狐獴：超级动物明星的秘密（2013）

来见见小毛豆和小维尼
Meet Squirt and Weeny.
还有它们骄傲的妈妈，克林奇
And their proud mum, Klinky.
它们属于地球上最著名的家族之一
They belong to one of the most famous families on the planet.
真正的名人和全球现象
True celebrities and a global phenomenon.
它们是一个王朝的一部分，这个王朝带来了数小时的电视节目，以及
They’re part of a dynasty that has led to hours of television,
电影，甚至它们自己的粉丝俱乐部
films and even their own fan club.
我非常爱它们，
I love them so much,
因为它们充满了爱
because they are full of love
在日常生活中
in their daily life.
在这种流行的背后是一项真正非凡的20年实地研究
Behind this popularity lies a truly remarkable 20-year field study.
一个突破性的项目
A ground-breaking project
由一位想要找到答案的科学家发起
started by a scientist who wanted to find out
关于合作，猫鼬教会我们什么
what meerkats can teach us about cooperation.
这花费了20年的时间和一些了不起的实验，
It’s taken two decades, and some remarkable experiments,
揭开它们复杂生活的神秘面纱
to unravel the mysteries of their complex lives.
使我们能够理解
Enabling us to understand
并认识到克林奇这类人所面临的挑战
and appreciate the challenges facing the likes of Klinky
和她著名的家族
and her celebrated clan.
这些人充满爱
These people are in love.
他们长途跋涉数千英里来到这里，
They’ve travelled thousands of miles to be here,
在喀拉哈里沙漠
in the Kalahari Desert,
在非洲南部
in Southern Africa.
2005年，电视剧《猫鼬庄园》一播出，
As soon as the TV series Meerkat Manor was broadcast in 2005,
猫鼬迅速成为国际明星
the meerkats were catapulted to international stardom.
我喜欢猫鼬
I love the meerkats.
我喜欢和它们在一起，和它们一起散步
I love to be around them, walk with them
还有，你知道，看看它们每天都做些什么
and, you know, watch what they do every day.
我相信它们有性格和个性
I do believe they have characters and personality.
对于不是研究人员的人来说，这很有趣，
It’s interesting to people who are not researchers,
这群人只是喜欢动物
but who just love the animals.
它们一起合作，像一个团队一样工作
They cooperate together, work as a team
就像一个人类家庭
and just like a human family.
赞赏社的一些成员走了
Some members of the Appreciation Society have gone
不遗余力地表达他们的爱意
to remarkable lengths to express their affection.
我画的第一个是花。她是个超级明星，
The first one I painted actually is Flower. She is a superstar,
我相信，对大多数了解她的人来说她是我最喜欢的
I believe, for most people that know her and she’s my favourite.
我画的第二个，她是莫扎特
The second one I painted, she is Mozart.
不幸的是，她没有一个好的家庭
Unfortunately, she cannot have a good family.
所以我画了她和她男朋友在天堂的样子，
So I painted her in heaven with her boyfriend and finally,
它们有一个孩子
they have a kid together
组建一个真正美好幸福的家庭
to form a really good and happy family.
没有人能怀疑猫鼬已经成为真正的全球名人
No-one can doubt that meerkats have become truly global celebrities.
而现在，在喀拉哈里沙漠，一批新星正在孕育之中
And now, in the Kalahari, there are a new set of stars in the making.
这是功夫家族
This is the Kung Fu clan.
一群30多只的猫鼬
A 30-strong group of meerkats.
一只雌性猫鼬统治着一个猫鼬部族
One female rules a meerkat clan
负责功夫群的是八岁的克林奇
and in charge of the Kung Fu is eight-year-old Klinky.
她的忠实伙伴是宁格鲁
Her loyal partner is Ningaloo.
它和克林奇大半生都在一起，
He and Klinky have been together for most of their lives,
它们之间有很强的联♥系♥
they have a powerful bond.
这是旱季的开始
It’s the beginning of the dry season.
炎热的白天之后是寒冷的夜晚
Baking days are followed by freezing nights.
在晨光中，
In the early morning light,
它们伸展开来
they stretch out
让它们冻僵的骨头暖和起来
and warm up their frozen bones.
功夫群的三十多名成员
The 30-strong members of the Kung Fu
是由克林奇和宁格鲁的
are made up of Klinky and Ningaloo’s
儿子和女儿
sons and daughters.
还有更多的还在路上
And there are more on the way.
克林奇怀孕了
Klinky is pregnant.
它的下一窝幼崽将在六周后出生
Her next litter of pups is due in just six weeks.
她需要很多帮助来抚养她的孩子
She’ll need plenty of help to raise her youngsters
在无情的旱季
in the unforgiving dry season.
但需要必须，
But needs must,
团队很快就要出发了
and the group will soon set out
看看它们能从沙子里挖出什么
and see what they can dig out of the sand.
