Animals Frolic1 in the Absence of Humans 人类缺席的日子里嬉戏的动物们

Ariel Kim 颜丹

The COVID-19 pandemic2 has changed life. Millions of people worldwide are now under mandatory3 or voluntary lockdowns. All public attractions， including museums and aquariums4， are closed， and the usually crowded streets of popular tourist destinations are desolate5. During these challenging times for humans， many of the Earths other inhabitants6 are finally getting a chance to leave their normal habitats and roam freely.

The first animals to take advantage of human absence were Annie and Edward， two rockhopper penguins who reside7 at Chicagos Shedd Aquarium. A video released on March 15， 2020， showed the couple eagerly waddling around， exploring the aquariums various exhibits. The video， which at once went viral8， inspired other institutions to share clips of their four-legged residents9 frolicking as well.

On March 18， 2020， SUE the Tyrannosaurus-rex10 was seen stomping across the marble11 floors of Chicagos Field Museum to get a closer look at the penguins. When reached for comment， SUE said， “This is the moment I have been waiting for. The museum is mine to roam.”

However， rest assured12 the dinosaur was not the real SUE—the worlds best-preserved and most complete T. Rex skeleton13—but a costumed version created by the institutions social media team.

The Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio joined the fun trend on March 16， 2020， with a live-stream series—the first starring its cute baby hippo， Fiona. “Let us help make your childrens hiatus14 from school fun and educational，” zoo officials announced on Facebook. “Join us each weekday at 3 p.m.， where we will highlight one of our amazing animals and include an activity you can do from home.”

Meanwhile， the San Diego Zoo， Safari Park， and the Monterey Aquarium have kept their webcams rolling， allowing fans to enjoy colorful jellyfishes， lovable sleeping koalas without leaving home.

Animals in the wild are also flourishing15 as humans stay indoors. The absence of cruise ships is bringing large numbers of dolphins to the Italian port of Cagliari， while flocks of wild turkeys are happily roaming the streets of Oakland， California. In San Felipe， Panama， a group of raccoons16 have frequently been seen testing their surfing skills at the areas beautiful beaches.

Though the animals indeed appear to be having a good time， the heartwarming videos and images shared on social media， are also bringing much-needed cheer to millions of humans worldwide.

Stay strong and healthy！ We are all in this together！

新型冠狀病毒肺炎（COVID-19）的大流行已经改变了人们的生活。全世界数以百万计的人现在处于强制或自愿的禁闭状态。包括博物馆和水族馆在内的所有公共景点都关闭了，通常拥挤不堪的热门旅游目的地的街道也变得荒凉无人。在人类面临挑战的这一时候，地球上的许多其他居民终于有机会离开它们平常的栖息地，自由漫步。

最早从人类缺席中抓住机会的动物是安妮和爱德华，它们是两只生活在芝加哥谢德水族馆的跳岩企鹅。2020年3月15日发布的一段视频显示，这对企鹅急切地四处游荡，探索水族馆的各个展区。这段视频立即走红，并启发了其他机构分享他们四条腿的居民嬉戏的片段。

2020年3月18日，人们看到霸王龙苏跺着脚在芝加哥菲尔德博物馆的大理石地板上走来走去，仔细观察企鹅。当联系到苏对此事发表评论时，苏回答说：“这是我一直在等待的时刻。我可以在这个博物馆自由漫游了。”

不过，请放心，这只恐龙并不是真正的苏（世界上保存最完整的霸王龙骨架），而是该机构社交媒体团队制作的服装造型。

2020年3月16日，俄亥俄州的辛辛那提动物园加入了这个有趣的潮流，开展了一个直播系列——第一个由其可爱的小河马菲奥娜主播。“让我们帮助你的孩子们，让他们在学校停课的间歇时间变得有趣和有教育意义。”动物园官员在“脸书”上宣布，“每个工作日的下午3点来加入我们吧，我们将重点介绍我们的一种神奇动物，还有你可以在家里进行的活动。”

与此同时，圣迭戈动物园、野生动物园和蒙特利水族馆的网络摄像头一刻不停，让粉丝们足不出户就能欣赏到五颜六色的水母、睡着的可爱考拉等。

当人类待在室内时，野生动物也在繁衍生息。由于没有游轮，大批海豚来到意大利卡利亚里港，而成群的野生火鸡正在加利福尼亚州奥克兰的街道上愉快地游荡着。在巴拿马的圣菲利佩，经常有一群浣熊在该地区美丽的海滩上测试它们的冲浪技能。

虽然这些动物看起来确实玩得很开心，但在社交媒体上分享的暖心视频和图片，也给全球数百万人带来了急需的欢乐气氛。

保持强壮和健康！我们都在一起！

（英语原文选自：www.dogonews.com）

【Notes】

1. frolic [     ] v. 嬉戏 2. pandemic [     ] n. （全国或全球性）流行病

3. mandatory [     ] adj. 强制的;命令的

4. aquarium [     ] n. 水族馆 5. desolate [     ] adj. 荒凉的;无人烟的

6. inhabitant [     ] n. 居民;居住者7. reside [     ] vi. 住，居住;属于

8. viral [     ] adj. 病毒性的  go viral 像病毒般扩散;走红

9. resident [     ] n. 居民 10. Tyrannosaurus-rex 雷克斯霸王龙（恐龙名称）

11. marble [     ] adj. 大理石的 12. rest assured 放心;确信无疑

13. skeleton [     ] n. 骨架，骨骼 14. hiatus [     ] n. 裂隙，脱漏部分;间断

15. flourish [     ] v. 繁荣;茁壮成长，处于旺盛时期

16. raccoon [     ] n. 浣熊