Topic: About animals - Treating wounds with insects: the strange habits of Gabon chimps

How to treat a wound? For humans, the first instinct would be to disinfect it and then cover it with a bandage. But chimpanzees have invented a more creative method: catching insects and applying them directly to the open wound.

應該如何處理傷口呢？對於人類來說，第一個反應是對其進行消毒，然後用繃帶包紮。但黑猩猩發明了一種更有創意的方法：用昆蟲並將牠們直接塗抹在開放性傷口上。

Scientists observed this behavior in chimpanzees in the West African nation of Gabon, noticing that the apes not only use insects to treat their own wounds, but also those of their peers.

科學家們在西非國家加彭的黑猩猩身上觀察到這種行為，並注意到這些猿類不僅使用昆蟲來治療自己的傷口，還用來治療同伴。

The project began in 2019, when an adult female chimpanzee named Suzee was observed inspecting a wound on the foot of her adolescent son. Suzee then suddenly caught an insect out of the air, put it in her mouth, apparently squeezed it, and then applied it to her son’s wound.

這項研究計畫始於2019年，科學家當時觀察到一隻名叫蘇西（Suzee）的成年雌黑猩猩，正在檢查牠青少年兒子腳上的傷口。接著，蘇西突然從空中抓了一隻蟲子，放進嘴裡抿碎，然後敷在牠兒子的傷口上。

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Topic: Deer runs into hospital, up escalator; later is euthanized 一隻鹿闖進醫院搭上電梯隨後被安樂死

News outlets reported that surveillance video showed a deer bounding into Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge in Louisiana through an open door and stumbling on the slippery floor as stunned workers and visitors watched from a few feet away.

監視影片顯示，有一隻鹿從路易斯安那州巴頓魯治聖母湖醫院開放的大門跳進院內後，在易滑的地板上跌倒，震驚的工作人員和訪客在幾呎外目睹一切。

The deer regained its footing enough to climb up the escalator and reach the second floor, where it was finally corralled and held down by several people.

這隻鹿站穩腳步後爬進電梯搭到二樓，才終於被許多人一同壓制及捕捉。

The deer was loaded on a hospital bed that was rolled outside to a truck from the The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department.

這隻鹿被放置在醫院病床上，推往路易斯安那野生動物和漁業部的卡車。

The animal had to be euthanized because of injuries, the agency said, adding there were indications it may have been struck by a vehicle before entering the building.

該機構說，由於這隻動物傷重，必須被安樂死。他們也補充道，牠看起來應該是進入醫院前遭汽車撞擊。

"Patient care has not been interrupted and the area is being thoroughly sanitized," said a statement by the hospital.

醫院聲明指出：「病患照護未受干擾，事發區域也已徹底消毒。」Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1501725 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1502232

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Topic: Kangaroos can learn to communicate with humans, researchers say

Kangaroos can learn to communicate with humans similar to how domesticated dogs do, by using their gaze to "point" and ask for help, researchers said in a study published on Wednesday.

研究人員在週三發表的一份研究中說，和被馴化的狗類似，袋鼠可以學習和人類溝通，利用凝視來「指向」並尋求協助。

The study involved 11 kangaroos that lived in captivity but had not been domesticated. Ten of the 11 marsupials intently gazed at researchers when they were unable to open a box with food, according to the report. Nine alternately looked at the human and at the container, as a way of pointing or gesturing toward the object.

這份研究涉及11隻圈養但未經馴化的袋鼠。根據這份報告，這11隻有袋動物的其中10隻，在打不開一個裝有食物的盒子時，專注凝視研究人員。9隻交替看著人和容器，做為指向或是朝該物體示意的一種方法。

"We interpreted this as a deliberate form of communication, a request for help," Alan McElligott, the Irish researcher who led the study, told Reuters in a call.

主導這起研究的愛爾蘭研究人員亞倫‧麥克利戈特在電話中告訴路透，「我們將之解釋為一種刻意的溝通形式，是一種求助。」

The findings challenge the notion that only domesticated animals such as dogs, horses or goats communicate with humans.

這項發現挑戰了只有諸如狗、馬或山羊這類被馴化的動物會和人類溝通的觀念。

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Topic: 2 pythons weighing 100 pounds collapse ceiling in Australia （澳洲2條合計100磅的蟒蛇壓垮天花板）

An Australian David Tait entered his home in Laceys Creek in Queensland state and was surprised to find a large chunk of the ceiling lying on his kitchen table. "I knew we hadn’t had rain, so I looked around to find what had caused it," Tait said.

