Elephants get ‘drunk’ on fruit 大象吃果子「醉了」
We all know what we get like after one too many glasses of wine, but we were quite surprised to see a group of elephants appear to be drunk.
The herd of young calves were captured stumbling around Singita Kruger National Park in South Africa, acting like they had just had a boozy night out.
Instead of downing too many glasses of wine, however, the elephants had been nibbling marula fruit.
Ross Couper, a field guide at Singita Kruger National Park, witnessed the animals move through the bush, feeding on the fruit strewn across the ground — the older and wiser elephants teaching the young what to eat.
One of the adult cow elephants forcefully knocked the fruit down from a tree, shaking it back and forth for the young to feed on.
As they had already snacked on marula throughout their journey, it was not long before the youngsters started to behave as if they had been knocking back the beers.
According to African myth this sweet fruit can have an intoxicating effect on large mammals when they eat large amount.
(Liberty Times)
TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字
今日單字
1. one too many phr. 過量
例: Joe has had one too many. (喬喝多醉了。)
2. drunk adj.
喝醉的；醉心的
例: Many politicians are drunk with power. (許多政治人物醉心於權力。)
3. knock back v. phr.喝光
例: Steve knocked back four shots of vodka in five minutes.
(史蒂夫在五分鐘內乾掉四杯伏特加。)
我們都知道喝酒喝多了會怎樣，但看到一群大象顯然喝醉了，還是讓我們相當驚奇。
這群年幼大象被拍到在南非克魯格國家公園跌跌撞撞地走著，彷彿牠們剛喝了一整晚的酒，喝得酩酊大醉。
但是，這群大象並非灌下太多杯酒，而是吃了馬魯拉果。
克魯格國家公園嚮導羅斯．庫柏目睹大象穿過灌木叢，吃著掉得滿地的果子，年長、較有智慧的大象教小象什麼可以吃。
其中一隻成年象還猛力搖晃樹幹，硬把果子從樹上搖下來讓年幼的大象吃。
但是就在他們一路吃著馬魯拉果，沒多久年幼大象的舉止便開始有如喝光所有啤酒一樣。
根據非洲傳說，大型哺乳動物吃下大量這種甜味果實會出現酒醉反應。
（自由時報／翻譯：管淑平）
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