【951-954】动物医院拯救城市野生动物&不在我的社区里：恐龙和弗林茨石&新英格兰海滩海龟变多&南中国海岛屿可能会有更多游客
AS IT IS
Animal Hospital Saves Wild Animals from the City
Veterinary doctor Karin Lourens, left, and veterinary rehabilitation specialist Nicci Wright care for a pangolin.
Just outside the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, a veterinary hospital is saving wild animals that live nearby.
“I’d love to be in the bush, but I get more cases here,” said Nicci Wright, a veterinary rehabilitation specialist.
Wright and Karin Lourens, a doctor trained to care for animals, set up the hospital two years ago. Since then, they have treated about 4,000 creatures.
Both Johannesburg and Pretoria, the South Africa capital, are expanding. The growth of the two cities is squeezing out animals that are native to the area.
The wildlife hospital mainly treats small mammals and large hunting birds that are injured.
The hospital now has about 160 patients. They include six leopard tortoises, a toothless 12-foot python and an otter that was taken far from her natural surroundings when someone tried to keep her as a pet.
Many animals coming to the hospital have not only physical injuries. They show signs of stress from being hurt by people. Some creatures, like the endangered pangolin, become fearful when they hear a male human voice or smell cigarette smoke. That makes the animals remember the people who hunted them, said Wright.
“Everything is terrifying for them,” she said.
In a wooden cage on the hospital floor, a young pangolin begins to move around, rubbing against the box. It is feeding time at the hospital.
A volunteer will walk him on a nearby hill where the pangolin will search for ants to eat. Pangolins are one of the world’s most heavily trafficked animals because of demand for their scales in Asia.
Along with five full-time employees, the hospital gets help from volunteers like Lauren Beckley, who lives nearby. Beckley cares for young monkeys, who hug her. Their own mothers have been shot or killed in auto accidents.
When the animals are ready to return to the wild, Wright and her team work with nature centers around the country to take the animals to a new, safer home.
I’m Jill Robbins.
This story was reported by the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
veterinary – adj. relating to the medical care and treatment of animals
in the bush - expression (especially in Australia, Africa, and Canada) wild or undeveloped countryside
rehabilitate - v. to bring back to a normal, healthy condition after a sickness, injury, or drug problem
leopard tortoise - n. a large and tortoise marked with yellow and black found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan to the southern Cape
python - n. a very large snake that kills the animals it eats by wrapping itself around them
otter - n. an animal that has dark brown fur and webbed feet with claws and that eats fish
pet – n. an animal that is kept for pleasure instead of usefulness
pangolin - n. a mammal that has a body covered with horny overlapping scales and a long sticky tongue for catching ants and termites
scales - n. small thin plates that cover the bodies of some animals
Do you ever see wild animals near your home? Who takes care of them when they are injured? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
AS IT IS
Not in My Neighborhood: Dinosaurs and Flintstones
Flintstone House Fight
Tall dinosaurs stand among unusual-looking plants on the grounds around a California home.
A statue of cartoon character Fred Flintstone stands near the front door and welcomes visitors. Nearby sits a large sign painted in orange, purple and red. It reads “Yabba Dabba Do,” the words Flintstone made famous in his 1960s television show.
Property rights vs. government rules
In a pricey neighborhood outside San Francisco, there is a battle between government rules and property rights.
A retired publisher has built a home that honors “The Flintstones.” There are Stone Age statues that look like animals from the show, along with space creatures and other strange things.
International media are following the dispute. Thousands of people have signed an online petition to save the property, which can be seen from a nearby road.
Florence Fang’s 832-square-meter house is not at risk. It is the grounds around it that the town of Hillsborough says must change. The property is not as nice-looking as the neighboring properties, say the officials. Last month, they went to court to make her remove the garden statues. Fang does not live in the house, but uses it for parties.
Giving people joy
Angela Alioto, a former San Francisco supervisor, is the lawyer for the 84-year-old owner. Alioto says the officials want to take away Fang's right to enjoy her yard and promises an intense fight.
