僧海豹捲土重來，出生率逐年上升
Hawaiian monk seal births are on the rise, according to The Marine Mammal Center.
據海洋哺乳動物中心稱，僧海豹出生率在上升。
The species is considered critically endangered, with fewer than 1,200 individuals left in the wild. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program recorded 121 monk seals in 2014, up from 103 in 2013. The increase might seem minor, but for a species with such a small population, it's a huge victory.
這一物種嚴重瀕危，野生的僧海豹數量不及1200只。美國國家海洋和大氣局夏威夷僧海豹研究項目的科學家記錄了2014年出生的121只僧海豹幼崽，比2013年數量多（2013年是103只）。這一數量增加看似微小，但對於數量較小的物種而言，這已經是巨大的勝利了。
Conservationists hope to see additional population increases in the future, now that a new healthcare facility devoted entirely to the Hawaiian monk seal is up and running. Located in the town of Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Ke Kai Ola hospital opened in early September, 2014 and aims to "give monk seal pups a better shot at survival and adult seals a second chance when they need it."
生態環境保護者希望將來僧海豹的數量可以增長更多。現在，一家全新的專門服務夏威夷僧海豹的醫療機構已經應運而生並投入運營。柯凱歐拉醫院坐落於夏威夷島的凱盧阿可娜小鎮，於2014年9月初開業，意在“給僧海豹更好地生存機會，成年僧海豹如有需要，給它們第二次機會更好地生存。”
Ultimately, the hospital hopes to restore the Hawaiian monk seal population. For now, administrators are optimistic about the species' rising birth rate.
最爲重要的是，這家醫院希望可以恢復夏威夷僧海豹的數量。就目前而言，管理人員對這一物種呈上升態勢的出生率持樂觀態度。
Hawaiian monk seals are found only around the Hawaiian Islands. The largest numbers can be located in the remote Northwestern Islands, where they rarely come into contact with humans, but where shark attacks and a lack of fish make survival difficult. For seals living near the main islands, man-made dangers -- getting caught in nets, being run over by motor boats, ingesting fish hooks -- contribute to their low survival rate.
人們只能在夏威夷島羣島一帶覓到僧海豹的蹤影。大部分可能位於遙遠的西北島嶼，它們鮮與人類交流，但那裏有鯊魚襲擊，魚類也較少，生存困難。對於生存在本島附近的海豹而言，它們面臨人爲的危險，會被漁網捕獵到或被摩托艇碾壓到，還會勾到魚鉤。這些都導致了僧海豹存活率低。
Ke Kai Ola tries to keep human interaction at a minimum to increase rescued pups' chances of independent survival.
柯凱歐拉醫院希望可以最小程度保持與人類的交流，確保被拯救的僧海豹獨立存活的機率有所提高。
