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）
A: In your view, what are Taipei’s top buffet restaurants? B: Feastogether Group’s outlets — A Joy, Inparadise, Eatogether, Sunrise and Fruitful Food — are the runners-up. A: A Joy’s deluxe meal, priced at NT$3,880 per person plus a 10-percent service charge, is the most expensive of its kind. B: My No. 1 goes to Hi-Lai Group’s outlets — including Island and Hi-Lai Harbour. A: I feel like I’ve gained 3 kilograms just from hearing all the options. A: 你心目中最強的吃到飽餐廳是？ B: 亞軍是饗賓集團的吃到飽品牌︰饗、饗饗、饗食天堂、旭集、果然匯。 A: 饗每人高達3,880台幣加一成，是全台最貴的吃到飽！ B: 冠軍則是漢來集團旗下的品牌︰島語、漢來海港。 A: 哈聽到這麼多吃到飽，我感覺又胖了3公斤。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
As summer approaches, people everywhere start enjoying frozen treats, especially the increasingly popular “gelato.” This Italian-style ice cream features vibrant colors and intense flavors. Made primarily with milk and often featuring seasonal fruits, gelato has a lower fat content of 4–8 percent compared with ice cream’s 10–14 percent. These ingredients ensure each spoonful is fresh and flavorful. The magic of gelato also lies in its texture and density. Unlike ice cream, which is stirred faster and harder, gelato is blended slowly by craftsmen. This process introduces less air into the mix, thus creating a creamy texture that is denser and smoother
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Uneasy voices started to ripple through the lines of anxious students outside the school gate. “No signal?” “VPN’s down too.” “Wait — is this a cyberattack?” Nothing loaded on Jun’s phone either. Not his AI tutor, Echo. Not any app. Not even the Internet. Jun stood shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other students outside the school gate. It was national exam day and the early July air was thick with heat and now charged with anxiety. The scene of everyone’s head hunched over their phones, cramming vocab,
A: In recent years, all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants have become the highest growing dining sector. What are some of the best buffets in Taipei? B: In my opinion, No. 10 to No. 7 are: Renaissance Taipei Shihlin Hotel’s Shihlin Kitchen, Denwell Group’s Feng Food, Grand Mayfull Hotel Taipei’s Palette and Shin Yeh Group’s Nagomi. A: The all-you-can-eat Japanese Wagyu beef at Shihlin Kitchen is superb. B: No. 6 to No. 3 are the “Big Four:” Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel’s Kitchen 12, Grand Hyatt Taipei’s The Cafe, Regent Taipei’s Brasserie and Le Meridien Taipei’s Discovery Kitchen. A: Wow, all four
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