VOA慢速英語：波蘭研究所稱貓是“外來入侵物種”

A respected Polish scientific institute has classified common house cats as "invasive alien species." The institute did this because of the damage cats cause to birds and other wildlife.
一家受人尊敬的波蘭科學研究所將普通家貓歸類為“外來入侵物種”。理由是因為貓對鳥類和其他野生動物造成的損害。
 
Some cat lovers have reacted emotionally to the decision. The strong reactions have put the main scientist behind the decision on the defensive.
一些愛貓人士對這個決定做出了情緒化的反應。強烈的反應使主要科學家采取了防御性決定。
 
Wojciech Solarz is a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences. The academy's Institute of Nature Conservation runs a database of invasive alien species.
沃伊切赫·索拉茲是波蘭國立科學院自然保護研究所的生物學家。該學院的自然保護研究所運營著一個外來入侵物種數(shù)據(jù)庫。
 
He said he was surprised by the public reaction following the addition of Felis catus in the database. Felis catus is the scientific name for the common house cat.
他說他對在數(shù)據(jù)庫中添加 Felis catus 后公眾的反應感到驚訝。Felis catus 是普通家貓的學名。
 
The database already had 1,786 other species listed with no objections, Solarz told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
索拉茲周二告訴美聯(lián)社，該數(shù)據(jù)庫已經(jīng)有1786個其他物種，沒有反對意見。
 
The public anger, he said, may have come from the media. Some media reports may have misinformed people that the institute is calling for wild and domestic cats to be killed.
他說，公眾的憤怒可能源于一些媒體錯誤報道，如該研究所正在呼吁殺死野貓和家貓。
 
Solarz described the growing scientific belief that domestic cats harm biodiversity. This is because of the number of birds and mammals that cats hunt and kill.
據(jù)索拉茲描述，在科學角度，因為家貓獵殺的鳥類和哺乳動物數(shù)量眾多，所以家貓會損害生物多樣性。
 
The criteria for including the cat among alien invasive species, "are 100% met by the cat," he said.
他說，在外來入侵物種的標準上“貓100%滿足”。
 
On a recent television show aired by independent broadcaster TVN, Solarz debated a veterinarian on the issue. The veterinarian, or animal doctor, was Dorota Suminska. She is the writer of a book called The Happy Cat.
在最近由獨立廣播公司TVN播出的電視節(jié)目中，索拉茲就這個問題與一位獸醫(yī)多羅塔·蘇明斯卡進行了辯論。她是《快樂的貓咪》一書的作者。
 
She challenged Solarz's belief that cats are dangerous to wildlife. She pointed to other causes of decreasing biodiversity. These causes include a polluted environment and city buildings that can kill birds in flight.
她對索拉茲認為貓對野生動物很危險的觀點表示質疑。并指出了影響生物多樣性的其他原因，包括環(huán)境污染問題和城市建筑外墻導致的鳥類死亡。
 
"Ask if man is on the list of non-invasive alien species," Suminska said. She argued that cats were being unfairly blamed.
“請問人類是否在非侵入性外來物種名單上。”蘇明斯卡說。她認為貓受到了不公平的指責。
 
Solarz argued that cats kill about 140 million birds in Poland each year.
索拉茲則反駁說，貓每年在波蘭殺死大約1.4億只鳥。
 
The Polish Academy institute published a post on its website seeking to clear up its position on the issue. The institute said it was "opposed to any cruelty towards animals." It also argued that its classification was in line with European Union guidelines.
波蘭科學院研究所在網(wǎng)站上發(fā)表了一篇文章，試圖澄清其在這個問題上的立場。該研究所表示，它“反對任何虐待動物的行為”。它還辯稱其分類符合歐盟的指導方針。
 
As far as categorizing cats as "alien," the institute noted that Felis catus was domesticated around 10,000 years ago by ancient civilizations in the Middle East. That means that cats are not native to Europe from a scientific point of view.
至于將貓歸類為“外來物種”，該研究所指出，貓貓是在大約一萬年前被中東古代文明馴化的。從科學的角度來看，貓并非原產于歐洲。
 
The institute also suggested that cat owners should limit the time their pets spend outdoors during bird mating season.
該研究所還強調，他們只是建議貓主人在鳥類繁殖季節(jié)限制寵物在戶外的時間，僅此而已。
 
I'm Anna Matteo.
安娜·馬特奧報道。