A reserve about 40km north of Germany’s industrial heartland is home to a herd of wild horses, which are left to their own devices all year — except when wranglers come in late May to catch the young stallions.
The Merfelder Bruch reserve at Duelmen in western Germany, north of the densely populated Ruhr industrial region, is the last of what were once many areas where wild horses could roam. Documents mention wild horses there as far back as 1316, and the dukes of Croy set aside the reserve for them in the mid-19th century. According to local authorities, it is the only one on the European continent.
Today, around 400 horses live in a roughly 3.5 square km area. They’re left to fend for themselves with only trees and bushes for shelter, living conditions that have made the Duelmen horses particularly robust. Only when there’s heavy frost or snow is hay provided for them.
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
As a rule, humans intervene only once a year: when wranglers come to catch the young stallions by hand on the last Saturday in May, a sight that drew about 15,000 spectators this year to the arena where the event is held. The one-year-old stallions are rounded up and separated from the herd.
The aim is to preserve the herd for the future by keeping it to a sustainable size and warding off the danger of inbreeding and territorial fighting. Once they’re rounded up, the young stallions are auctioned off. They’re known as good-natured horses that, with good training, quickly adapt to human ownership.
On May 25, 36 young stallions were caught.
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
(AP)
距離德國工業的心臟地帶北方大約四十公里處,有著一座保護區,是一群野馬的家鄉。人們讓這群野馬終年自由馳騁—除了每年五月下旬,馴馬人會來到此地,捕捉年輕的種馬。
默費爾德布魯赫保護區座落在德國西部的城鎮杜爾曼,位於人口密集的魯爾工業區北方。曾經,野馬可以在許多地區自由地漫步,但今日只剩這座保護區。提及當地野馬的文件記錄最早可追溯到一三一六年;到了十九世紀中期,克羅伊公爵為這群野馬撥出一塊土地作為保護區。當地政府表示,這是歐洲大陸上唯一的一塊野馬保護區。
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
時至今日,大約有四百頭野馬生活在這塊占地約三點五平方公里的保護區內。當地只有樹木和灌木叢可供牠們庇護,而這樣的生活條件反而讓杜爾曼馬群特別強壯結實。只有在地面結滿厚厚的霜或積雪的時候,人們才會另外提供乾牧草。
根據規定,人類干擾一年僅限一次:也就是在五月的最後一個星期六,馴馬人會來到此地,徒手捕捉年輕種馬。這般景象今年吸引了大約一萬五千名觀眾,前往舉辦捉馬活動的競技場觀戰。滿一歲的種馬會遭到圍捕,跟原本的馬群分開。
這項活動的目的在於,藉由讓馬群維持在一個能夠永續生存的群體數量,同時防止近親繁殖和爭奪地盤產生的風險,以保護馬群的未來。一旦順利圍捕到年輕的種馬,人們就會很快把牠們拍賣掉。這裡的馬以好脾氣著稱,只要搭配良好的訓練,牠們就會很快適應人類的圈養和命令。
在今年五月二十五號這天,總共有三十六頭年輕種馬遭到人類圍捕。
(台北時報章厚明譯)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too