離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》“Frog ladders” help critters escape death-trap drains 「蛙梯」助動物逃離死亡陷阱排水溝
一隻青蛙正藉由英國兩棲爬蟲動物協會（The British Herpetological Society）設計的網狀「兩棲梯」爬出下水道。（路透）
◎周虹汶
A small group of British conservationists are installing mesh - covered ladders in roadside drains to save trapped amphibians from certain death.
英國一小群自然環境保護主義論者，正在路邊排水溝裡裝設蓋有網子的梯子，以拯救受困的兩棲動物免於必死命運。
The Warwickshire Amphibian and Reptile Team — the memorably acronymed WART — hopes that by placing 20 of the rust-resistant aluminum ladders down drains near known breeding pools in England’s West Midlands, they can boost the dwindling amphibian population.
華威郡兩棲動物與爬行動物隊——以第一個字母縮寫成好記的WART，藉在英格蘭西密德蘭郡已知多個繁殖池附近下水道部署20張抗鏽鋁梯，希望可以提高日益減少的這類兩棲動物數量。
"The amphibians are coming to breed and then hitting the road, getting across the roads, hitting the curb, along the curb and into the drains. And then that’s it - end of story for them, game over," said Tim Jenkins, a ladder fitter at WART.
WART的裝梯人員提姆‧簡金斯說，「這些兩棲動物來產卵，然後出發、過馬路、登上路緣石、沿著路緣石進入下水道。然後，就這樣，牠們就這樣玩完了。」
"By installing the amphibian ladders, it enables them to get back out of the drains and back to their breeding pools and doing what they should do and making more amphibians."
「藉由裝設這些兩棲梯，可讓牠們重出水溝，回到牠們的繁殖池，做牠們該做的事，製造更多的兩棲動物。」
The issue of trapped toads is not limited to Britain. It is one of the factors, along with habitat loss, that is blamed for common toad numbers declining by 68 percent in the UK over the past 30 years, according to a 2016 report by the conservation group Froglife. （Reuters）
受困蟾蜍議題不限於英國。根據保育團體「青蛙壽命」2016年一份報告，它與棲地減少一樣，被歸咎為英國常見蟾蜍數量過去30年減少68％的因素之一。（路透）
新聞辭典
dwindle：動詞，指逐漸變小、漸少。例句：His voice dwindled to silence。（他的聲音逐漸變小，最後寂靜無聲。）
hit the road：片語動詞，指上路、啟程、出發。例句：Let’s hit the road!（我們走吧！）
end of story：慣用語，指情況就是這樣、就這麼辦。例句：I am innocent - end of story.（我是無辜的，就這樣。）
