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18. Hot Animals Around the World: The Koala
世界熱門動物：考拉
Why are all those people standing in line in the hot sun at the zoo?
那些人為什么頂著大太陽在動物園排隊呢？
Maybe the zoo just opened a koala exhibit.
也許是該動物園新推出考拉展吧。
With the survival rate of native Australian koalas on the rise, more and more zoos around the world are adding a "koala house" or "koala exhibit" to their roster of special animals.
隨著澳洲原產地考拉存活率的上升，世界各地有愈來愈多的動物園正在他們的奇特動物名單上增加一項“考拉館”或“考拉展”。
And the people keep coming, whether merely to catch a glimpse of one or, if really lucky at zoos which permit it, to hold and be photographed with one.
而人潮不斷涌入，不管是僅僅為了看一眼無尾熊也好，或者如果幸運的話，有些動物園還準許游客抱著考拉拍照。
Why are koalas among the most beloved of all animals?
為何考拉會在最受喜愛的動物名單中呢？
At times referred to as "koala bear," this Australian marsupial is not a bear at all.
雖然有時被稱為“考拉熊”，這種澳洲有袋動物卻根本不是熊。
It is one of the few tailless mammals besides the apes and man.
它是除了猿猴和人類以外，少數沒有尾巴的哺乳動物之一。
Yet apes are not often considered cuddly;
然而猿猴通常不被認為適合摟抱；
indeed, they are often feared for being either too large or too naughty.
的確，它們常因體型太大或太頑劣而令人害怕。
This Australian real-life teddy bear, instead, is the best of all worlds:
反觀這種澳洲活生生的玩具熊在各種動物世界中是最棒的：
it is quiet, soft, neither too large nor too small (adults are usually 65 to 80 cm. long), and really cuddly!
它安靜、柔軟、體型不大也不小（成年無尾熊身長通常為65～80公分）而且非常適合摟抱！
With its soft fur, leathery nose, rounded ears, and big eyes, most people seem to melt when near one.
有著柔軟的毛皮、皮革般的鼻子、圓圓的耳朵和大眼睛，大部分的人一靠近考拉心都軟了起來。
Its disposition is perfect for children and adults alike; it rarely makes a fuss, even when being held.
它的性情非常適合小孩以及大人，即使被抱住也很少會亂動。
(Try that with a baby tiger!)
（你去抱一只小老虎試試看！）
No wonder the lines to see, hold, or just touch the koalas are always among the longest at zoos.
難怪動物園里要去看、抱或只是摸一下考拉的隊伍總是大排長龍。
One reason zoos today are able to keep koalas is the rise in the koala population in its native habitat, the eucalyptus forests of southeastern Australia.
今天動物園能夠豢養考拉的原因之一是原產地——亦即澳洲東南部的尤加利樹森林——的考拉數量增加了。
This nation, famous for its unique fauna and flora, is now allowing applications for the professional export of its protected species to overseas zoological gardens.
該國以出產獨特動物群和植物群聞名，如今開放專業申請將其保育類動物出口到海外的動物園去。
Once hunted for its fur, this arboreal leaf-eater is today protected by stringent laws and is making a slow but steady comeback.
這種以樹為家的吃葉族曾經因其毛皮而遭獵捕，如今因受到嚴格法令的保護，其數量成長正慢慢地回穩。
Indeed, everything about the koala seems slow.
的確，考拉的一切似乎都很慢。
It sleeps more than 12 hours a day (often much more), eats only choice leaves from eucalyptus trees
它一天睡超過12小時（往往還更多），只選擇吃尤加利樹的葉子
(which can now be grown in many zoos to provide the more than one kilogram of leaves that each adult koala needs per day),
（許多動物園現在可以在園內種植尤加利樹，以供應成年考拉一天超過1公斤以上的葉子需要量），
and rarely if at all descends to the ground because it is such a slow runner (from wild Australian dogs called dingoes or from human hunters).
而且它幾乎很少下到地面上來，因為它跑得很慢（躲不過叫做 "dingo" 的澳洲野犬或獵人）。
As koalas are such a great draw for visitors, many zoos are trying to include them among their species.
由于考拉對參觀者有那么大的吸引力，許多動物園都設法要把它們列進他們的動物種類里面。
Mother koalas give birth to babies only every other year.
母考拉每兩年才生產一次。
These young ones, as with other marsupials, spend a period of time inside the mother's "pouch" before venturing out into the world.
小考拉就像其它有袋動物一樣，在進入這世界冒險之前會先在母親的“袋子”里待上一段時間。
In the case of the koala, this pouch is located below and in back of the mother;
就考拉來說，袋子位于母親的背后下方，
the small koalas can climb out directly from the pouch and onto the mother's back before learning to feed and fend for themselves.
在學會覓食和獨立以前，小考拉可以從袋里出來直接爬到母親的背上。
With all other marsupials, the pouch is located in the front,
其它有袋動物的袋子則位于前面——
perhaps most famously with the kangaroo, where the "joey" can sometimes be seen popping its head out of its soft, warm pouch to survey the world about it safely.
最有名的也許是袋鼠了——有時可以看見小家伙從它柔軟而溫暖的袋子里探出頭來，安全地瀏覽周遭的世界。
Until the 1980s, zoologists feared that the koala might go the way of some other rare marsupials.
一直到80年代，動物學家們都還很擔心考拉可能會步上其它一些稀少有袋動物的后塵。
Just as their eucalyptus habitat was being destroyed to make room for the ever-increasing suburban Australians, diseases peculiar to koalas began to take their toll.
正當牠們的尤加利樹棲息地遭砍伐以容納一直增加的澳洲郊區居民的同時，考拉特有的疾病也開始大量削減它們的數量。
Combined with weak or non-existent laws against the hunting or poaching of this national treasure, the koala seemed doomed to extinction.
再加上禁止捕殺或偷獵這種國寶級動物的法令形同虛設，考拉在當時似乎是注定要滅絕了。
Today, the koala has climbed back from the brink of extinction and is thriving again.
今天，考拉從絕種邊緣爬了回來并且再度繁衍。
Its main enemy today is forest fires.
如今它的主要敵人是森林火災，
This slow-moving mammal cannot move quickly enough to escape the deadly fires which perennially ravage the land.
這種行動遲緩的哺乳動物跑得不夠快，無法逃過那些不斷破壞土地的致命火災。
With more land being set aside to protect this and other Australian species, however, the future of much of this special land's animal wealth seems secure.
然而，隨著更多土地被預留下來保護諸如此類的澳洲動物，這塊特殊土地上的大部分動物財富前景似乎很樂觀。
All animals deserve man's protection, but some animals seem to attract the attention they need.
所有的動物都應該受人類保護，但似乎只有一些動物能引起它們所需要的關注。
The koala, one of the symbols of the great Down Under, is one of these.
考拉，這澳洲大地的象征之一即為其中一例。
Holding a koala is fun, educational, and inspiring.
抱著考拉很好玩、而且也具教育性和啟發性。
If Australians could co-operate to save this special species, mankind should be able to prevent the extinction of all other animals, too.
如果澳洲人可以通力合作拯救這種特別的動物，那么人類也應該能夠避免所有其它動物的滅亡。
