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）
Pigs that are resistant to a deadly viral disease have been created by scientists at Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute. The gene-edited animals remained healthy when exposed to classical swine fever (CSF), a highly contagious and often fatal disease. The virus was eradicated in the UK in 1966, but there have been several outbreaks since and it continues to pose a major threat to pig farming worldwide. “Classical swine fever is a devastating disease for livestock and farmers as we saw with the outbreak in the UK, 25 years ago,” said Helen Crooke, mammalian virology deputy leader at the Animal and Plant Health Agency
Have you ever seen a circular intersection where cars continuously flow in one direction around a central island? That is a “roundabout,” a well-known alternative to traditional intersections. Drivers enter and exit at different points without relying on traffic lights. Their primary purpose is to improve traffic flow and minimize the likelihood of high-speed collisions, particularly dangerous T-bone and head-on crashes. Roundabouts have existed and been implemented for over a century. In the 1960s, the modern roundabout emerged in the UK, with added rules for yielding. Unlike intersections with red lights, roundabouts allow vehicles to continue moving at a
A: So you’re reading Jin Yong’s martial arts novel again? B: Yup, Jin’s novels are so fascinating, especially the trilogy: “Legends of the Condor Heroes,” “Return of the Condor Heroes,” and “Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.” A: The late novelist published his first story in 1955, which means this year marks the 70th anniversary of his “wuxia” world. B: Wasn’t an English version of “Legends of the Condor Heroes” also released in 2018? A: Yes, but the debate over the translation of kung fu moves continues — like the evil move “Nine Yin Skeleton Claw.” A: 你又在重讀金庸的武俠小說啦？ B:
A: Apart from Jin Yong, the late martial arts novelists Liang Yusheng and Gu Long were also very popular. B: Wasn’t Liang a pioneer of the “new school” wuxia genre in the 20th century? A: Yup, I really like his Tianshan mountain series. All the characters — such as the “White Haired Demoness” — are so vivid. B: The roles in Gu’s books are lively, too — like the “Fragrant Commander” Chu Liuxiang. A: And the TV drama adapted from the Chu Liuxiang series swept across Taiwan in the 1980s, with ratings surging over 70 percent at that time.
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