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0Should we have zoos?
For many of us, our closest encounter with wild animals is at a zoo. These places allow us to observe the behaviours and characteristics of amazing creatures from big cats to tiny amphibians. It's an enjoyable and educational experience for us, but is it the best environment for the animals?
对我们许多人来说，与野生动物最亲密的接触是在动物园。这些地方让我们能够观察到从大型猫科动物到小型两栖动物等神奇生物的行为和特征。对我们来说，这是一次愉快而有教育意义的经历，但这对动物来说是最好的环境吗？
A long time ago, people could only see wild animals as stuffed dead exhibits in a museum. Later, live animals were captured by explorers, brought home and put on show to the public in menageries – animal welfare was not a priority. But modern zoos and wildlife parks have transformed the conditions and environments for animals, making bigger enclosures, removing bars, and, to some extent, mimicking their natural habitats.
很久以前，人们只能在博物馆里看到野生动物标本。后来，探险家将捕获的活动物带回家，在动物园向公众展示，此时动物福利并不被放在首位。但现代动物园和野生动物园已经改变了动物的生存条件和环境，建造了更大的围栏，拆除了栅栏，在某种程度上模仿了它们的自然栖息地。
Some people have questioned the cruelty of keeping animals captive and using them just for entertainment, but zoos are keen to show they are here to help wildlife by educating us about conservation. In the UK, the introduction of The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 also required zoos to educate the public. Well-managed zoos are now also involved in supporting and funding conservation programmes.
有些人质疑圈养动物并仅将其用于娱乐的残忍性，但动物园热衷于通过教育我们保护动物来表明他们在这里帮助野生动物。在英国，1981年《动物园许可法》的出台也要求动物园对公众进行教育。管理良好的动物园现在也参与支持和资助保护计划。
Probably the biggest claim from zoos today is that they help to protect species that are under threat in the wild due to climate change. Robert Young, Chair in Wildlife Conservation at Salford University says: "There are quite a lot of different species around the planet which we wouldn't have today if it wasn't for zoos." Some zoos have captive breeding programmes which help to preserve the future of species that would otherwise face extinction. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio recently praised Chester Zoo in the UK for its conservation work. It brought a "rare fish species back from the dead" after breeding and releasing a school of golden skiffia fish back into their native river.
如今，动物园最大的功劳可能就是帮助保护因气候变化而在野外受到威胁的物种。索尔福德大学野生动物保护系主任罗伯特·扬说：“如果没有动物园，我们今天就不会拥有地球上如此多不同的物种。一些动物园有圈养繁殖计划，这有助于保护那些或将面临灭绝的物种的未来。演员莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥最近称赞了英国切斯特动物园的保护工作。该动物园在繁殖并放生了一群金鲷鱼后，让一种 “稀有鱼类起死回生”，回到了它们的原生河流中。
While the debate about having zoos continues, new opportunities to meet wildlife are being explored, such as using virtual reality, and Jon Coe, a zoo designer, told the BBC: "Taking a walk through a herd of elephants in the Serengeti, I think, is going to be possible pretty soon."
虽然关于动物园的争论仍在继续，但人们正在探索新的机会，比如使用虚拟现实，动物园设计师乔恩·科告诉BBC:“我认为，在塞伦盖蒂的一群大象中散步，很快就会成为可能。”
词汇表
encounter 不期而遇，偶然相遇
creature 动物，生物
big cat 大型猫科动物
amphibian 两栖动物
environment 环境
stuffed （动物）制成标本的
menagerie （供私人收藏或公众观赏的）野生动物园
animal welfare 动物保护
wildlife park 野生动物园
enclosure 围场
natural habitat 自然栖息地
captive 圈养的
conservation （动物）保护
fund 资助
species 物种
in the wild 在野生环境中
breeding （动物）繁殖，饲养
extinction 灭绝
golden skiffia 弗氏斯基法鳉
native 原地的，土生的
herd 兽群
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