Name: 為何所有城市都擺脫不了老鼠？ (Why Cities Can’t Get Rid Of Rats)
Uploaded: 2021-03-20T21:01:20.000Z
Duration: 4 min 11 s

Twice a century, rats swarm when bamboo forests drop 80 tons of seeds.

百年內發生過兩次，竹林落下 80 噸顆種子時老鼠蜂擁而上。

After they devour the seeds, they devastate local agriculture.

牠們吞食種子後破壞了當地的農業。

In the 1960s, the resulting famine was so bad it led to a major political uprising.

在 1960 年代，由老鼠破壞造成的饑荒非常嚴重，饑荒導致了一場重大的政治起義。

So it's no wonder that the technical term for a group of rats is a mischief.

難怪一群老鼠在一起不會是好事。

And it's not just that they're a problem for farmers.

These crafty rodents are the ultimate urbanites.

這些狡猾的齧齒動物是最終極的都市居民。

These rats live pretty much wherever we do, especially in cities.

這些老鼠生活在任何地方，特別是在都市裡。

We don't know exactly how many rats call the Big Apple home, but a 2014 study gave a ballpark estimate of two million rats.

我們不知道多少老鼠把大蘋果 (紐約的別稱) 當成家，但 2014 年的一項研究估計出大約有 200 萬隻老鼠。

And that means in heavily infested areas, you could have several rats per person.

這代表在嚴重感染的區域，每個人都會看見好幾隻老鼠。

And in some ways, rats are actually better suited for living in cities than we are.

在某些方面，老鼠實際上比我們更適合居住在都市。

they can tightrope walk over telephone cables,

牠們可以像走鋼絲般走過電話線。

and their incisors grow 14 inches a year,

including everywhere you don't want them.

包括任何你不想要牠們在的地方。

Scientists have shown that rats can learn to use tools,

科學家已經表明老鼠可以學會使用工具，

and when offered the choice between a chocolate and freeing a trapped friend,

當科學家提供巧克力和釋放一隻被困的朋友之間，要老鼠做選擇，

the rats choose to free their friend over chocolate.

老鼠選擇解救牠們的朋友而不選巧克力。

When you translate those smarts into the real world, rats easily avoid traps.

當你把那些聰明的老鼠放到現實世界，牠們會輕易地避開陷阱 。

Trying to poison them won't help much, either.

They're extremely patient when it comes to new foods.

面對新食物時，牠們會非常有耐心。

They'll taste just a tiny portion at first,

牠們一開始只會先嘗一小部分，

wait to see if that food makes them sick,

等等看食物是否會讓牠們生病，

and only if it doesn't will they consume the rest.

如果沒事，牠們才會吃完剩下的食物。

This is called delayed learning, and it's why rats are notoriously difficult to poison.

這叫做延遲學習，這也是為什麼老鼠臭名昭彰地難以中毒的原因 。

Plus, they can develop resistance to many poisons over time, so even if you outwit them, probably still won't work.

另外，隨著時間過去，牠們會對許多毒藥產生抗藥性，所以即使你欺騙牠們，也可能不起作用。

Another major issue is that rats reproduce so quickly.

另一個主要問題是老鼠繁殖非常迅速。

A single doe usually has eight to 12 pups every eight weeks.

一隻雌鼠通常每 8 周就會生下 8 到 12 隻幼鼠。

And those babies can have pups of their own after only five weeks.

那些老鼠寶寶也會生下牠們自己的幼鼠只需要 5 週 。

So as long as they have access to food, rat populations will rebound from just about any attack.

只要牠們有食物，老鼠的數量會從任何襲擊中恢復 。

The only attack they can't handle is improved sanitation, and cities are starting to figure that out.

牠們唯一無法對付的攻擊是改善環境衛生，而城市也開始意識到這一點。

In 2017, New York City launched a $32 million war plan against its rats.

2017 年，紐約發表一個耗資 3200 萬美元的對抗老鼠的計畫。

Eliminate 70% of the rats in 10 of its most infested neighborhoods.

在 10 個最受感染的社區中消滅 70 %的老鼠。

The plan is simple, cut off the rats' food source.

這個計畫很簡單，切斷老鼠的食物來源。

You see, New York City produces around 33 million tons of trash a year, an endless buffet for the rats.

紐約每年大約生產 3300 萬噸的垃圾，為老鼠提供無盡的自助餐。

And the trash piles aren't getting any smaller.

So the city is at least making it harder for the rats to reach the trash by replacing traditional trash compactors with a mailbox-style opening.

所以城市至少要讓老鼠更難到達垃圾桶，  就要透過將傳統的壓縮式垃圾桶改成郵箱式的開口。

So, will New York City succeed by the end of 2018 as proposed?

所以，紐約是否會按照提議在 2018 年底取得成功嗎？

Judging by the thousands of years where rats came out on top, it sounds a little too optimistic.

從數以千年的老鼠技高一籌來看，這聽起來有點太樂觀了。

We've been talking a lot of trash about wild rats as problematic pests, but Pet Fancy rats are a completely different story.

我們談了很多關於野鼠的破壞，比如有問題的鼠疫，但是寵物鼠是截然不同的故事。

They don't spread disease, they're social, smart, and easily trainable.

寵物鼠不會散播疾病，牠們是群居動物，聰明且容易訓練。

And get this, one amazing study found that rats giggle when you tickle them.

聽好了，一個驚人的研究發現，你撓癢牠們的時候老鼠會咯咯地笑。