澳洲抗旱，殃及袋鼠

张祖平

Australia relaxed rules about shooting kangaroos in New South Wales as the state was declared “100% in drought” after months of little or no rain.

Less than 10 millimeters of rain fell in the state in July， 2018， the fifth-driest on record， putting further pressure on dwindling1 food supplies for cattle that can no longer graze2 on parched3 land.

“This is tough， there isnt a person in the state that isnt hoping to see some rain for our farmers and regional communities，” Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said in a statement.

Large numbers of kangaroos have been competing with cattle for food and water， a situation Blair said must be turned around “as soon as possible”.

“Many farmers are taking livestock4 off their paddocks5， only to then see kangaroos move in and take whatever is left—this is the last thing any farmer needs at the moment，” Blair said.

澳大利亞放宽了在新南威尔士州射杀袋鼠的法规，因为历经几个月的几乎无降雨后，该州宣布“处于百分之百的干旱中”。

2018年七月，该州降雨量不足10毫米，是有记录以来的第五大干旱，这给日益减少的牲畜食物供给增加了压力，这些牲畜无法在枯焦的土地上吃到草。

“这种处境很艰难，这个州的人们没有哪一个不希望看到农民和各地能有一些雨水。”产业部部长尼尔·布莱尔在一份声明中说。

大量的袋鼠一直在与牛群争夺食物和水，布莱尔说，必须“尽快”扭转这种局面。

布莱尔说：“许多农民正在把牲畜带离牧场，却看到了袋鼠蜂拥而至，吃光了一切——这是目前任何农民都最不想见到的情况。”

Shocked and Upset Farmers

Australia has long dealt with harsh， dry conditions， especially inland， away from coastal areas popular with tourists. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said conditions were so bad that the country had to accept it was a “land of drought and flooding rains”.

The drought may be Australias worst in 400 years， according to a recent University of Melbourne study， which reconstructed6 800 years of seasonal patterns.

The drought has hit farmers particularly hard， with crop， water， and fodder7 shortages putting their livelihoods8 at risk. Unable to feed their livestock， many have been forced to sell or slaughter9 stock， sending the cattle industry into a decline10 that could take years to recover.

Others have had to bulldoze11 orchards12 or lose their farms， leaving entire families without income， according to Australian media.

There has also been a growing national conversation about the mental health toll13 that the drought has had on farmers. Young farmers under 35 are especially vulnerable to stress and negative effects of droughts， researchers at the University of Newcastle said in a recent study.

Turnbull addressed those concerns， announcing relief measures for farmers including extra money for mental health support services.