Officials have tried poison, gassing and euthanasia to control a breeding frenzy among squirrels in a city park. Now, they plan to give birth control a shot.
A new program that would start this summer calls for squirrels in Palisades Park to be injected with an immuno-contraceptive vaccine to stunt sexual development.
Santa Monica would be only the second city in California, besides Berkeley, to try the immunization program.
PHOTO: AFP
"We don't want to kill them if we don't have to," said Joe McGrath, the city's parks chief. "I personally like squirrels, but we also have to be receptive to the county's concerns. When you are dealing with mammals, people get upset."
Health officials say the squirrels, which number an estimated 1,000 in the park, pose a public health risk, the Los Angeles Times reported. They warn the rodents are aggressive and may carry rabies or host fleas that can spread disease, such as bubonic plague.
Since 1998, Santa Monica has been cited five times by Los Angeles County for squirrel overpopulation. But suppression methods used, including euthanasia, have angered animal-loving activists.
City officials say the infertility shots offer a diplomatic solution that should please all sides in the debate.
The vaccine, developed by the US Department of Agriculture, stops ovulation and lactation in female squirrels, while halting testicular development in males.
Animal activist Catherine Rich said she supports the vaccine program, but said any health risk posed by the squirrels is overblown.
"There is not a pressing threat of squirrels attacking people," Rich said, "so I don't know why the county is getting their panties in a bunch." (AP)
政府官員試過了囚禁、毒氣攻擊與安樂死來控制一處市立公園內大肆繁殖的松鼠。現在，他們打算試試節育的方法。
今夏即將展開的新計畫將讓帕利沙迪思公園的松鼠施打免疫避孕疫苗，杜絕懷孕機會。
聖塔莫尼卡將成為加州繼柏克萊之後，第二個嘗試松鼠免疫避孕計畫的城市。
「若非必要，我們不想殺害松鼠，」聖塔莫尼卡公園管理處處長喬伊．麥葛拉斯說︰「我個人很喜歡松鼠，但我們也要接受本郡的關切。當你對付哺乳類動物時，人們就會難過。」
《洛杉磯時報》報導，健康官員說這處公園估計有一千隻松鼠，威脅到大眾健康。官員警告這種齧齒目動物具侵略性，可能帶有狂犬病或可散播淋巴腺鼠疫等疾病的跳蚤。
自一九九八年起，洛杉磯郡已五度指出聖塔莫尼卡的松鼠過度繁殖。不過，採用了安樂死等抑制方法，已觸怒了保育動物人士。
聖塔莫尼卡官員指出，避孕疫苗提供了一個圓融的解決之道，應該可以讓爭論的各方皆大歡喜。
美國農業部研發的這種疫苗可以阻止母松鼠排卵與分泌乳汁，也會讓公松鼠的睪丸停止發展。
動物保育提倡者凱薩琳．瑞琪表示，她支持這項疫苗計畫，但松鼠造成人類健康危機的說法言過其實。
「目前尚未有松鼠攻擊人類的迫切威脅，」瑞琪說︰「所以我不明白洛杉磯郡為何要小題大做。」 （美聯社╱翻譯︰賴美君）
1. euthanasia n.
安樂死 (an1 le4 si3)
例: Doctors who support euthanasia signed a petition this week.
(支持安樂死的醫師本週簽署了一份請願書。)
2. immunization n.
免疫 (mian3 yi4)
例: Almost every Taiwanese child gets an immunization for smallpox.
(台灣幾乎所有孩童都對天花免疫。)
3. bubonic plague n.
淋巴腺鼠疫 (lin2 ba1 xian4 shu3 yi4)
例: Bubonic plague is a disease carried by fleas who may live on rats or squirrels.
(淋巴腺鼠疫是經由老鼠或松鼠身上的跳蚤傳播。)
4. diplomatic adj.
外交的 (wai4 jiao1 de5)，圓融的 (yuan2 rong2 de5)
例: To avoid offending him, we're trying to phrase the official statement in a diplomatic way.
