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Deer Cowboys to Help Kenting

Formosan sika deer are cute. Taiwan is lucky to have them. The last wild one
was seen about sixty years ago!
台灣很幸運，擁有可愛的梅花鹿。但是最後一隻野生的梅花鹿，生活在六十年前。之後就沒有再看見了。

About forty years ago, Kenting National Park got 22 Formosan sika deer from
the Taipei Zoo. Now there are 3,600 deer in the park!
台北動物園四十年前給了墾丁國家公園22隻梅花鹿。現在那裏已經有3,600隻梅花鹿！

But that is too many deer for the park. They chew on trees. They eat plants.
And wild dogs try to catch them. So the deer run to the road. Sometimes cars
hit them…
但梅花鹿太多了，造成麻煩。鹿會啃樹皮、吃植物，被野狗追趕的時候會跑到馬路上，有時候還會被汽車撞到。

Park workers want 50 deer to be taken to another park this year. The other
park has 20 deer!
公園的工作人員希望今年可以把50隻鹿送到另外一個公園，那裡現在只有20隻鹿。

But it is not easy to catch deer safely. And no one wants them to get hurt.
要安全地捕捉鹿並不容易，大家也不希望梅花鹿在這個過程中受傷！

So park workers are teaching some people how to catch a deer safely. These
people will throw a rope around the deer's neck. They will be deer cowboys!
工作人員教人如何安全捕捉梅花鹿。他們會用繩索套住鹿的脖子，就像牛仔一樣！

Deer will be taken to the other park every year. This is good for Kenting
National Park and the Formosan sika deer in both parks!
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Vocabulary
墾丁公園的梅花鹿數量太多，對當地的生態和遊客都造成困惱。

1. this year 今年。
So, are you planning another national park trip this year?
你今年打算去另外一個國家公園嗎?
Yeah! Hopefully one with fewer people this time. 是的，我希望這次人比較少。

2. too many 太多。
You went to Kenting last year, right? 你去年去墾丁，對吧?
I did… and way too many tourists there. 對，那兒的遊客實在太多了。

3. want 想要。
Maybe try one on an outlying island-like Penghu National Park.
也許你可以試試外島，例如澎湖國家公園。
I've always wanted to go fishing there! 我一直想去那裏釣魚!

4. catch 抓到。
Fishing? 釣魚? I don't know anything about that. 我對釣魚一無所知。
But sure, go catch a big one for me! 不過好啊，抓一條大的給我!

你拜訪過台灣哪些國家公園?
this year今年 too many太多 want想要 catch抓到
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Quiz

1. How many deer are in this park?
a. 22
b. 50
c. 3,600

2. What are park workers teaching some people to do?
a. Chew on trees
b. Catch deer
c. Catch wild dogs

3. Where will some deer be taken to?
a. Another park
b. The Taipei Zoo
c. Kenting National Park

Answers
1. c
2. b
3. a

________________________________

Hello and welcome back to a new episode of News Bites!

I'm Nancy Sun.

And I'm Allie Highsmith.

In this episode of News Bites, a new furry friend at the Taipei Zoo, and a
possum causes a double-take at an airport store.

And in today's News Flash, a phrase for being the leader.

All that and more coming up next!
________________________________

北市動物園迎接日本小貓熊茜茜
New Red Panda at the Taipei Zoo


The Taipei Zoo has some exciting news!

A new red panda has just arrived all the way from Japan!

Her name is "Qian Qian".

She arrived at the zoo last month.

What is a red panda?

Red pandas are small, furry animals with red-brown fur and a long fluffy tail.

They are very cute… but also very special.

They are endangered.

That means there are not many left in the wild.

Right now, Taipei Zoo has 9 red pandas.

That is 6 males and 3 females.

Some of them are getting older.

So the zoo needs a new red panda to help the group stay healthy and strong.

