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Many Christians give up meat for Lent, a practice that indirectly affects…hyenas, believe it or not.
許多基督徒在大齋節期間會放棄食用肉類。不論你信與不信，這對鬣狗產生了間接的影響。
In northern Ethiopia, hyenas have become accustomed to scavenging meat that humans throw away. However, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians go vegan for the 55 days before Easter.
在埃塞俄比亞北部，那里的鬣狗已習慣了尋找人類扔掉的腐肉。然而，埃塞俄比亞的東正教徒在復活節前的55天里是嚴格的素食主義者。
Scientists wondered whether the human dietary change affected the behavior of local hyenas. At three different sites where hyenas scavenge from humans, the researchers swept up hyena droppings. They collected samples as the fast began, when it ended 55 days later and then again 55 days after the regular diet resumed.
科學家想知道人類飲食的變化是否影響到了當地鬣狗的覓食。在鬣狗尋覓人類棄肉的三個不同的地點，研究人員采集了鬣狗的糞便。他們在大齋節開始之時收集糞便樣本，大齋節結束55天之后收集一次，在人類恢復正常飲食55天之后再收集一次。
Based on animal fur found in the scat, the researchers discovered that the hyenas hunt more during Lent, when meaty leftovers from human meals are scarcer. Which is bad news for donkeys.
根據在鬣狗糞便中發現的動物皮毛，研究人員判斷，鬣狗在大齋節期間會大量捕獵——這是因為人類所丟掉的肉類極其匱乏的緣故。這對鬣狗的食物野驢而言可不是個好消息。
Before Lent, about 15 percent of hair in hyena scat samples came from hunted donkeys. During Lent, the number more than doubled. And donkey meals decreased again after the end of Lent. That’s when the people resume eating meat and the hyenas go back to scavenging free lunches—giving the hyenas the last laugh, while the donkeys breathe a sigh of relief.
在大齋節之前，鬣狗糞便中約15％的皮毛來自野驢。大齋節期間，這個比例增加了一倍以上。大齋期結束之后，野驢作為鬣狗食物的比例又大大降低。這是因為人類恢復了吃肉，鬣狗又有了免費的午餐。鬣狗笑到了最后，而野驢也可舒口氣了。
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