“Mrs. Fang has made people smile, she’s giving them joy. What’s not to love about Dino, who acts like a dog?” said Alioto. “What is wrong with these people?”
The unusually shaped house, currently painted red and purple, was built in 1976. Fang, who once published The San Francisco Examiner, bought the property in June 2017 for $2.8 million.
Go through the legal process
Lawyer Mark Hudak is representing the town of Hillsborough. He says the town prides itself on its rural, woodsy feel. He added that rules are in place "so neighbors don’t have to look at your version of what you would like to have, and you don’t have to look at theirs… she still has to go through the process like everyone else."
Officials say Fang did not follow the town's stop-work orders. She also ignored an order to remove the statues by last December 5. She did pay a $200 fine, however.
Hide the dinosaur
Tim Iglesias is a property professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. He said the owner has ignored the government rules again and again.
“If they let her get away, then all the other wealthy people in Hillsborough can say, ‘Hey, I can do whatever I want with my property. Who cares about the planning department?’”
The final decision will come after more claims are presented in court. Lawyer Alioto says Fang’s constitutional rights to free speech and religion were violated.
“They want everything removed. They want the dinosaurs removed,” Alioto said. “They wanted her to put a tree in front of the dinosaur, so you couldn’t see the dinosaur.”
I’m Jill Robbins.
Jane Har reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
dinosaur – n. one of many reptiles that lived on Earth millions of years ago
yard - n. an outdoor area that is next to a house and is usually covered by grass
cartoon - n. a film or television show made by photographing a series of drawings or an animated film or television show
petition - n. a written document that people sign to show that they want a person or organization to do or change something
What do you think of this house? Is there an unusual house in your town? Tell us about it. Write to us in the Comments Section.
AS IT IS
New England Seeing a Rise in Beached Sea Turtles
In this Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012 photo, volunteer Deirdre Witkowski lifts a 40-pound loggerhead turtle back into its pool at the New England Aquarium's Animal Care Center in Quincy, Mass. Sea turtle strandings in Cape Cod Bay are so common that the phenomen
At an animal hospital in the Northeast United States, a biologist takes blood from a sick loggerhead sea turtle named Honey Bun.
This is one of the first steps scientists must take before treating and rehabilitating the turtle so that it can be returned into the wild.
Cape Cod, in the state of Massachusetts, may have some of the largest numbers of turtle strandings in the world.
The number of turtles that became trapped on Cape Cod beaches has risen over the past 10 years. That information comes from the Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
This year, volunteers found 829 turtles washed up on the sand. About half of them were dead, including some that were frozen solid. That number is nearly twice what workers found in 2016 and nearly 10 times more than 2008.
Some experts think the number of washed up turtles is related to climate change.
A paper published in PLOS ONE notes that there were more strandings of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in years with warmer sea-surface temperatures. It added that of the threats to turtle populations, “climate change may present the broadest threat for sea turtle conservation.”
Over the past 10 years, many turtles have been moving north from the Gulf of Mexico into the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine. There, they feed on mussels, crabs and other sea creatures.
Cape Cod extends into the Atlantic Ocean, serving as a kind of trap for turtles. When the waters cool there, the animals start to have health problems, like developing pneumonia. They have problems moving and eating.
Bob Prescott is the director of Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and helped to prepare the PLOS ONE paper. He notes that the sea turtles “know how to leave, but the Cape is like a trap – a hook within a hook.”
If the turtles survive, it can take months before they are fully recovered. Adam Kennedy is a biologist at New England Aquarium’s sea turtle hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts. He says that when the turtles arrive at the hospital “they look like they are dead, especially in December.”
Other experts argue that climate change alone cannot explain the increased number of turtle strandings.
Jeffrey Seminoff heads the Marine Turtle Ecology and Assessment Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service. He believes that the high number of strandings “probably results from the simple fact that there’s more turtles.”
Seminoff said that the recovery of the turtle population and “success of conservation efforts at the nesting beaches” could explain the higher number of turtle strandings.
