VOA慢速英语2018--科学家们致力于拯救波多黎各鹦鹉

Scientists Work to Save Puerto Rican Parrots

Scientists are trying to save Puerto Rico's endangered Amazon parrots after Hurricane Maria destroyed the birds' habitats and food sources.

El Yunque is a large national forest on the eastern part of Puerto Rico. Just two of the 56 wild parrots that once lived there survived Maria. The Category-4 storm struck Puerto Rico in September 2017. Scientists report other forests have seen great drops in parrot populations, as well.

In the 1800s, there were more than a million of the bright green parrots living in the wild in Puerto Rico. By the 1970s, the number was down to just 13 birds after years of forest clearing.

The U.S. and Puerto Rican governments launched a special program in 1972 to help increase the parrot population. That led to the creation of three breeding centers.

Just weeks before Hurricane Maria hit, scientists counted 56 wild parrots at El Yunque. That was the highest number in the program’s history.

Scientists say that even though several parrots have been born in captivity¹ and in the wild since Maria, the species is still in danger.

Marisel Lopez oversees² the parrot recovery program at El Yunque for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. She says she is worried about the disappearance³ of parrots in El Yunque. She said, “It was devastating⁴, after so many years of having worked on this project.”

The Puerto Rican Amazon is the island's only remaining native parrot. The birds only reproduce once a year.

More than 460 of the birds are kept inside the breeding centers at El Yunque and the Rio Abajo forest. Scientists have not released any of the birds since Hurricane Maria. A third breeding center, in a forest in the western area of Maricao, has not been in operation since the storm.

How to bring back the species

Federal and local scientists plan to meet next month to discuss how best to bring back the species.

Scientists are considering whether to capture some of the remaining wild parrots and put them in the same cage as the birds that are set to be released. This way, the captive birds can learn from the wild birds how to survive in the forests.

Another consideration is to release some captive parrots in Maricao, which was not as heavily damaged by Maria.

But first, scientists need to make sure the forests can offer food and safe shelter for the birds.

Jessica Ilse works at El Yunque for the U.S. Forest Service. She says scientists are studying the amount of fruit falling from trees and the number of leaves the trees have dropped.

Many of the large trees where the parrots used to build nests are now gone. Without these trees, the parrots could become easy targets for their predators⁶.

Ilse does not know how long the recovery program will take. She said the damage from Hurricane Maria has caused “a complete change to the ecosystem⁷.”

Gustavo Olivieri works in the parrot recovery program for Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural Resources. He said, “We have a lot of work to do.”

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

habitat - n. a place where a plant or animal normally grows or lives

breeding - n. the process by which young animals, birds, etc., are produced by their parents

captivity - n. the state of being kept in a place

species - n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

devastating - adj. causing great damage or harm

predator⁵ - n. an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals

1 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

2 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

3 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

6 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》

7 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。