帝企鹅宝宝的生命轮回之旅

南极洲的极寒之冬
Midwinter in Antarctica
大自然最伟大的故事之一
and one of nature’s most extraordinary stories
即将开篇
is about to begin.
在凛冽的狂风 暴风雪和极寒中
Through two months of biting winds, blizzards and unimaginable cold,
这一群雄性帝王企鹅
these male emperor penguins
每一只都在孵化自己珍贵的蛋
have each nurtured a single precious egg.
一个接一个 他们迎来了小小的新生命
One by one, they welcome their tiny chicks into the world.
但并不是所有的蛋都孵化了
But not all eggs will hatch
还有一位父亲正在等待
and one father is still waiting.
一位邻居来炫耀他的新宝宝
A neighbour shows off his own new youngster.
他的叫声能够鼓励幼鸟打破蛋壳
His calls will encourage the chick to emerge.
终于 族群中最年幼的成员诞生了
Finally, the youngest member of the colony is born.
但要在这个世界最严酷的育儿所长大
But growing up in the world’s most extreme nursery
是一个严峻的挑战
will be a huge challenge,
在六个月中
for in just six months
他必须学习到足够的技巧
he must have learned enough to fend for himself
才能在广袤的南冰洋中养活自己
in the great Antarctic Ocean.
这是有关一只神奇小企鹅的戏剧化故事
This is the dramatised story of one extraordinary little bird.
小 雪
一只企鹅的故事
企鹅妈妈们不在小企鹅身边
Far from their chicks,
过去两个月中 她们一直在抓鱼养肥自己
the mothers have spent the last two months catching fish and fattening up
而爸爸们就被留在原地
while the fathers were left alone
孵化他们的蛋
to hatch their eggs.
现在 她们赶着回去喂养自己的孩子
Now, the race is on to get back and feed their young.
在摩肩接踵中 这位就是小雪的妈妈
Among the excited crowd is Snow Chick’s mother.
她带着一肚子的鱼 要去给新生的宝宝喂食
She’s got a belly full of fish for her newborn,
但在那之前
but between them
她要艰难跋涉60英里 穿越冰封的海洋
is a gruelling 60-mile trek across the frozen sea.
她们摇摇摆摆的速度不超过每小时2英里
Waddling at less than 2mph,
得走上好多天才能到家
it will take many days to get home.
她们的本能驱动她们前进
Instinct drives them on
她们的宝宝能否存活就要看她们能否准时到达
their babies’ lives depend on them arriving in time.
回到育儿所 爸爸开始和小宝宝熟悉起来
Back at the colony, the father is getting to know his chick.
他给他喂了点高卡路里的宝宝奶汁
He gives him some high-calorie baby milk
这是从他喉咙的腺体里分泌出来的
produced from a gland in his throat.
但这些奶汁只能维持几天
But these supplies will only last a few days.
与此同时 他的妈妈正在往这里赶
It’s just as well his mother is on her way.
在母性本能的驱动下
Following her maternal instinct,
她和其他的雌企鹅
she and all the other females
稳步向着家里赶路
are making steady progress on their journey home.
但有些地方 冰层非常薄
But in places, the ice is wafer-thin.
冰层下方 一头狩猎者正在跟踪
Below, a predator tracks their every move.
一头豹海豹 企鹅们最大的天敌
A leopard seal, the penguins’ greatest enemy.
小雪的妈妈感觉到了危险
The chick’s mother senses danger.
幸亏她够警醒
She was right to be cautious.
破碎的冰层是一个死亡陷阱
Broken ice is a death-trap.
对其他妈妈来说
For the rest,
她们唯一关心的只有自己的宝宝
their chick is their only concern.
但海豹只需要一个猎物
But the seal needs just one victim.
好险
A near miss
她还需要跋涉40英里
and she still has 40 treacherous miles ahead of her.
小雪在等妈妈回家时
While the chick waits for her return,
外面的气温也降到了零下30度
outside temperatures are at -30.
但包裹着他的育儿袋就像是保温袋一样
But the pouch covers him like a tea cosy
令他能保持37度的舒适体温
and keeps him at a comfy +37 degrees.
对一个新手爸爸来说
For a new father,
带着脚上的宝宝走路非常难保持平衡
walking with a chick on your feet is a tricky balancing act.
他很快会掌握诀窍的
He’ll get the hang of it soon.
企鹅妈妈们也正在冰天雪地里奋斗
The mothers are also struggling with the icy conditions
她们正在穿越的
and they are crossing
是地球上最严酷的地带
some of the toughest terrain on earth.
