在這個(gè)動物保護(hù)區(qū)，成年人可以和小水獺一起游泳

在這個(gè)動物保護(hù)區(qū)，成年人可以和小水獺一起游泳，照片很可愛

Barn Hill Preserve organizes guided encounter tours, lets its visitors hang out with sloths, and… swim with otters. That’s right, if you’re stressed out from working long hours or the mundane routine that is everyday life and are thinking to yourself, “What could make me feel more relaxed?” Chilling with Asian small-clawed otters in a pool is the answer.

巴恩山保護(hù)區(qū)組織導(dǎo)游，讓游客和樹懶一起玩，和水獺一起游泳。沒錯(cuò)，如果你因?yàn)殚L時(shí)間的工作或日常生活中的瑣事而倍感壓力，并對自己說:“有什么能讓我更放松呢?”答案是和亞洲小爪水獺一起泡在游泳池里。

The participants must be at least 16 years and are required to sign a waiver before their experience. “We are a federally licensed facility in Ethel, Louisiana. Our otter swims are a very limited experience as we don’t provide many,” the President/CEO of Barn Hill Preserve, John “Gabe” Ligon, told Bored Panda. “The swim experience includes a tour of the preserve which includes African servals, red kangaroos, and a climate-controlled sloth exhibit.”

參加者必須至少年滿16歲，并須簽署一份棄權(quán)書，方可獲得經(jīng)驗(yàn)。“我們是路易斯安那州埃塞爾市的一家聯(lián)邦許可機(jī)構(gòu)。我們的水獺游泳是非常有限的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，因?yàn)槲覀儾惶峁┖芏啵?rdquo;總統(tǒng)/巴恩山保護(hù)區(qū)首席執(zhí)行官，約翰“蓋比”利岡告訴Bored Panda。“游泳體驗(yàn)包括參觀保護(hù)區(qū)，包括非洲驢、紅袋鼠和氣候控制的樹懶展覽。”

The otter swim portion of the tour includes time for changing clothes, orientation, and swimming with the otters. It lasts for approximately 1 hour. The average time otters swim in the pool is 35 minutes. The number of otter swims is limited so that this remains a very positive experience for them.

水獺游泳部分的旅游包括更換衣服，定位，并與水獺游泳。大約持續(xù)1個(gè)小時(shí)。水獺在游泳池里游泳的平均時(shí)間是35分鐘。水獺游泳的數(shù)量是有限的，所以這對它們來說仍然是一個(gè)非常積極的體驗(yàn)。

However, the preserve does much more. “We also provide a home for animals, including a large group of free-flying macaws,” Ligon said. “These macaws have lifespans of up to 80 years and possess intelligence that compares with human toddlers. We help these birds learn to fly so they can live out their 80 years in the Louisiana countryside. We hope that seeing these birds fly in a flock, will inspire people to help protect their wild cousins, who are rapidly losing land to human development. Some animals are owner surrenders, while others are planned acquisitions from Federally licensed facilities.”

然而，保護(hù)區(qū)的作用要大得多。“我們還為動物提供了一個(gè)家，包括一大群自由飛翔的金剛鸚鵡，”利貢說。“這些金剛鸚鵡的壽命可達(dá)80歲，其智力可與人類幼兒媲美。我們幫助這些鳥學(xué)習(xí)飛行，這樣它們就可以在路易斯安那州的鄉(xiāng)下生活80年。我們希望看到這些鳥成群飛翔，能夠激勵(lì)人們幫助保護(hù)它們的野生近親，因?yàn)槿祟惖陌l(fā)展正使它們迅速失去土地。一些動物是主人的投降，而另一些則是計(jì)劃從聯(lián)邦政府許可的設(shè)施收購。”

Coming back to the otter swim, the activity is only scheduled once per day and only a few days per week. “Guests enter the pool, and the otters are introduced for playtime. If they want to play with enrichment toys on the deck, that’s their choice. Our otters are never forced to do anything, the entire experience is completely positive,” Ligon explained.

回到水獺游泳，活動每天只有一次，每周只有幾天?？腿藗冞M(jìn)入水池，水獺就會被帶進(jìn)來玩耍。如果他們想在甲板上玩濃縮玩具，那是他們的選擇。我們的水獺從來沒有被強(qiáng)迫做任何事情，整個(gè)體驗(yàn)是完全積極的，”Ligon解釋說。

Interestingly, the Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest otter species in the world. It inhabits mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands in the South and Southeast Asia and lives in extended family groups with only the alpha pair breeding; offspring from previous years help to raise the young.

有趣的是，亞洲小爪水獺是世界上最小的水獺物種。它棲息在南亞和東南亞的紅樹林沼澤和淡水濕地，并生活在一個(gè)大家庭中，只有阿爾法對繁殖;前些年的后代幫助撫養(yǎng)后代。

“A typical day for an Asian otter at the preserve includes waking up to the smell of a fish and shrimp breakfast. Taking a morning swim, grooming one another to dry off, taking a mid-day nap, chasing insects that fly into the exhibit, and taking more naps. Our otters on exhibit have a large behind the scenes privacy house that allows them to enter any time they aren’t feeling social.”

對于保護(hù)區(qū)的亞洲水獺來說，典型的一天包括醒來時(shí)聞到魚蝦早餐的味道。早上游泳，互相梳理弄干，中午小睡，追逐飛進(jìn)展覽的昆蟲，多打個(gè)盹。我們展出的水獺在幕后有一個(gè)很大的隱私屋，可以讓它們在不喜歡社交的任何時(shí)候進(jìn)入。”

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圖片來源：Ilona Baliūnait?