时差N小时 猫每年杀死37亿只禽类

It's time to go again to the A Moment of Science mailbag. A listener writes:

又到了《科学一刻》听众来信时间了。一位听众写道：

Dear A Moment of Science,

亲爱的《科学一刻》栏目组：

I know that cats kill a lot of wild birds and other animals.

据我所知猫会杀死许多野生鸟类和其它动物。

But as a cat owner and cat lover I can't help but be a little defensive¹.

但是作为一个养猫和爱猫之人，我忍不住想为其辩护。

And I wonder: don't other pets kills wild animals, too?

我想知道，难道其它宠物就不会杀害动物吗？

Yes, they do. In fact, after cats, one of the main culprits when it comes to harming wildlife is none other than man's best friend: dogs.

是的，其它的宠物也会。事实上，除了猫，杀死其它野生动物的主犯正是人类最好的朋友：狗。

Cats in the United States kill up to 3.7 billion birds every year and as many as 20 billion small mammals.

在美国，猫每年杀害37亿只禽类和200亿只小型哺乳动物。

And many cats roam free while dogs are either kept on leashes² or in fenced yards.

许多猫行动自由，而狗却被拴着或是关在围墙院子中。

So how can dogs possibly do as much damage as cats?

这样，狗为何能与猫造成同样大的破坏大呢？

Well, dogs don't kill as many animals as cats, especially not in the United States.

狗杀死的动物没有猫杀的多，尤其是在美国。

But consider that in many other countries dogs are not kept fenced in.

但在其他许多国家，狗没有被圈养。

Experts estimate that around 75% of dogs around the world are free roamers.

专家们估计全球大约75%的狗是自由的。

And when given free reign³, dogs rack up their share of kills.

一旦行动自由，狗杀死动物的比例会大幅上升。

For example, in the 1980s researchers found that a single stray dog in New Zealand killed as many as 500 flightless birds called Kiwis.

比如，在80年代，研究人员发现在新西兰一只流浪狗杀害了多达500只名叫几维的无翼鸟。

In 2006, a small pack of owner-less dogs on Viwa Island in the South Pacific came close to wiping out a species of ground frog.

2006年，在南太平洋维瓦岛上，一小群流浪狗几乎使一种陆地蛙濒临灭绝。

The point is that cats are not the only culprits. Any ecosystem⁴ is vulnerable when a foreign species without natural predators⁵ invades.

问题的关键在于猫并不是唯一的凶手。当一种无天敌的外来物种入侵时，任何生态系统都是脆弱的。

1 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

2 leashes   

n.拴猎狗的皮带( leash的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• What! are the people always to be kept on leashes? 究竟是什么一直束缚着人民？ 来自互联网
• But we do need a little freedom from our leashes on occasion. 当然有时也需要不受羁绊和一点点的自由。 来自互联网

3 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

4 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

5 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》