2006年VOA标准英语-New Mexico Wildlife Center Saves Thousands of W

By Joseph Mok
Washington, DC
29 May 2006
 
watch Wildlife Rehabilitation¹
 
  
  
For the past 20 years, the New Mexico Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has taken in numerous injured animals, cared for them, and released them back into the wild after recovery. VOA's Joseph Mok produced the following story about the animals undergoing rehabilitation and some of those who care for them. 

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Pam Everson
  
Pam Everson founded the New Mexico Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in 1986, but it was strictly² for hawks⁴, eagles and other birds of prey⁵.  She soon realized she had to expand the center to take care of other kinds of wild animals injured by vehicles on the road, shot by poachers, poisoned, or even electrocuted.  "Originally it was done at my house, and I would have three or four animals a year. Then it became 60 animals a year, and then 600 a year. Now it's about 2400 animals a year. So it was very apparent that we needed a full facility to take care of everybody who is coming in to us and to have the best rehabilitation facility to get these guys back into the wild." 

  
  
Since its inception⁶, the center has returned 55 percent of its patients to the wild -- which is almost 20 percent higher than the national average.  Five staff members and 140 volunteers make it possible for the center to rehabilitate⁷ almost 1,500 animals a year. 

Pam Everson says all the center's funding comes from private foundations and individual donations.  "I can tell you we are not funded, we are not funded on a regular basis by anyone.  We are not funded by the federal government.  We are not funded by the state government. Santa Fe County has 600 not-for-profit organizations, which is very unusual given the population size we have here, those 600 not-for-profit organizations are all dipping into the same pot." 

 
Linda McGee 
  
Linda McGee, one of the center's volunteers, is holding a Harris hawk³ that suffered wing damage. She says these kinds of hawks can play a useful role. "They used a Harris hawk in New York City to cut down pigeon population about two years ago. Did great, just flew around and scared everybody off, and that was the job. They named it Starbuck.  And one day Starbuck got hold of a Chihuahua.  That was the end of the contract in New York City and central park."

  
  
Justin Cooke is the intensive care supervisor⁸ at the center.  Here he wraps up a wounded bird as he prepares to give it an injection of electrolytes and minerals. Cooke believes the bird suffered dehydration⁹ during the winter. Cook is also treating an injured barn owl¹⁰. "Since he's an owl, he sleeps during the day.  I just woke him up.    He wasn't ready to be woken up.  He's a barn owl.  He doesn't perch¹¹ much.  That's the reason I set up this little box in front of him.  He's not gonna want to stand on a perch.  He wants to hide.  So it's a little bit of knowing how they react to certain situation and how they feel a certain thing. You just have to play with that."

The animals that are too seriously injured or too accustomed to people to go back to the wild stay on as ambassadors of sorts. There are more than twenty such animals at the center.

But for those fortunate enough to recover from their injuries and complete their rehabilitation, there is this day of joy to embrace nature again.

1 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

2 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

3 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

4 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

5 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

6 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

7 rehabilitate   

vt.改造(罪犯)，修复；vi.复兴，(罪犯)经受改造

参考例句：

• There was no money to rehabilitate the tower.没有资金修复那座塔。
• He used exercise programmes to rehabilitate the patients.他采用体育锻炼疗法使患者恢复健康。

8 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

9 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

10 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

11 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。