(為避免觸怒他，我們試著圓融地說明官方的聲明。)
Microsoft is ending Internet Explorer support IE 瀏覽器走入歷史 學職場退休、辭職、下台英文 網路世代熟悉的Windows瀏覽器Internet Explorer（IE），因為近年使用者大幅減少，加上微軟推出的新瀏覽器Edge，在上周三停止技術支援，也代表IE正式退場、走入歷史。本次就讓我們來從國外相關報導學習如何用英文表達「退場」吧！ 退休、辭職、下台？ retire (v) 代表「退休」，相關名詞有retirement「退休」、retiree「退休人士 ，通常在屆齡退休時使用。 Mr. Schmidt’s retirement party will be held at the seafood restaurant next Friday. （施密特先生的退休宴將於下週五在海鮮餐廳舉行。） 另外，同樣是離開工作崗位，「辭職」是resign (v)，名詞為resignation。片語resign to 則代表「把…託付給、委託」的意思。 After Mr. Sutton’s resignation, Ms. Lambert took over his responsibilities. （沙頓先生辭職後，由蘭柏小姐接管他的職責。） She resigned her children to the care of her brother.（她把孩子交給她哥哥照管。） step down 退場、退位 而同樣是描述辭職的單字還有step down (v)「退場、退位、下台」，通常是表達政治人物（或高階主管）辭職、離開現有職務。 The CEO of QuaKing Inc. stepped down amid a scandal involving insider trading and money laundering.（QuaKing公司的總裁因身陷內線交易和洗錢的醜聞而下台。） 「退場」相似的字詞還有bow out (v)，bow 當動詞為「鞠躬」，注意發音為[au]，而名詞bow有「領結、弓」等意思，發音為[o]。bow out 根據字面可以解釋為「下台一鞠躬」，也就是「結束」的意思。 To most people’s surprise, McLaughlin, the defending champion, bowed out in the first round of the tournament. （出乎大多數人意料的是，衛冕冠軍麥克拉倫在首輪比賽就被淘汰出局。） phase out (v)也可以用來描述「漸漸退場」，而phase (n)單做一個單字時則是stage「階段」的意思。 The company will gradually phase out the use of fluorescent lightbulbs. （公司將逐漸淘汰螢光燈泡的使用。） 要描述產品被「移除」，或公司、軍隊「撤離、撤出」則可用withdraw (v)這個字。 Due to financial concerns, Parkland city decided to withdraw
Why you should always learn on an empty stomach 肚子餓了嗎？先去讀書吧！ Hunger is a sensation that every human being on the planet has experienced at least once in their lifetime. The signals of hunger — the sharp hunger pangs and grumbling stomach noises — often grow in __1__ until the thought of food overwhelms every other thought in our mind. So, it’s a bit surprising that researchers at Yale Medical School recently found that hunger can actually __2__. The research team had been studying the hormone ghrelin and the path it takes through the body. Ghrelin is produced by the stomach and is supposed to stimulate a part of our brain called
Musical ‘The Lion King’ is touring Taiwan again (3/3) 音樂劇《獅子王》再度來台巡演（三） A: Aside from “The Lion King,” two other fantastic musicals, “Cats” and “Notre-Dame de Paris,” also toured Taiwan earlier this year. B: “Cats” has been called one of the four greatest musicals of all time. A: And the other three? B: They are: “Les Miserables,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Miss Saigon.” A: 除了《獅子王》，今年曾來台的音樂劇《貓》、法文音樂劇《鐘樓怪人》也都蠻好看的。 B: 《貓》還被稱為四大音樂劇之一呢。 A: 那另外三部是？ B: 另外三部包括《悲慘世界》、《歌劇魅影》、《西貢小姐》。 （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Bonny went to Yummy Fast Food for her lunch today, and here is the receipt. Bonny 今天中午去「好吃速食」吃午餐，這是她的收據。 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - Yummy Fast Food 50 Water Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 Tell us about your visit within 7 days. Enter the survey code below and win A-Mei Concert Tickets for free! Survey Code: 11098738749 More Information: www.yummyforyou.com 04/15/2019 12:15 PM Order 64 ITEM: 1 Medium Coke 1.89 1 Fish Burger 1.51 No Sauce 1 Large French Fries No Salt 2.50 ___________________________________ Take-Out
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