南非居民被要求注意脫隊河馬
◎陳維真
http://iservice.libertytimes.com.tw/Service/english/english.php?engno=610550&day=2012-08-28
Residents in South Africa’s city of Cape Town have been asked to keep a look-out for a renagade young hippopotamus which is popping up in gardens and roads after moving into a suburban lake.
南非開普敦的居民被要求要小心一隻脫離河馬群的年幼河馬，這隻河馬被放入郊區的湖中後，突然出現在花園和馬路上。
City officials are hoping the two-year-old calf will return back to its pod after appearing in an unfenced reserve following the theft of part of the boundary fence in the neighbouring water body where it lives.
市政府官員希望這隻2歲的小河馬會回到河馬群。先前河馬棲息水域附近的圍籬遭竊後，這隻河馬出現在一個沒有護欄的自然保護區。
"The night before last he was in peoples’ gardens," Julia Wood, manager of Biodiversity Management told AFP. "And then last night somebody picked him up on one of the roads."
生物多樣管理部門的經理伍德向法新社表示：「前天晚上牠跑到人家的花園，昨天晚上在路上看到牠。」
"The public is advised to be particularly cautious, as hippos are known to be extremely dangerous wild animals," the city said in a statement, urging residents not to approach the animal or stop it.
市政府透過聲明表示，「建議一般民眾要特別小心，因為河馬是出了名的極度危險和野蠻」，並呼籲居民不要靠近河馬或將牠停下。
"This could lead to dangerous encounters and may potentially prolong the capture operation by influencing the animal’s behaviour. Motorists in the area of Zeekoevlei should be cautious."
「這可能會導致危險對峙，而且影響河馬的行為，可能會讓捕捉行動拉得更長。錫可夫湖區的機車騎士要小心。」
The animal is believed to have followed a female hippo who gave birth. The mother and baby returned to their usual ground but the young hippo, whose sex is unknown, remained behind. (AFP)
據信這隻小河馬原本跟隨著一隻剛生產完的母河馬。河馬媽媽與河馬寶寶已回到牠們原本的棲息地，但這隻目前性別不明的年幼河馬還落在後頭。（法新社）
新聞辭典：
look out：片語，小心、注意。例句：Look out! There’s car coming.（小心！車子來了。）
renegade：形容詞，叛逃、脫離。例句：She’s sent on a mission to retrieve a renegade mage.（她被派去執行任務，尋找叛逃的法師。）
pop up：片語，突然出現。例句：These memories can pop up from time to time.（這些回憶不時驀然出現。）
資料來源：自由時報電子報
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