VOA健康报道2023 南非一葡萄酒庄园雇鸭子灭害虫（在线收听）

That is the sound of ducks.

那是鸭子的叫声。

Are you picturing these birds fishing or floating on a nice lake somewhere?

你在想象这些鸟儿在某个美丽的湖上捕鱼或漂浮吗？

A normal reaction to be sure -- but these ducks are different.

这肯定是正常的反应——但这些鸭子不同。

They live on a grape grower's land in South Africa.

它们生活在南非一个葡萄种植户的土地上。

The Vergenoegd LowWine Estate is in Stellenbosch.

Vergenoegd LowWine葡萄酒庄园位于斯泰伦博斯。

And the ducks are employees of the winemaker.

这些鸭子是酿酒师的雇员。

About 500 white, black and brown Indian runner ducks make their home on the grounds.

大约500只白色、黑色和棕色的印度跑鸭在这里安家。

They hunt and eat insects and other animals that can damage grape vines.

它们捕食昆虫和其他可能会损害葡萄藤的动物。

The birds help protect the plants naturally.

这些鸟自然地帮助保护葡萄藤。

This saves the winemaker from having to use poisonous chemicals against such pests in his vineyard.

这使酿酒师不必在他的葡萄园里使用有毒化学物质来防治这些害虫。

Corius Visser runs the land.

科里乌斯·维瑟掌管着这片土地。

"We call them the soldiers of the vineyards.

“我们称它们为葡萄园的士兵。

They eat all the small insects so we don't have to spray for any pests in the vineyards.

它们吃掉所有的小昆虫，因此我们就不必在葡萄园里喷洒任何杀虫剂。

They keep them pest-free. They are the caretakers."

鸭子让它们免受虫害。它们是看护者。”

The ducks are tall, which means they can reach up and eat insects on the vines above the ground.

这些鸭子很高，这意味着它们可以够到地面上方藤蔓上的昆虫。

In addition, the people who run the vineyard use the waste from the ducks to make fertilizer, which helps the grapes grow.

此外，管理葡萄园的人还用鸭子的粪便制造肥料，这些肥料有助于葡萄的生长。

Merle Holdsworth was visiting the vineyard and saw the ducks.

梅尔·霍尔兹沃斯在参观葡萄园时看到了这些鸭子。

She praised their orderliness.

她称赞它们井然有序。

"It's amazing how they behave themselves, walk in a row, and it's like they're in the army," she said.

她说：“它们的行为举止令人惊叹，它们排成一排走，就像它们在军队里一样”。

The ducks get up in the morning and go to the vines to eat the insects.

鸭子早上起来，去吃葡萄藤上的昆虫。

At the end of the day, they go back to their home and eat some bird food provided by the winemaker.

一天结束后，它们回到家，吃一些由酿酒师提供的鸟食。

Yodell Scholtz works in the vineyard and takes care of the ducks.

约德尔·肖尔茨在葡萄园工作，负责照顾鸭子。

"It's almost like raising your own children, so I enjoy it a lot," he said.

他说：“这几乎就像是抚养自己的孩子一样，所以我很享受”。