VOA慢速英语--严重的干旱天气正在杀死津巴布韦的野生动物

Severely¹ Dry Weather Is Killing² Zimbabwe’s Wildlife

Many of Africa's best known kinds of wild animals are dying from lack of food and water in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park.

The 2,196- square-kilometer wildlife reserve gets its name from the four nearby bodies of water that the flooding Zambezi River fills every rainy season. The area is home to elephants, zebras, hippopotamuses³ and many other kinds of wildlife.

But the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority reports that at least 105 elephants have died in Zimbabwe's wildlife areas recently. Most of the deaths have been in Mana and the larger Hwange National Park in the past two months, the agency said.

Many animals are moving out of the parks and into nearby communities in search of food and water.

Mana Pools is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site known for its beauty. The area experiences hot, dry weather at this time every year. But this year, the dry conditions have been much worse. Even the river's flow has reduced.

The drought hitting southern Africa is also affecting people. The World Food Program reports that hunger threatens an estimated 11 million people in nine countries. The organization is planning large food distribution projects. The countries of southern Africa have experienced normal rainfall in only one of the past five growing seasons, the group says.

Hopes for rain

Each morning, Munyaradzi Dzoro, a parks agency wildlife officer, hopes for rain.

"It's beginning to be serious," he told the Associated Press, standing⁴ next to the remains⁵ of a dead elephant and buffalo⁶. "It might be worse if we fail to receive rains" by early November.

The last major rainfall came in April, he said.

Map illustrates⁷ Zimbabwe's severe drought which is killing elephants, other wildlife.

Map illustrates Zimbabwe's severe drought which is killing elephants, other wildlife.

Mel Hood⁸ works with the Feed Mana project, which is providing food support to animals in the area. She said an early end to a "very poor rainy season" has limited the growth of plants the animals need.

The area's once dependable water resources have turned dangerous for the animals. Many have gotten stuck in the soft soil or clay while trying to reach Long Pool, a five-kilometer-long watering hole. It is one of the few remaining water resources in the park but is only five percent of its normal size.

There are more than 12,000 elephants in Mana's flood plains. Lions, buffaloes⁹, zebras, wild dogs, hyenas¹⁰, 350 kinds of birds and many water animals live in the park, the parks agency reports.

"We used to say nature should take its course," Dzoro said of the park's normal policy of not getting involved and letting the ecosystem¹¹ find its own balance.

Now, he said, officials are getting involved to avoid losing animals and maintain population sizes.

Local plant life such as acacias, as well as other trees and grasses, provide most of the food for big animals like elephants and buffaloes. But the lack of rain has severely reduced the amount of plant life, so officials began bringing food to the park in July.

Mel Hood says The Feed Mana project has been asking for "urgent" donations of animal feed such as soy bean hay and grass.

"Although it may not be enough to stave off all the hunger...it is certainly giving these animals a chance to survive until conditions improve," Hood said.

Words in This Story

reserve – n. an area of land where animals and plants are given special protection

drought – n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

distribution – n. the act of giving or delivering something to people

plain(s) – n. a large area of flat land without trees

take its course – expr. to permit something to happen without trying to control it

ecosystem – n. everything that exists in a given environment

stave off – p.v. to keep someone or something away usually for a short time

1 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 hippopotamuses   

n.河马（产于非洲）( hippopotamus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hippopotamuses teem in this river. 这条河里有很多河马。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

7 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

8 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

9 buffaloes   

n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓

参考例句：

• Some medieval towns raced donkeys or buffaloes. 有些中世纪的城市用驴子或水牛竞赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Water buffaloes supply Egypt with more meat than any other domestic animal. 水牛提供给埃及的肉比任何其它动物都要多。 来自辞典例句

10 hyenas   

n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These animals were the prey of hyenas. 这些动物是鬣狗的猎物。 来自辞典例句
• We detest with horror the duplicity and villainy of the murderous hyenas of Bukharinite wreckers. 我们非常憎恨布哈林那帮两面三刀、杀人破坏，干尽坏事的豺狼。 来自辞典例句

11 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。