研究表明大象喜歡動物園游客的陪伴

長庚

Each year， hundreds of millions of people visit zoos around the world and enjoythe experience of being around animals. But what about the animals？ A new studysuggests that some animals， including2 elephants， also enjoy visitorscompany.

每年，數億人參觀世界各地的動物園，享受與動物相處的經歷。但是動物呢？一項新的研究表明，包括大象在內的一些動物也喜歡游客的陪伴。

Researchers at Nottingham Trent University and Harper Adams University inthe UK looked at more than 100 past studies to see how visitors affected3 thebehavior4 of more than 250 kinds of zoo animals.

英國諾丁漢特倫特大學和哈珀亞當斯大學的研究人員查看了過去的100 多項研究，以了解游客如何影響250 多種動物園動物的行為。

The studies showed that animal behaviors are different， as a result of visitors inup to 38% of cases studied. And while most animal behavior stayed the same， someanimals became positive5 to visitors.

研究表明，在已研究過的高達38%的案例中，動物的行為因游客而改變了。雖然大多數動物的行為保持不變，但一些動物對游客表現出了積極的態度。

Elephants， for example， were more active with each other during public6 feedingtimes. They were less likely to show behaviors common with boredom7 when visitorswere around. Also， it was reported that cockatoossocial8 behavior became more whenvisitors were around. Visitors affected animalsbehavior in a number of ways.

例如，在公開喂食期間大象之間更加活躍。當游客在附近時，它們不太傾向于表現出無聊時常見的行為。此外，據報道，當游客在附近時，鳳頭鸚鵡的社交行為會變得更多。游客以多種方式影響動物的行為。

Other animals that seemed to enjoy visitors included penguins， jaguars， cheetahs，grizzly bears and polar bears. While some animals seem more than happy tospend time with the public， it was reported that other animals were negatively9affected by zoo visitors.

其他似乎很喜歡游客的動物包括企鵝、美洲豹、獵豹、灰熊和北極熊。雖然有些動物似乎非常樂意與公眾共度時光，但據報道，其他動物受到了動物園游客的負面影響。

Flightless birds， marsupials and hedgehogs werenegatively affected by human visitors. This might bethe reason that some of these animals like to beactive at night， or because they are used toliving in forests， making themless used to humans， reportedNottingham Trent University.

不能飛的鳥類、有袋類動物和刺猬受到了人類游客的負面影響。據諾丁漢特倫特大學報道，這可能是由于這些動物中有一些喜歡在夜間活動，或者是因為它們習慣于生活在森林中，這讓它們不太習慣與人類相處。

Dr. Ellen Williams is a zoo animal welfare10 scientist at Harper Adams University.He said the research is important in helping to improve animal welfare in zoos.

埃倫·威廉姆斯博士是哈珀亞當斯大學的動物園動物福利科學家。他說，這項研究對改善動物園動物的生活很重要。