◎胡立宗

South African’s Robben Island museum will be closed while authorities cull a colony of rabbits that has invaded the site where Nelson Mandela was jailed.

一群兔子已經侵入尼爾森．曼德拉之前被囚禁的地點，在主管單位成功控制數量前，南非羅本島的紀念館都將關閉。

Authorities said on Tuesday the museum, popular with tourists wanting to see the former president’s cell, would be temporarily closed while the rabbits were killed to protect plant life and historical buildings at the World Heritage site.

主管機關週二說，在撲殺兔子以保護這座世界遺產所在地的植物及歷史性建築時，這間因為觀光客都想看前總統牢房而聞名的紀念館將會暫時關閉。

"The current population is so large that it threatens to permanently damage the island’s sensitive vegetation, and poses a serious threat to other fauna species," Seelan Naidoo, the museum’s acting chief executive said in a statement.

「（兔子）現在的數量實在太大，恐怕會永遠損害這座島上易受干擾的植被，也會嚴重威脅當地其他動物」，紀念館的代主管西朗．奈都在聲明中說。

He said the exact number of rabbits was unknown.

他說，兔子的確實數量還無法確定。

The culling would be followed by a sterilization programme to sustain a small, manageable rabbit population. The island museum, located offshore from Cape Town, will be closed from November 1 to 16.

撲殺後的控制方式可能會以結紮計畫維持一群數量少、可管理的兔群。位在開普敦外海的羅本島紀念館將在11月1日到16日間關閉。

新聞辭典

colony：名詞，殖民地、聚居地，生物學上則指生物的群落。a colony of tigers，一群老虎。

cell：名詞，細胞，但也是牢房的計算單位。a prisoner’s cell，1間牢房。

vegetation：名詞，植被。例句：Lacking proper vegetation leads to desertification.（缺乏適當植被將導致沙漠化。）