她们尖锐的爪子能抓住冰面
Their sharp claws grip the ice,
而脚上的鳞片 就像是鞋底纹路一样
while scales on their feet act like treads.
但有些地方雪融化后又再度结冰
But where the snow melts and re-thaws
导致冰面异常滑溜
it creates slippery conditions that
连企鹅都站立不稳
even a penguin finds challenging.
回到育儿所
Back at the colony,
小雪出生已经一星期了
it’s been a week since the chick was born.
在这样的温度下
At these temperatures,
生存全赖是否能有足够的食物
survival depends on getting enough to eat.
他的爸爸努力过了
His father tries,
但没有更多的奶汁可喂
but there’s nothing left to give.
企鹅妈妈们还在奋力赶路
The mothers battle on.
可惜的是 有些年份 她们没能准时回家
Sadly, some years, they simply don’t make it in time.
小雪越来越虚弱
The chick is getting weaker by the hour.
终于 几个疲惫的身影出现了
Then, at last, some weary figures appear.
企鹅妈妈风尘仆仆 精疲力尽
Utterly exhausted by the walk,
但在她能见到孩子之前
the mother still has one final challenge
还有最后一个难题要解决
before she can meet her chick.
找到他
Finding him.
这里有三千多对企鹅父子
There are over 3,000 fathers with chicks here
即使在企鹅眼里 他们看上去也都一样
and, even to penguins, they all look the same.
小雪的时间不多了
For the chick, time is running out.
但企鹅们想到了一个办法
But the penguins have a solution.
企鹅爸爸们排成一列
The fathers get in line
爸爸带着小雪也加入了队伍
and dad and his chick join them.
他们排成了认亲长队
They form an identity parade.
她只需要一路走过去辨认
All she has to do is simply work her way along the line.
好像挺简单的
Sounds simple enough,
但在千鹅一面的企鹅群中
but among all the penguin lookalikes
她的伴侣还是很难辨认
her partner is still tricky to recognise.
所以她时不时要停下来鸣叫
So, every so often, she stops and calls.
她的叫声是独特的
Her cry is unique
企鹅爸爸也用自己独特的叫声回应
and the father responds with a call of his own.
这才是她希望听到的声音
It’s what she was hoping to hear.
在海中渡过两个月
After two months at sea
又在冰上跋涉60英里后
and a 60-mile trek across the ice,
她终于及时回到了家
she’s made it back in the nick of time.
在大自然奇迹般的安排下
In a miracle of natural timing,
他吃到了一口能救命的食物
he gets a morsel that will save his life.
现在轮到妈妈来照料宝宝了
It’s now his mother’s turn to take over the childcare…
但他们必须要小心
..But they must be careful –
小雪在冰面上多待几秒钟都可能冻死
a few seconds too long on the ice and their chick will die.
终于 一家团圆了
Finally, they unite as a family.
他们之间的羁绊
The bond they share
是自然界中最神奇的事情之一
is one of the most remarkable in nature.
在此后的五个月中
For over the next five months,
他们会轮流去海里觅食并带回家
they’ll take it in turns to trek to the sea to bring back food
喂养不停长大的宝宝
for their ever-growing baby.
他的爸爸为了养育小雪忍♥耐了那么久
His father endured so much to get the tiny chick this far.
离别依依不舍
Saying goodbye is hard.
这一次 他不再回头
This time, there’s no looking back.
四个星期之后 他会带着新鲜的食物回来
In four weeks, he will return with fresh supplies.
但首先要走完往返120英里的路
But first, there’s the little matter
才能到达大海
of a 120-mile round-trip to the sea.
现在 轮到妈妈来喂他了
Now, it’s Mum’s turn to feed him.
天然的防腐剂
A natural preservative
令鱼肉保持新鲜 就像当天捕获的一样
has kept the fish as fresh as the day it was caught.
小雪也许心满意足了
The chick may be satisfied,
但他的爸爸已经四个月没吃东西了
but his father hasn’t eaten for four months.
他和其他饥肠辘辘的企鹅爸爸们一起
He and the rest of the hungry fathers
向着大海踏上了两天的漫长路程
are now two days into their long walk to the sea.
但有时候 冰层会给他们开辟一条捷径
But sometimes, the ice offers a short-cut.
一个冰洞
An ice hole,
通往海洋的捷径
a portal to the sea
能够让他们少走好几天的路
which could cut their journey by days.
当你饿得眼冒金星时
And when you’re famished,
探查一下还是值得的
it’s got to be worth investigating.
但这样的冰洞并不是凭空出现的
But such holes don’t appear by themselves.
肯定有什么关窍
There had to be a catch.