闹钟响了
ALARM CLOCK RINGS
在猫鼬项目基地，
At the Meerkat Project base,
研究生志愿者的核心团队正在为新的一天做好准备
the core team of graduate volunteers are getting ready for a new day.
他们是已经发展成为
They are at the heart of what has grown into one of
迄今为止最全面的动物行为研究
the most comprehensive studies of animal behaviour ever undertaken.
这是一个组织严密的活动，参与者都是博士生
It’s a highly organised operation with PhD students
以及客座教授和一个由12名志愿者研究员组成的核心团队
and visiting professors and a core team of 12 volunteer researchers.
他们要去沙漠寻找，记录，
They are setting out into the desert to find, record,
称18组猫鼬的体重
and weigh members of the 18 meerkat groups
分散在39平方英里的地方
which are dispersedover 39 square miles.
研究人员很谨慎于
The researchers are careful
他们和猫鼬的任何互动
that any interaction they have with the meerkats
尽量不影响它们的行为
affects their behaviour as little as possible.
摄制组必须让动物们继续生活
The team must let the animals get on with their lives.
即便如此，也很难不被它所吸引
Even so, it’s hard not to get attached.
别担心。来吧
Don’t worry. Come on.
“当然，你要努力做到科学”
‘You try to be, of course, scientific’
不要和它们扯上关系
and not get involved with them
当然，它们有不同的性格
but no, of course, they have different personalities
这就是猫鼬的神奇之处，
and that’s the amazing thing of meerkats,
和…在某种程度上把它们人性化
and…humanising them to a certain point.
这是一种“掐自己”的时刻
It’s a kind of a ‘pinch yourself’ kind of moment
我真的在做这件事
that I’m actually doing this.
我觉得自己很幸运
I feel very lucky.
来吧。你出去吧
Come on. Out you go.
如果没有这项工作，这一切都不可能存在
None of this would have existed without the work
剑桥动物学家蒂姆·克拉顿-布洛克教授
of Cambridge zoologist Professor Tim Clutton-Brock,
动物行为的世界权威
a world authority on animal behaviour.
自1993年以来，他一直是卡拉哈里猫鼬项目的掌舵人
Since 1993, he’s been at the helm of the Kalahari Meerkat Project.
他哼哼
HE HUMS
他在这项研究中的任务是发现
His mission in this study is to discover exactly
是什么让猫鼬成为地球上最合作的哺乳动物
what makes the meerkat the mostcooperative mammal on Earth.
和前面的一群人一起走回家，
This walking home with the group in front of you,
晚上散步回来，总是像是一种巨大的特权
walking back in the evening, always seems like an enormous privilege.
他哼哼
HE HUMS
蒂姆一直在寻找适合研究的动物
Tim had been searching for the right animal to study
有一段时间了
for quite a while.
这是一个电视节目
And it was a television programme
这第一次激发了他对猫鼬的兴趣
that first sparked his interest in meerkats.
“不比狮子故事里的流苏大，
‘No bigger than a tassel on a lion’s tale,
猫鼬站得很高。”
‘a meerkat stands tall.’
我看过一部电影叫《猫鼬联盟》
I saw a film called Meerkats United,
我意识到猫鼬正是我要找的东西
and I realised that meerkats were exactly what I was looking for.
一个非常合作的哺乳动物，在那里我可以学会识别个体
A really cooperative mammal, where I could learn to recognise individuals
看看大家都在做什么
and see what everyone was doing.
他被迷住了
He was hooked.
所以我去了喀拉哈里沙漠，我的生活改变了
So I headed off to the Kalahari and my life changed.
功夫家族的生活也即将改变
Life is also about to change for the Kung Fu clan.
在克林奇带领这群人出去觅食之前，
Before Klinky led the group out to forage,
有个问题要处理
there’s a problem to be dealt with.
她的家人都很紧张
Her family are on edge.
就连她的伴侣宁格鲁也站得远远的
Even partner Ningaloo stays out of the way.
怀孕的克林奇很暴躁
Pregnant Klinky is on the warpath.
克林奇发现了她的女儿麦基夫人
Klinky spots her daughter Mrs McGee.
她认为自己在这个团体的日子屈指可数了
She has decided that her days in the group are numbered.
麦基夫人就要被驱逐了
Mrs McGee is about to be banished.
她试图保护自己
She tries to protect herself
对她母亲唯命是从
by being submissive to her mother.
这不会有帮助的
It’s not going to help.
克林奇狠狠地咬了她一口
Klinky bites her viciously.
我们不需要麦基夫人
Mrs McGee is not wanted.
克林奇是无情的
Klinky is merciless.
另外两个女儿也得到了同样的待遇
Two more daughters get the same treatment.
克林奇驱逐
Klinky is banishing into exile