Killing one species to save another

by Phuong Le

As he stood amid the thick old-growth forests in the coastal range of Oregon, Dave Wiens was nervous. Before he trained to shoot his first barred owl, he had never fired a gun.

amid /əˈmɪd/ prep. 在…中
thick /θɪk/ adj. 浓密的、茂密的
old-growth （树等）生长了很长时间的
coastal /ˈkəʊst(ə)l/ adj. 海岸边的、沿海的（由coast加后缀-al变成形容词）
range /reɪndʒ/ n. 山脉
Oregon /ˈɒrɪɡən/ n. 俄勒冈（美国西北部的州）
barred owl /aʊl/ 条纹猫头鹰
fire /faɪə(r)/ v. 开枪

He eyed the big female owl, which perched（停歇） on a branch at just the right distance. Then he squeezed the trigger and the owl fell to the forest floor, its carcass（动物尸体） adding to a running tally（计数） of more than 2,400 barred owls killed so far in a controversial experiment by the U.S. government to test whether the northern spotted owl's rapid decline in the Pacific Northwest can be stopped by killing its aggressive East Coast cousin – the barred owl.

eye /aɪ/ v. 注视
squeeze /skwiːz/ v. 挤压
trigger /ˈtrɪɡə(r)/ n. （枪的）扳机
controversial /ˌkɒntrəˈvɜːʃ(ə)l/ adj. 有争议的
spotted owl 斑点猫头鹰
rapid /ˈræpɪd/ adj. 快速的、迅速的
decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ n./v. 减少
Pacific Northwest 指美国西北部靠太平洋的地区（俄勒冈州是其中一部分）
aggressive /əˈɡresɪv/ adj. 侵略性的
cousin /ˈkʌz(ə)n/ n. 近亲

Wiens is the son of a well-known ornithologist（鸟类学家） and grew up fascinated by birds, and his graduate research in owl interactions helped lay the groundwork for this tense moment. "It's a little distasteful（令人反感的） to go out killing owls to save another owl species," said Wiens. "Nonetheless, I also feel like from a conservation standpoint, our back was up against the wall.★ We knew that barred owls were outcompeting spotted owls and their populations were going haywire."

fascinated /ˈfæs(ə)neɪtɪd/ adj. 着迷的
graduate /ˈɡrædʒuət/ n. 大学毕业生（graduate research指大学毕业以后研究生阶段的研究项目）
interaction /ˌɪntəˈrækʃ(ə)n/ n. 相互作用
groundwork /ˈɡraʊndwɜːk/ n. 基础工作（由ground和work组成）
tense /tens/ adj. 让人紧张的
species /ˈspiːʃiːz/ n. 物种（单数和复数都是species）
nonetheless /ˌnʌnðəˈles/ adv. 尽管如此
conservation /ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 保护
standpoint /ˈstændpɔɪnt/ n. 立场、观点
★ 这句话里our back was up against the wall意思是我们已经无路可退了
outcompete /ˌaʊtkəmˈpiːt/ v. 在竞争中胜出（由compete加上表示胜过的前缀out-）
go haywire /ˈheɪwaɪə(r)/ 指失控

In almost all ways, the barred owl is the spotted owl's worst enemy: They reproduce more often, have more babies per year and eat the same prey, like squirrels（松鼠） and wood rats. And they now outnumber spotted owls in many areas of the native bird's historic range.

reproduce /ˌriːprəˈdjuːs/ v. 繁殖
prey /preɪ/ n. 猎物
outnumber /ˌaʊtˈnʌmbə(r)/ v. 数量超过（由number加上表示胜过的前缀out-）
native /ˈneɪtɪv/ adj. 原产地的、当地的
historic /hɪˈstɒrɪk/ adj. 有历史意义的

The federal government has been trying for decades to save the northern spotted owl, but the birds' population continued to decline. So in a last-ditch effort to see whether they can save spotted owls, federal officials are resorting to killing hundreds of federally protected barred owls.

federal /ˈfed(ə)r(ə)l/ adj. 联邦的
decade /ˈdekeɪd/ n. 十年
last-ditch 做最后努力的
official /əˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ n. 官员
resort to 诉诸于
federally /ˈfed(ə)rəli/ adv. 联邦范围地（由federal加后缀-ly变成副词）

Wiens, who works for the U.S. Geological Survey, now views his gun as "a research tool" in humankind's attempts to maintain biodiversity and rebalance the forest ecosystem. Because the barred owl has few predators in Northwest forests, he sees his team's role as apex（顶点） predator, acting as a cap on a population that doesn't have one.

U.S. Geological Survey 美国地质调查局
view /vjuː/ v. 看待
humankind /ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd/ n. 人类
maintain /meɪnˈteɪn/ v. 维护、维持
biodiversity /ˌbaɪəʊdaɪˈvɜːsəti/ n. 生物多样性（由diversity加上表示生物的前缀bio-）
rebalance /ˌriːˈbæl(ə)ns/ v. 再平衡、使重新平衡（由balance加上表示再次的前缀re-）
ecosystem /ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm/ n. 生态系统（由system加上表示生态的前缀eco-）
predator /ˈpredətə(r)/ n. 捕食者、天敌
act as 充当
cap /kæp/ n. 上限

Michael Harris, who directs the wildlife law program for Friends of Animals, thinks the government should focus on what humans are doing to the environment and protect habitats rather than scapegoating（使成为替罪羊） barred owls.

direct /dɪˈrekt/ v. 指挥、领导
program /ˈprəʊɡræm/ n. 计划、项目
focus on 聚焦于、专注于
habitat /ˈhæbɪtæt/ n. 栖息地

"Things were put into motion a century ago. We really have to let these things work themselves out," said Harris. "It's going to be very common with climate change. What are we going to do – pick and choose the winners?"

put into motion 启动、使逐步发展
work out 解决

Others just see a no-win situation. "A decision not to kill the barred owl is a decision to let the spotted owl go extinct," said Bob Sallinger, conservation director with the Audubon Society of Portland. "That's what we have to wrestle with."

extinct /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/ adj. 灭绝的
wrestle /ˈres(ə)l/ with 努力解决

英文原文节选自ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/owl-killings-spur-moral-questions-human-intervention-66276858