'Gay' vultures become parents in Amsterdam zoo
By Vicky Baker BBC News
阿姆斯特丹動物園的同志禿鷲爸爸
BBC 新聞 Vicky Baker 報導
A Dutch zoo says two male vultures in a long-standing relationship have
become parents after successfully hatching an egg.
荷蘭的一所動物園表示，園內一對長相廝守的男同志禿鷲愛侶已成功孵了一顆蛋，並當上
小禿鷲的雙親。
Staff gave the gay griffon vultures an abandoned egg, which they cared for in
their nest for two months.
這原本是一顆被拋下不理的蛋，動物園員工將蛋交給這對同志禿鷲後，兩個月來，他們就
一直細心照顧著這顆蛋。
Zoo keeper Job van Tol said the two fathers are "a very tight couple" and are
doing the job perfectly.
員工賈凡陀說，這對同志禿鷲的關係如膠似漆黏得要死，但照顧起蛋來可是十分稱職。
"We have had them for some years. They always build a nest together, bond and
mate together," he told the BBC.
賈凡陀跟BBC說：「這對男同志禿鷲在我們園裡已經好幾年啦，他們總是一起築巢，一起
培養感情，一起做愛做的事。」
"But, as two males, the one thing they could not do was lay an egg."
「不過，因為兩個都是公的，所以他們唯一做不到的事，就是生蛋。」
So when staff discovered a lone egg that none of the other vultures would
adopt, they first cared for it in an incubator, and then decided to place in
the male couple's nest.
因此，當動物園員工發現一顆沒父沒母也沒有任何一隻禿鷲願意認養的蛋，他們就先把蛋
放在保溫箱裡照料，然後決定將蛋放在這對男同志愛侶的鳥巢裡。
"It was a bit of risk as we had no guarantees of success, but we thought,
finally, this is their chance," said Mr Van Tol.
「這一開始是有點風險的，因為我們無法保證這樣子的認養方式會不會成功。但，我們就
想，總算這對同志的機會來了。」賈凡陀說。
Artis Amsterdam Royal Zoo said the new parents are very protective of their
fast-growing chick, which is now 20 days old, and they have been breaking up
its food to make it manageable to eat.
位於阿姆斯特丹的阿緹思皇家動物園表示，這對新手爸爸對他們的新生兒可是愛護有加呢
。小寶寶長得很快，生下來至今已經20天了。同志爸爸會幫牠把食物弄成一小塊一小塊的
，讓小寶寶比較好進食。
"As in some penguin species, vultures do everything the same, they alternate
all the jobs. Females lay the eggs, but they breed together, they forage for
food together. Males are programmed to have that duty of care," said Mr Van
Tol.
「就跟某些企鵝一樣，男禿鷲、女禿鷲做的工作是一樣的，他們只是輪流做。生蛋是母禿
鷲來做沒錯，但除此之外，養育、覓食的工作就一起分擔了。公禿鷲一樣是生下來就要承
擔帶小孩的工作。」賈凡陀說。
Vultures are very maternal and underappreciated for the roles they play,
according to Dr Corinne Kendall, a vulture expert at North Carolina Zoo in
the United States.
美國北卡羅萊納動物園的珂琳康朵博士表示，禿鷲是非常母性化的動物，他們扮演的角色
常常沒有得到應有的重視。
"They take really good care of their chicks," she said. "Ancient Egyptians
respected vultures for their parenting. They were seen as symbol of
femininity."
「牠們對幼兒的照顧是十分周到的。」她說。「古埃及就是因為禿鷲在幼教領域上的傑出
表現而對禿鷲尊敬有加。他們視禿鷲為女性的象徵。」
In most species of vulture, it is hard to distinguish males from females in
the wild, so there is not a lot on record about homosexuality, she said.
她也說，在大部分的禿鷲物種中，野外的公禿鷲與母禿鷲經常是難以一別雌雄的，也因此
有關同志禿鷲的記錄相當稀少。
"But given the chance, it makes sense that two males could take care of an
egg," she added. "Beyond laying it, they are capable of all the other steps."
「但如果給他們機會，兩隻公禿鷲把蛋照顧好是沒有問題的。」她補充。「除了不能下蛋
之外，所有的養育工作他們都能達成。」
出處：https://goo.gl/E8cFgb