英國的天鵝總是排成一行

英國的天鵝總是排成一行

Every year for five days, all the swans and young cygnets belonging to Queen Elizabeth II are counted, checked and tagged along the river Thames.

每年有五天，所有屬于伊麗莎白女王二世的天鵝和小天鵝都會在泰晤士河沿岸被清點、檢查和標記。

No one knows for certain when the ceremony first began, according to the event's official educational brochure, but the earliest written record of the swan as a royal bird dates to 1186. Originally the event was a ritual to keep track of breeding stock and to ensure there were sufficient birds for feasting, but now the process is more about conservation, reports The Guardian.

根據(jù)該活動的官方教育手冊，沒有人確切地知道儀式什么時候開始的，但天鵝作為皇家鳥類的最早書面記錄可以追溯到1186年。據(jù)《衛(wèi)報》報道，最初，這項活動是一種儀式，目的是跟蹤繁殖的鳥類數(shù)量，確保有足夠的鳥來享用大餐，但現(xiàn)在這個過程更多的是為了保護鳥類。

"Today the English crown retains the right to ownership of all unmarked swans in open water, although in practice this privilege is only exercised by the queen on certain stretches of the Thames," Reuters reports.

據(jù)路透社報道:“如今，英國王室保留了所有在公開水域中沒有標記的天鵝的所有權(quán)，盡管實際上只有女王在泰晤士河的某些河段才行使這項特權(quán)。”

Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Now swan upping takes place annually the third week in July. Dressed in scarlet red uniforms, swan uppers ride down the river in wooden skiffs until they locate a brood of mute swans (a species of swan). They slowly surround the birds with their boats until they can be lifted from the water. The swans and cygnets are taken ashore where they are weighed, measured and checked for disease and injury.

現(xiàn)在每年7月的第三周，天鵝的數(shù)量就會上升。穿著鮮紅色制服的天鵝管理人員乘著木船順河而下，直到他們找到一窩沉默的天鵝(天鵝的一種)。他們用小船慢慢地把鳥圍起來，直到把它們從水里拉上來。天鵝和小天鵝被帶到岸上，在那里它們被稱重，測量和檢查疾病和傷害。

“We will lift the whole family out of the water, we will take them ashore, we weigh them, measure them and check them for any injuries,” David Barber, the queen’s official swan marker, told Reuters. “You have a population of swans that hasn’t changed much since the mid 1800s.”

女王的官方天鵝標記員大衛(wèi)·巴伯在接受路透社采訪時表示:“我們將把它們?nèi)胰藦乃锾С鰜?，帶它們上岸，我們會給它們稱重、測量并檢查它們是否受傷。自19世紀中期以來，天鵝的數(shù)量沒有多大變化。”

Barber told Reuters he would be pleased if they found about 100 cygnets this year.

巴伯告訴路透社，如果他們今年能找到大約100只小天鵝，他會很高興。

Now and throughout the year, injured or sick swans are rescued and cared for, then re-released after they are treated.

現(xiàn)在和全年，受傷或生病的天鵝被拯救和照顧，然后在它們被治好后重新釋放。

"Life for swans on the Thames is not easy," says the swan upping guide. Aquatic vegetation can be scarce and it is often difficult for swans to feed on the riverbank. In addition, the birds face threats from fishing tackle, overhead wires, oil pollution, vandalism, dog attacks and shootings.

“天鵝在泰晤士河上的生活并不容易，”《天鵝上浮指南》說。水生植物很稀少，天鵝很難在河岸上覓食。此外，這些鳥類還面臨著來自漁具、架空電線、石油污染、故意破壞、狗攻擊和槍擊的威脅。

Barber tells The Guardian he hopes the annual event will draw attention to threats to these young swans.

巴伯在接受《衛(wèi)報》采訪時表示，他希望這項一年一度的活動能引起人們對這些年輕天鵝所面臨威脅的關注。