一名澳洲民眾大衛．泰特回到位於昆士蘭州萊西溪市的家時，驚訝地發現一大片天花板躺在廚房餐桌上。泰特說：「我知道沒下雨，所以我四處張望尋找事發原因。」

He soon found two culprits, non-venomous carpet pythons 2.8 meters and 2.5 meters long, that had slithered into a bedroom and living room. The snakes have an estimated combined weight of 45 kilograms.

他很快發現2隻罪魁禍首，各為2.8公尺及2.5公尺的無毒地毯蟒爬進了臥室和客廳。這2隻蟒蛇合計重達45公斤。

Snake catcher Steven Brown was called to remove the two snakes. "I would assume that it was two males fighting over a female that was nearby in the roof," he said. He suspected the female could still be in the ceiling or nearby.

捕蛇專家史蒂芬．布朗被叫來抓2隻蟒蛇。他說：「我想是2隻公蟒為了待在天花板附近的1隻母蟒在打架。」他懷疑，那隻母蟒或許還待在天花板或附近一帶。

The males were returned to the wild, but the suspected third snake hasn’t been found.

2隻公蟒被野放，疑似還在屋內的第3隻蟒蛇下落不明。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1422528 ; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1420019

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Topic: Fly south or roost? Canadian ’snowbirds’ weigh Florida mid-pandemic

Birds of a feather normally flock together, but the pandemic has divided Canada’s "snowbird" warm weather migrants into two camps：those staying home this winter and those heading to Florida no matter the cost.

通常來說，物以類聚，但是這場疫情已經使加拿大每年遷徙到氣候溫暖區的「雪鳥族」分成兩陣營：待在家鄉過冬，以及不計代價前往佛州者。

Nearly a million Canadians make the annual pilgrimage, fleeing to the southern United States to pass what would otherwise be gray and snowy months with their toes tucked in the sand and ocean breeze in their hair.

每年有將近100萬名加拿大人飛奔到美國南方，享受漫步沙灘、和煦海風吹過髮梢，度過在家鄉會是滿是灰白雪世界的幾個月。

The coronavirus has led a majority to forgo the trip this year － but for those flouting Canada’s repeated calls to stay put, the price tag on winter at the beach has skyrocketed.

新型冠狀病毒導致今年大多數人放棄這趟旅程，但是對那些不顧加拿大一再呼籲不要旅行的人來說，到南方沙灘過冬的代價飛漲。

Each plane ticket costs Can$500 and hauling the vehicle 55 miles across the border sets customers back $1,000.

每張機票要500加幣，把車子運送55英里越過邊境，則要花上1000加幣。

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Topic: Canadian officials warn drivers not to let moose lick their cars 加拿大官員警告駕駛不要讓駝鹿舔他們的車

Officials in Jasper, an alpine town in Canada’s Alberta province, have put up signs asking motorists to avoid allowing moose to lick the salt off their cars.

加拿大亞伯達省高山小鎮賈斯柏的官員們，已經張貼標語要求駕駛人不得允許駝鹿舔他們車外的鹽。

"They’re obsessed with salt, it’s one of the things they need for the minerals in their body," Jasper National Park spokesman Steve Young told CNN. "They usually get it from salt lakes in the park, but now they realized they can also get road salt that splashes onto cars."

「他們癡迷於鹽，鹽是其中一種牠們身體必需的礦物質」，賈斯柏國家公園發言人史蒂夫．楊告訴美國有線電視新聞網，「他們通常會從公園的湖鹽獲取它（礦物質），但現在他們知道，他們也能從濺在車上的路鹽得到」。

At the Jasper National Park, where people often park on the side of the road in hopes of catching a glimpse of the moose, letting the animals near your car is actually a serious danger.

賈斯柏國家公園內時常有人停車在路邊，希望能得到駝鹿的注意，但讓動物接近你的車，其實是非常危險的。

By allowing moose to lick the salt off your car, they will become habituated with being around cars. That poses a risk to both the animals and the drivers who can accidentally crash into them.

允許駝鹿舔你的車外的鹽，將會讓牠們習慣徘徊於車子旁邊。對動物及可能意外與牠們相撞的駕駛人都構成風險。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1422097

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