Kennedy, the biologist, said that he has mixed feelings when the turtles are released back into the wild. “It’s bittersweet, because you spend so much time with them but ultimately every one of these guys getting back to the ocean helps the population.”
Recently, Honey Bun – the turtle we met at the beginning of our report – and other turtles were taken to Florida. They were released into the water.
Kelly Shaffer is with National Aquarium Baltimore, which worked with four other groups to organize the turtles’ release. She noted that she feels a sense of “joy and accomplishment” at “being able to put them back out there.”
I'm John Russell.
Michael Casey reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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Words in This Story
rehabilitate – v. to bring something back to a normal, healthy condition after a disease, injury or drug problem
strand – v. to leave a person or animal in a place without a way to escape
beach – n. a seaside area covered by sand and larger rocks
conservation – n. careful protection of something
pneumonia – n. a disease that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe
hook – n. a curved device used for catching or holding something
nest – n. the place where an animal lays its eggs and takes care of its young
bittersweet – adj. combining sadness and happiness
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
AS IT IS
Islands in the South China Sea May See More Visitors
FILE - The Vietnamese-claimed Southwest Cay island in the Spratly island group is seen from a Philippine Air Force C-130 transport plane during the visit to the Philippine-claimed Thitu Island by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
The Philippines is making it easier for the public to visit a small island in the disputed South China Sea.
A boat ramp is being built on Thitu Island, which is controlled by the Philippines. The ramp is designed to help small boats be brought to shore. It is expected to be finished this year.
The move may signal a change in the way the Philippines is treating the territory in the sea that is the subject of an international dispute.
China also claims Thitu. It is developing three other small landforms in the area. Development of small islands into military bases has been a point of strong disagreement between China and many of its neighbors.
Australia, Japan, the United States and other countries that depend on the waterway for trade say putting bases in the sea threatens freedom of navigation there.
About 100 people live on Thitu. It is one of the few places in the South China Sea where the public can go more or less freely.
Currently, governments tightly control who can visit islands and landforms.
Some observers believe that permitting public visitors may increase claims to sovereignty by showing that the territories are actually being used by people. That is a requirement noted in international disputes over the territories.
China also has started permitting people to visit the area by cruise ship. But it carefully controls who goes there.
Yun Sun is an East Asia expert with the Stimson Center research group in Washington. She said the new policy shows that, “By governing or managing the tourism in that area, it will be a piece of evidence to support sovereignty.”
Many small islands, few visitors
There are about 500 small islands and landforms in the South China Sea, which covers 3.5 million square kilometers. Most of the islands do not have structures built on them.
National coast guards and navies watch the areas they claim. International shipping is permitted. But usually, the public is barred from entering these small islands.
That appears to be changing.
Layang Layang is a Malaysian naval base. It is also open to the public. People from any country can travel to the island and stay at its 85-room hotel. Many of the visitors come to go diving in the surrounding waters.
Taiwan organizes public trips to some small islands it controls. Reporters can visit Itu Aba on special trips. And marine research is permitted on the Pratas Islands.
China has said it is opening some of the Paracel islands to its cruise ships. And Vietnam operates trips for its own citizens to the Spratly Islands, which include Thitu.
Jonathan Spangler is director of the South China Sea Think Tank, a research group in Taipei. He said China might open its cruises in the Paracels to foreigners. He said if China did this -- and if Malaysia and the Philippines extended their public access -- it could change the current climate in the sensitive area. It could “make it seem like less of a sensitive thing” to visit, Spangler said.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia also claim large areas of the sea.
About one-third of the world’s shipping passes through the sea. It also holds valuable fisheries, gas and oil.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which has as members almost all the claimants, are negotiating a code for behavior in the sea. The goal is to prevent conflict.
I’m Mario Ritter Jr.
Ralf Jennings reported this story for VOA News from Taipei. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
ramp –n. a sloping structure that lets a person or vehicle get from one level to another
navigation –n. the process of moving a boat or ship over an area of water
sovereignty –n. power or control over a place or territory
tourism –n. the business of providing for people who are traveling for pleasure
code –n. a set of rules, laws or regulations