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| The world's first elephant
treadmill reaches speeds of up to eight
miles-per-hour. | |
Anchorage zookeepers are installing a 16,000-pound (7.3-ton) treadmill
to keep an isolated elephant from getting fat during the long, cold
Alaskan winters.
The 20-foot(6-meter)-long treadmill was designed specifically for
Maggie, a 23-year-old female African elephant that has become the subject
of a national debate over the proper care for captive pachyderms .
"It looks just like a big people treadmill," said Patrick Lampi,
assistant director of the Alaska Zoo.
Because this is the first treadmill ever built for an elephant, zoo
officials and an Idaho company studied mining equipment and treadmills
used for race horses, Lampi said.
Zookeepers said Zimbabwe-born Maggie would start using the treadmill in
about two months.
The zoo is remodeling her indoor and outdoor spaces, making both about
twice as large as before and adding a sandy area. In addition, the floor
has been heated and the zoo is evaluating ways to make it softer, Lampi
said.
Critics from Anchorage and around the nation have urged the zoo to send
Maggie to an elephant sanctuary in a warmer climate and away from
the near-Arctic zoo.
Elephants, particularly females, are herd creatures and need company,
critics have said. But Maggie's companion, an Asian elephant named
Annabelle, died in 1997.
Maggie's weight-loss program started more than a year ago, Lampi said,
"She was slightly heavy for an elephant."
With diet modifications and new exercise inducements, such as hiding
food in baskets and other sites that require some work to reach, Maggie
has slimmed down a bit and is now believed to weigh a little over 8,000
pounds (3.6 tonnes).
"We estimate that she lost maybe 1,000 pounds (454 kg)," Lampi
said.
(Agencies) |
美國(guó)阿拉斯加州南部港口城市安克雷奇動(dòng)物園的工作人員們正在安裝一臺(tái)重1.6萬(wàn)磅（7.3噸）的巨型跑步機(jī)，用來(lái)幫助一頭孤獨(dú)的大象在阿拉斯加漫長(zhǎng)而寒冷的冬季保持“身材”。
這臺(tái)長(zhǎng)20英尺（6米）的跑步機(jī)是專(zhuān)門(mén)為動(dòng)物園中一頭名叫麥吉的23歲雌性非洲象設(shè)計(jì)的。最近，全美都在討論如何正確對(duì)待豢養(yǎng)在動(dòng)物園里的大象，而被討論的主角正是麥吉。
“這臺(tái)大象跑步機(jī)看上去就是普通跑步機(jī)的超大版。”阿拉斯加動(dòng)物園副園長(zhǎng)帕特里克·蘭皮說(shuō)。
這是迄今為止為大象建造的第一臺(tái)跑步機(jī)，所以在設(shè)計(jì)的過(guò)程中，動(dòng)物園的管理人員和美國(guó)愛(ài)達(dá)荷州的一家公司一起仔細(xì)研究了采礦設(shè)備和賽馬使用的跑步機(jī)的構(gòu)造，蘭皮說(shuō)。
動(dòng)物園的管理者們說(shuō)這頭出生在津巴布韋的大象麥吉將在大約兩個(gè)月之后開(kāi)始使用這臺(tái)巨型跑步機(jī)。
動(dòng)物園為此特地對(duì)麥吉的生活空間進(jìn)行了改造，把室內(nèi)和室外空間都擴(kuò)大了一倍，還增加了一塊沙地。另外，動(dòng)物園還對(duì)地板進(jìn)行了加熱，并想辦法讓地板變得更軟一些，蘭皮說(shuō)。
安克雷奇市和美國(guó)全國(guó)各地的批評(píng)家們強(qiáng)烈要求動(dòng)物園把麥吉送到氣候更溫暖的動(dòng)物保護(hù)區(qū)去，不要在這個(gè)靠近北極的動(dòng)物園過(guò)冬。
有批評(píng)說(shuō)，大象，特別是母象，是群居類(lèi)動(dòng)物，它們需要和同伴們?cè)谝黄穑躯溂陌閭H，一頭名叫Annabella的亞洲象已經(jīng)在1997年去世了。
一年多前，麥吉開(kāi)始了減肥。蘭皮說(shuō)：“作為一頭大象，它稍微有點(diǎn)超重。”
動(dòng)物園修改了馬吉的食譜，并用新方法促進(jìn)它多多運(yùn)動(dòng)。比如，把食物藏在需要麥吉費(fèi)點(diǎn)勁才能夠著的籃子里或其他地方。麥吉已經(jīng)瘦了一點(diǎn)，它現(xiàn)在大約有8000磅（3.6噸）多一點(diǎn)。
“我們估計(jì)它的體重可能減了1000磅（454公斤），”蘭皮說(shuō)。
（中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)站 薛曉文譯） |
Updated: 2005-09-19 09:31
