Badgers　獾

One day at the Zoological Gardens,I saw the group of Badgers as they are here given.Little do visitors to the gardens take into account how much a wild animal goes through till it has got used to a state of things so opposite to its natural habits.Their wants are attended to as much as possible,but cannot be always met;and so we have here a devoted mother,worn out by the demands of her cubs,and vainly anxious to hide herself from daylight and man's gaze.She has long given up trying to dig or scratch her way out.All she can do is to lean against the wall,ready for a last defence,should anybody come within her prison.She dares not curl up into a ball,like the one cub,and go to sleep;while this little careless imp on her back,happy and trustful,adds to her tiredness by his weight.

一天，我在动物园里看到几只獾，就是图中的这几只。游人们几乎体会不到野生动物要适应与其天性截然相反的一切，需要经历怎样一个痛苦的过程。在动物园，尽管人们尽可能地满足它们的需要，可是，毕竟还会有不如意的地方。不信，你看这位为了孩子甘愿牺牲一切的母亲，已经被几个要这要那的孩子们折磨得精疲力竭了。她多么想躲到暗处，躲开人们的视线，可是却不能。她早已不再掘地挖土，因为她知道无论如何也逃不出去了。现在她所能做的就是身子抵住墙，随时准备对任何进入监牢的人发起最后的反击。她可不敢像小獾那样蜷作一团，安然入睡。然而，这个不懂事的小淘气趴在妈妈的背上却那么快乐，那么安逸；他哪里知道，妈妈早已不堪重负了。