河狸鼠氾濫成災 意大利市長提議吃掉它們

As Italy struggles to deal with burgeoning populations of an introduced giant rodent, a mayor has come up with a novel solution – eat them.

從國外引進的一種體型較大的齧齒動物河狸鼠氾濫成災，意大利正疲於應對，而此時一名市長想出了一個新辦法，那就是，吃掉它們。

Coypu were introduced to Italy a century ago from their native South America to be farmed for their fur.

大約一個世紀前，意大利從南美洲引進河狸鼠用於養殖，以獲取其皮毛。

But many escaped or were deliberately released after wearing fur fell out of fashion and the species is now thriving.

但隨着河狸鼠皮毛的衣飾不再流行，很多河狸鼠逃脫或被故意放生，現已氾濫成災。

They have fared particularly well in the flatlands of the Po valley in northern Italy, where farmers complain that they devour crops and destroy levees and embankments by digging burrows.

它們在意大利北部波河流域的平原上大肆繁殖，農民抱怨它們毀掉了莊稼，它們打的洞穴還破壞了防洪堤和路堤。

Michele Marchi, the mayor of the town of Gerre de’ Caprioli, has suggested that numbers could be reduced if only Italians can develop a taste for coypu meat. He has tried it and says it tastes a bit like rabbit.

傑雷德卡普廖利市市長米歇爾•馬爾基建議說，只有意大利人肯吃河狸鼠，纔有可能控制它們的數量。他自己已嘗過河狸鼠，稱味道有點像兔肉。

His proposal, launched on his Facebook page, has caused a lively social media debate, with some people in favour of the idea and others revolted by the prospect of tucking it what looks like a cross-between a beaver and a large rat.

這條提議發佈在其臉書主頁後引發了社交媒體熱議。一些人表示贊成，而另一些人一想到要吃長得既像海狸鼠又形似大老鼠的河狸鼠就感到厭煩。

“The debate about coypu has become bonkers, without coming to any resolution of the problem,” the 31-year-old mayor wrote.

這位31歲的市長寫道：“關於河狸鼠的討論越來越離譜了，得不出任何可行的辦法。”

“Here’s my idea – let’s start eating them in restaurants and at village food festivals.”

“我的想法是：讓我們開始在餐館和鄉村美食節上食用它們。”

However unpalatable the idea, he insisted that he was not joking and said there were regions of Italy that were already warming to the idea of tucking into roast, broiled or braised coypu.

不論這個主意有多招人厭煩，這位市長堅稱自己沒開玩笑，他說意大利一些地區的居民已經贊同燒烤或者燉煮河狸鼠來吃。

The mayor said he was speaking from practical experience, having eaten coypu meat. “It’s almost better than rabbit,” he said.

這位市長說自己是從實踐出發做出的提議，他已經吃過河狸鼠。他說：“味道比兔肉好。”

One enthusiastic backer of the idea wrote on social media: “Coypus are very clean Animals and they are herbivores. I’ve tried them a few times. They should be cooked in a stew with onions or baked in the oven. I agree with the mayor – it’s better than rabbit.”

一名熱情的支持者在社交媒體上寫道：“它們是乾淨的食草動物，我已經吃過幾次，應該和洋蔥一起燉，或者用烤箱烤。我同意市長所說的，比兔肉味道更好。”

Animal lovers were less enamoured of the idea. “Here’s another genius who thinks he can resolve a problem by killing defenseless animals. And they elected him mayor,” wrote one critic.

動物愛好者們對這個提議有些不快。一位批評者寫道：“又有一位天才認爲可以通過捕殺毫無防備的動物來解決問題。人們還選他當市長。”

Coypu breed prolifically, with a female capable of giving birth to up to a dozen young at a time.

河狸鼠繁殖能力很強，一隻雌性河狸鼠一次最多可以生育12只小鼠。

No one knows how many coypu there are living wild in Italy.

沒人知道意大利到底有多少隻野生河狸鼠。

In the region of Emilia-Romagna alone there are believed to be around one million, while Lombardy has a population of around 1.3 million, with the regional government calling for 300,000 to be culled each year.

據信僅在意大利艾米利亞•羅馬涅區就有大約100萬隻河狸鼠。倫巴第大區有大約130萬隻，當地政府呼籲每年捕殺30萬隻。

In their native range they are eaten by alligators, large snakes and eagles.

它們在南美洲生活時會被短吻鱷、體型較大的蛇和老鷹吃掉。

A lack of such predators in Europe has contributed to their rapid population growth.

由於歐洲缺少這些捕食者，導致河狸鼠數量快速增長。

They have also colonised part of the United States, with 18 states reporting significant coypu populations.

它們還入侵了美國一些地區，已有18個州報告河狸鼠數量巨大。

There, too, is a debate over eating them. In Louisiana, where they have thrived in swamps and wetlands, the state’s wildlife and fisheries department suggests a range of recipes, from coypu fettucini and soup to coypu a l’orange.

美國也出現了吃不吃河狸鼠的討論。在路易斯安那州，河狸鼠在沼澤和溼地大量繁殖，該州的野生動物和漁業部門向人們建議了多種河狸鼠肉食譜，有河狸鼠拌意麪和鼠肉湯，還有香橙醬河狸鼠。