國(guó)家地理:佛羅里達(dá)美洲獅的回歸(5)

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As panthers strike out north of the Caloosahatchee River, they'll encounter land dominated by large ranches and farms. Roads cut through many of these areas, and the region is dotted with small, often expanding towns. One of the better-known cattle operations in south-central Florida is the 10,500-acre Buck Island Ranch, run by Gene Lollis, a sixth-generation Floridian.

當(dāng)美洲獅從卡魯沙哈奇河向北發(fā)展時(shí)，它們會(huì)遇到由大型牧場(chǎng)與農(nóng)場(chǎng)所主宰的一片土地。許多農(nóng)牧場(chǎng)為公路所穿越，整片區(qū)域內(nèi)還星羅棋布著一些往往在擴(kuò)張中的小城鎮(zhèn)。佛羅里達(dá)州中南部的巴克島牧場(chǎng)占地10500英畝，是當(dāng)?shù)刂囊蛔僚?chǎng)，目前由第六代佛羅里達(dá)人吉恩·洛勒斯經(jīng)營(yíng)。

On a March morning before sunrise, I head out on horseback with Lollis, who's wearing a cowboy hat, boots, and blue jeans, along with his son, Laurent, and a group of cowboys, to round up cattle in grasslands spotted with islands of cabbage palm and oak.

去年3月一個(gè)日出前的早晨，我和穿戴著牛仔帽、靴子和藍(lán)色牛仔褲的洛勒斯，以及他的兒子勞倫特和一群牛仔，一起騎馬去點(diǎn)綴著菜棕與櫟樹(shù)的草原上趕牛。

Like many ranches, Buck Island—owned by the Archbold Biological Station, a nearby ecological research and education facility—provides critical habitat for wildlife, including panthers.

就如同許多牧場(chǎng)一樣，隸屬于附近的生態(tài)研究暨教育中心阿奇波德生物站的巴克島牧場(chǎng)，為美洲獅等野生動(dòng)物提供了重要的棲地。

As dogs bay and the cowboys corral their livestock, I ask Lollis, who leads the Florida Cattlemen's Association, how ranchers view the panther. "We're all pretty positive about them," he says. "They're part of the landscape."

隨著牧羊犬吠叫、牛群聚攏，我向領(lǐng)導(dǎo)佛羅里達(dá)牧牛協(xié)會(huì)的洛勒斯詢問(wèn)牧場(chǎng)主對(duì)美洲獅的看法?！拔覀兊目捶ê芊e極，”他說(shuō)：“它們是地理景觀的一部分?！?/p>

Generally speaking, the rancher and the panther face a common enemy: development, particularly new housing. Every ranch owner has had an offer from developers, Lollis says, adding that the issue is deeply personal -- ranches near Orlando where he worked as a young man have become subdivisions.

一般來(lái)說(shuō)，牧場(chǎng)主與美洲獅有共同的敵人：開(kāi)發(fā)，尤其是新住宅的開(kāi)發(fā)。洛勒斯表示，每個(gè)牧場(chǎng)主都接到過(guò)開(kāi)發(fā)商出價(jià)，他更補(bǔ)充道，這對(duì)他而言是非常個(gè)人的問(wèn)題--他年輕時(shí)在奧蘭多附近工作過(guò)的牧場(chǎng)，已經(jīng)分割成為許多住宅用地。