Dogs help German rail firm sniff out protected species

狗狗協助德國鐵路公司嗅出受保護物種

【摘要2021.12.8.三.自由】◎管淑平

At the side of a railway track on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Cocker Spaniel Monte is enthusiastically sniffing the ground, his long furry ears flopping around his nose.

在法蘭克福郊區一條鐵軌旁，可卡犬蒙帝正猛嗅著地面，毛茸茸的長耳在鼻子旁邊晃來晃去。

When he finds what he is looking for, he obediently stops, sits and is delighted to receive a treat from his trainer.

當他發現他要找的，就乖乖地停下來、坐著，高興地接受牠的訓練員給的零食。

Monte is one of six dogs being trained by German rail company Deutsche Bahn to identify the presence of protected species in potential construction sites.

德國鐵路公司「德國鐵路」正訓練6隻狗狗在可能的施工地點鑑識是否有受保護物種，蒙帝是其中一隻。

The dogs "can take us directly to where the animals are" and can work all year round in any weather conditions, says Jens Bergmann, director of infrastructure projects at Deutsche Bahn’s network subsidiary.

這些狗狗「能直接帶我們到那些動物所在的地方」，並且可全天候、任何天氣狀況下都能工作，德鐵系統基礎建設計畫總監伯格曼說。

Having them on board reduces the timeframe to less than two months, and is much less invasive. (AFP)

有牠們加入，把所需時間減少到不到2個月，而且大幅減少侵入程度。（法新社）

新聞辭典

sniff：動詞，嗅、聞。例句：Detection dogs are used at airports to sniff out drugs.（偵測犬被用於在機場嗅出毒品。）

obediently：副詞，順從地。例句：The dogs lay down obediently at the man’s feet.（這些狗狗乖乖地趴在老人的腳旁。）

on board：片語，加入某團體，支持某想法或計畫。例句：We would love to have you on board for this programme.（我們十分樂意你參與這項專案。）