One of the oldest giant tortoises in Europe has died at its home in Paris at the age of 146, its carers announced.
Kiki, a male tortoise, was brought to France fully grown from Mauritius in 1923, Michel Saint-Jalme, director of the wildlife center in Paris’s Jardin des Plantes where the animal lived, told AFP.
Kiki stayed in Paris throughout the German occupation in World War ll right up to his death from an infection due to lesions in his gut — something not unusual for a tortoise of his age, Saint-Jalme said.
“He was eating normally,” Saint-Jalme said. “But he had been showing signs that he was not well for several days.”
Kiki weighed 250kg and had to be moved around using a fork-lift machine. He left behind him four other younger and smaller giant tortoises in the wildlife center.
Saint-Jalme said he believed Kiki to be one of the biggest tortoises in Europe — among some 375 of the endangered species of giant tortoises in captivity and 150,000 in the wild.
Many of the staff at the center developed a soft spot for Kiki. “We are all rather moved by his death, because he was one of the stars of the gardens,” Saint-Jalme said.
(AFP)
歐洲一隻最高齡陸龜的飼養員宣佈，這隻陸龜已在牠巴黎的家中過世，享壽一百四十六歲。
雄龜「奇奇」居住的巴黎植物園野生動物中心主任米榭爾．聖加姆對法新社表示，「奇奇」一九二三年從摩里西斯共和國被送到法國時已經成年。
聖加姆說，奇奇二次世界大戰德國佔領期間就住在巴黎，直到因消化道病變感染病逝──該病因對像牠這把年紀的陸龜而言頗為常見。
聖加姆說：「牠的進食正常，但過世前幾天便出現身體欠佳的警示。」
奇奇體重兩百五十公斤，得靠堆高機才能搬動牠。牠死後，野生動物中心還剩下四隻較年輕、體型也較小的巨型陸龜。
聖加姆說，他相信奇奇是全歐洲體型最大的陸龜之一──全世界約有三百七十五隻瀕臨絕種的人工飼養巨型陸龜，和十五萬隻野生陸龜。
野生動物中心許多職員和奇奇培養了深厚的感情，聖加姆說：「牠的去世令我們相當感傷，因為牠是園裡的明星之一。」
（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
Computex, Asia’s biggest electronics conference, kicked off Monday in Taipei, and as in years past drew industry chieftains from Nvidia Corp.’s Jensen Huang and Qualcomm Inc.’s Cristiano Amon to Young Liu of Foxconn, which makes the bulk of the world’s iPhones and Nvidia servers. But while last year’s event was a celebration of the post-ChatGPT AI boom, executives this time are likely grappling with the uncertainty of the Trump administration’s effort to reshape the global trade order — disrupting a decades-old model for tech manufacturing. This year’s exhibition will of course feature the hardware required to bring artificial intelligence to life.
For many people, allergies are an all-too-familiar annoyance. The constant sneezing, itching, and watery eyes are just a few clear signs of allergies, which is a surprisingly common condition affecting millions worldwide. But what exactly triggers these reactions, and how can we cope with them? Allergies arise from a misunderstanding between our immune system and seemingly harmless substances. Under normal circumstances, the immune system acts as our body’s personal bodyguard, diligently identifying and eliminating threats like viruses and bacteria. However, in individuals with allergies, the immune system mistakenly identifies certain substances, called allergens, as invaders. This triggers a reaction, leading to
1. 眾所皆知，資訊產業是我國經濟的基礎。 ˇ As everyone admits, the IT industry is the backbone of our economy. χ As everyone admits that the IT industry is the backbone of our economy. 註：這裏 as 作關係代名詞，引導從屬子句。誤句多了 that， IT industry is. . . 就變成從屬句，欠缺了主句，結構上錯誤。又如： As my friend pointed out, necessity is the mother of invention. As is known to all, grammar is not the only important thing in language study. 2. 她心情總是非常好。 ˇ She is always in a good mood. χ She always is in a good mood. 註：always, often 一般放在行為動詞之前，連繫動詞、助動詞之後： He always behaves well. He is always happy and gay. He is always reading. 其他用法類似的副詞，還有 still、also、hardly、seldom、never 等。 3. 你看！他還在寫報告呢。 ˇ Look! He is still working
A: South Korean supergroup BTS member J-Hope, EXO member Xiumin and other various artists are set to tour Taiwan. B: Is J-Hope the first BTS member to visit as a solo singer? A: Yup, he’s going to stage two shows in Taoyuan over the weekend. B: All BTS fans, nicknamed “ARMY,” must be so happy. I wonder when the seven-member group can finally stage a comeback again. A: Well, the good news is the five members currently performing military service will all leave the army next month. So the fans’ long wait is about to end. A: 南韓天團防彈少年團BTS的J-Hope，和EXO的Xiumin等多位熱門歌手最近都要來台開唱。 B:
RSS