動物園說園內目前有9隻小貓熊，許多是家族成員，年齡也越來越大，需要新血緣來保持族群的健康。

Qian Qian was born in 2022 at Asahiyama Zoo.

She came to Taiwan to help the red pandas have babies in the future.

But for now, we can't see her yet.

First, Qian Qian needs to stay in a quiet place for about one month.

This is called quarantine.

It helps make sure she is healthy.

After that, she will slowly meet the other red pandas.

Then… she may come out to say hello!

Why are red pandas in danger?

In the wild, red pandas have a hard life.

Some people hunt them illegally (非法).

Also, their forest homes are being cut down.

Because of this, their numbers are going down.

非法盜獵、還有棲息地受破壞，造成小貓熊野外族群數量持續下降。

Zoos around the world are working together to help animals like red pandas.

They carefully choose which animals should have babies.

This helps keep the animals strong and healthy.

It also helps make sure there are many different families.

So next time you visit the zoo…

Keep your eyes open for Qian Qian!
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當玩具「活」起來：機場商店裡的負鼠奇遇
Possum Chills in Plush Toy Section at Airport Shop

Do you ever imagine your toys coming to life?

Well, something like that happened at a store in Australia!

At an airport in the city of Hobart...

There was a shop full of soft toy animals.

In one part of the shop, the shelves were full of animals found in Australia.

There were kangaroos, dingoes, and Tasmanian devils.

店裡有一區全是澳洲特有物種的絨毛玩具，有袋鼠，澳洲野狗，和袋獾。

But one animal was… different.

It was a real possum!

This was an Australian brushtail possum.

It's a small animal from Australia.

It has big, round eyes, soft fur, and a long bushy tail.

The possum is a nocturnal animal, which means it is active at night.

澳洲的刷尾負鼠是夜行性動物，他是天生的爬樹高手，有柔軟的灰色短毛，還有一根蓬鬆的長尾巴。

It likes to live in trees and eats leaves, fruit, and flowers.

So what was this possum doing in toy shop?

The possum sat very still.

But someone still noticed.

Travelers were in the shop, looking at the toys.

They saw the possum's eyes moving!

They told a worker in the shop.

At first the worker did not believe it.

But then they looked...

And realized there was a live possum in the store!

At first the possum looked pretty relaxed.

A worker took a video on their phone.

But the possum got a little scared.

Too many people were watching.

It ran out of the store.

Airport workers found the possum and helped it leave safely.

The good news?

The possum was not hurt.

No one knows how the animal got into the airport.

So the next time you see a toy...

Look closely.

It might not be a toy after all!
________________________________

So, in today's News Bites:

A new red panda has just arrived at the Taipei Zoo, all the way from Japan!

Right now, Taipei Zoo has 9 red pandas.

"Qian Qian" is going to help the group stay healthy and strong.

First, Qian Qian needs to stay in a quiet place for about one month.

This is called quarantine.

It helps make sure she is healthy.

After that, she will slowly meet the other red pandas.

Then… she may come out to say hello!

So next time you visit the zoo…

Keep your eyes open for Qian Qian!
________________________________

And,

A live Australian brushtail possum was found in an airport shop in Hobart.

It was sitting on a shelf full of plush toys.

The possum sat very still.

But someone still noticed.

Travelers were in the shop, looking at the toys.

They saw the possum's eyes moving!

The possum got a little scared and ran out of the store.

Airport workers found the possum and helped it leave safely.
________________________________

In this episode's News Flash, a phrase for being in charge.

"At the helm" means you are in charge. You are the leader!

A helm is the wheel on a ship.

The person holding the wheel drives the ship and decides where to go.

So, if you are "at the helm," you are the one steering and making decisions!

You often see this phrase in news stories about businesses, or even countries.

And now you know!
________________________________

If you have a fun fact or a joke you'd like to share with us, record your
message and send us your Bite-Sized Break to newsbites@icrt.com.tw, and you
might hear it in an episode!

We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!