilbies are known for their long ears and large back legs. They usually sleep during the day, and are awake at night. They look a lot like rabbits and grow to about 2.5 kilograms.

兔耳袋貍以其長長的耳朵和大大的后腿而聞名。它們通常在晝伏夜出，看起來很像兔子，能長到2.5公斤左右。

Australia has one of the world's worst rates of mammal extinctions. The bilby project is seen as an important part in protecting the nation's wildlife.

澳大利亞是世界上哺乳動物滅絕率最高的國家之一。兔耳袋貍被視為該國野生動物保護的重要組成部分。

I'm Susan Shand.

蘇珊·珊德報道。