熊猫"宝宝"断奶独立,美网民肝肠寸断
Bao Bao has graduated from a panda cub to a juvenile panda! CBS:This morning has been following Bao Bao's progress and aired a story chronicling the transition today.
宝宝已经从熊猫宝宝变成熊猫少女啦！CBS今天的晨间新闻回顾了宝宝的成长历程并记录了这次重要的转变。
In the wild pandas separate from their mothers around 18 months old—exactly Bao Bao's age. Keepers have been closely following the signs that mother and cub were ready to separate for months. They saw Mei Xiang actively discourage Bao Bao from nursing, and spending more time away from her, which was expected as a female in the wild would be preparing to breed again. As these signs became more pronounced, they prepared for the final transition, and even spent nights in the panda house to make it as smooth as possible. Bao Bao now lives in her own area of the giant panda habitat, eats significantly more bamboo and solid foods (like sweet potato), and is mastering training behaviors just like her parents.
在野外，熊猫会在18个月大左右离开他们的母亲——也就是宝宝现在的年纪。饲养员们在几个月前开始仔细观察熊猫妈妈和宝宝准备分开的迹象。他们发现美香明显开始阻挡宝宝喝奶的请求，并且更多时候不搭理她，这在野外会被视为雌性熊猫准备再度繁育了，随着这些迹象越发明显，他们就会为最后的过渡做准备，甚至整夜呆在熊猫房里，让熊猫们能够尽量平稳地渡过这段时期。宝宝现在生活在她自己的地盘里，明显开始吃更多竹子和固体食物（比如甘薯），这表明她已逐渐掌握与父母类似的训练行为。We know that as humans it can be hard to watch a mother and cub separate, but pandas are solitary anim s in the wild. In order for Bao Bao to continue to thrive and become an important member of the giant panda population in human care, weaning is a natural and necessary process. We'll be sure to keep you update d on Bao Bao and Mei Xiang's progress!
我们都明白，目睹母子分离是件很难受的事情，但是熊猫在野外本是独居动物,为了宝宝壮成长,成为圈养大熊猫家族的重要一员，断奶是一个自然且必须的过程。我们也将会继续更新宝宝和美香的进一步情况。
