VOA慢速英语2019 越南发现消失30年的银背麝鹿（在线收听）

A wildlife conservation group said this week that it has pictures of one of the rarest animals in the world.

本周，一个野生动物保护组织称，他们捕捉到一种世界最稀有动物的照片。

Global Wildlife Conservation, or GWC, said it captured the images of the small, deer-like creature in a forest in southern Vietnam.

全球野生动物保护组织(GWC)称，他们在越南南部的一片森林中捕捉到这种像鹿一样的小动物的照片。

The creature has a silver-colored back and is about the size of a rabbit. It is known as the silver-backed chevrotain or Vietnamese mouse deer. The wildlife group made a point of noting it is not a mouse or a deer.

这种生物背部为银色，体型和兔子差不多。这种动物被称为银背鼷鹿或越南鼠鹿。野生动物组织指出，这不是一只老鼠或鹿。

The rare creatures are said to be frightened easily. They have two small fangs hanging from their mouths. They are the world's smallest hoofed animal, GWC said.

据说，这类稀有动物很容易受到惊吓。GWC称，它们的嘴里有两颗小尖牙。它们是世界上最小的蹄类动物。

The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research is a partner of GWC in the project. An Nguyen, a conservation scientist with the institute, spoke to The Associated Press about the animal.

莱布尼茨动物园和野生动物研究所是GWC项目的合作伙伴。安阮（An Nguyen）是该研究所的一名环境保护科学家，他向美联社谈到了这一动物。

"For so long this species has seemingly only existed as part of our imagination. Discovering that it is, indeed, still out there, is the first step in ensuring we don't lose it again, and we're moving quickly now to figure out how best to protect it," he said.

“一直以来，这一物种似乎只存在于我们的想象中。直到发现它确实仍然存活着，这是确保我们不会让它灭绝的第一步，我们现在正在迅速采取行动，寻找保护它的最佳途径。”

Working in Vietnam, An and his team set up camera traps after receiving reports from local villagers and forest rangers. The cameras took some 1,800 photographs of the species over a period of 5 months.

在越南工作时，安阮和他的团队在接到当地村民和护林员的报告后布置了相机陷阱。这些相机在5个月的时间内拍摄下1800多张照片。

Hoang Minh Duc is the head of Vietnam's Southern Institute of Ecology's Department of Zoology.黄明德(Hoang Minh Duc)是越南南方生态研究所(Southern Institute of Ecology)动物学系的负责人。

The GWC quoted Duc as saying that "the rediscovery of the silver-backed chevrotain provides big hope for the conservation of biodiversity, especially threatened species, in Vietnam."

GWC引用黄明德的话说：“银背麝鹿的重新现世，为越南生物多样性的保护，特别是濒危物种的保护，带来了巨大的希望。”

Words in This Story

conservation – n. the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources

fang – n. a big, sharp tooth

hoof – n. the curved, hard part of the foot of some animals like a horse

species – n. a group of living organisms who have similar physical qualities

ensure – v. to make (something) sure or safe

biodiversity – n. the different kinds of life in an environment