ENVIRONMENT REPORT - Elk Disease

ENVIRONMENT REPORT
—
July 12, 2002: Elk¹ Disease

By Mario Ritter

This is the VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT.

A mysterious disease is killing² animals in one of America’s most popular natural areas. The animals are large
deer called elk.

Elk once lived in most areas of the United States. But hunters killed so many of them that they survived only in
the western states. Some elk have been brought back to other areas of the country. Wildlife officials recently
decided³ to re -establish elk populations in the eastern part of the country. In the past two years, they have brought
two groups of elk from Canada to an area in the state of North Carolina. The National Park Service released the
elk in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Now, three of the elk have died mysteriously. Some biologists fear that the elk may
have died from chronic⁴ wasting disease. Biologists say there were no signs of
infection in the elk until they became weak and died. Some biologists say the
disease cannot be observed except in a dead animal.

It is not known if the disease can spread to cattle or other farm animals. However,
chronic wasting disease is linked with mad cow disease, or bovine⁵ spongiform
encephalopathy. Wildlife experts say the only way to stop the disease from
spreading is to kill thousands of elk.

The elk in North Carolina first came from a protected area in Alberta, Canada. A total of about fifty elk were
released into the Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Everything seemed to be going
well until a park biologist found three dead female elk. Two of the animals were pregnant⁶. The animals appeared
to have been starved. The National Park Service reported the deaths in late April. Now, state biologists have
banned transporting elk into and out of the area.

Concern over diseases affecting wild animals like elk has increased recently in the United States. The state of
Wisconsin announced a plan to destroy fifteen-thousand deer. Officials in Wisconsin fear that some deer in the
state may carry chronic wasting disease.

The disease was first found in the western state of Colorado in the nineteen-sixties. Since then, it has been found
in deer and elk populations in several states.

Some national park biologists do not believe that chronic wasting disease killed the elk in North Carolina. They
hope that studies of the dead animals will soon show that they are right.

This VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT was written by Mario Ritter.

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1 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

5 bovine   

adj.牛的；n.牛

参考例句：

• He threw off his pack and went into the rush-grass andand munching,like some bovine creature.他丢开包袱，爬到灯心草丛里，像牛似的大咬大嚼起来。
• He was a gentle,rather bovine man.他是一位文雅而反应迟钝的人。

6 pregnant   

adj.怀孕的，怀胎的

参考例句：

• She is a pregnant woman.她是一名孕妇。
• She is pregnant with her first child.她怀了第一胎。