本集内容

This British woman has been helping toads cross the road for 25 years 英国女志愿者帮蟾蜍过马路

文字稿

Margaret Cooper, Toad Patrol
"They have terrific characters. I just admire them so much."

玛格丽特·库珀     蟾蜍巡逻队志愿者
“蟾蜍这种动物性格很好。我真的是太喜欢它们了。”

It's that time of year when toads set off on their travels.

又到了一年中蟾蜍踏上迁徙之旅的季节。

So why do toads cross the road? Well, they're very particular about where they go during mating season. They like to go back to their original breeding ground. So here, they cross from this field, over the road and into the lake.

蟾蜍为什么要过马路？原来，在繁殖季节，蟾蜍对其迁徙的目的地非常讲究。它们喜欢回到原生繁殖地。所以这些蟾蜍要穿过这片田地，过马路，然后进入湖中。

But with roads comes traffic – and that could spell danger for toads. Cue Margaret on the toad patrol.

但道路上车来车往，这对蟾蜍来说可能意味着危险。快叫蟾蜍巡逻队志愿者玛格丽特来帮忙。

Margaret Cooper, Toad Patrol
"It lumbers along, and then, of course, it sits in the road, thinking: 'Ooh, this is quite a nice place to be.' That's not a good idea. So that's why here, during March, they're safe and they can cross without being squashed. We actually reclaim this area for one month of the year for wildlife."

玛格丽特·库珀     蟾蜍巡逻队志愿者
“蟾蜍慢悠悠地前进，不过有时它们也可能在路中央停下来感叹，这个地方还挺不错。但在马路上停留可不是什么好主意。这也就是为什么每年三月这条路都会被封闭，以保证蟾蜍的安全，确保它们过马路时不会被车碾压。我们其实在整个三月期间都会封闭这片区域以保护野生动物。”

When Margaret first got this road closed 25 years ago, around a thousand toads would cross here every month, but numbers have dwindled.

25 年前，玛格丽特第一次得到批准封闭这条道路，当时每月有约 1000 只蟾蜍从这里穿行，但近年来，蟾蜍的数量已有所减少。

Margaret Cooper, Toad Patrol
"Now, it's probably no more than a hundred or two, which is really worrying. And this is reflected nationally. It's not just here in Oxton. So that's why every bit of help we can give them is really important."

玛格丽特·库珀     蟾蜍巡逻队志愿者
“现在每月在这里过马路的蟾蜍数量可能只有一、两百只，这很令人担忧。不仅仅是在奥克斯顿，在全英范围内都发现蟾蜍数量减少的趋势。所以，我们能给蟾蜍提供的每一点帮助都意义重大。”

Margaret raises hundreds of pounds to pay for the road closure here. She patrols the area and rescues any toads that may have lost their way.

玛格丽特每年去筹集数百英镑来支付封路的费用。她还在这片区域巡逻，救助可能迷路的蟾蜍。

To mark the 25th anniversary of this toad crossing, Margaret's been presented with her own special sign.

为了纪念蟾蜍在此穿越马路前往繁殖地 25 周年，玛格丽特收到了一块特别的路标，上面印有她的名字。

Rob Trevethik, The AA (British motoring association)
"The work that she has been doing over a period of 25 years, largely raising the money herself to pay for this and looking after these toads, for that period of time, is just incredible."

罗布·特雷维西克     英国汽车协会（The AA）
“玛格丽特孜孜不倦地做志愿工作，一做就是 25 年，主要是她自己筹钱来支付相关费用，帮助蟾蜍安全前往繁殖地，能坚持这么长时间，真是让人敬佩。”

Margaret Cooper, Toad Patrol
"It's just brilliant that we care that much about this tiny, fabulous little creature. I mean, if you have a toad in your hand and it croaks, that's the best thing of all."

玛格丽特·库珀     蟾蜍巡逻队志愿者
“我们能如此关心这个小而神奇的动物，真是太棒了。当听到你手里捧着的那只蟾蜍呱呱叫的那一刻，喜悦之情油然而生。”