Episodio 63: Australia’s Animals (Animales de Australia)

Duolingo English for Spanish Speakers Podcast

Australia es un país totalmente rodeado de océanos.

Al estar tan aislado, su ecosistema ha evolucionado hasta tener algunas de las especies más raras y fascinantes del planeta.

La mayoría de los reptiles, ranas y mamíferos australianos no se encuentran en ningún otro lugar del mundo.

Y sin duda, uno de los seres más emblemáticos de Australia es el koala.

Bree Talbot recuerda la primera vez que vio uno.

I never saw any koalas when I was growing up.

The first time I ever saw one was at the Sydney Zoo.

And immediately, I was in love: its little face was so cute.

I just sat down and watched this koala hanging out in the trees for a very long time.

That was when I knew I wanted to work at a zoo.

Gracias a esas visitas al zoológico, Bree aprendió a amar profundamente a los animales.

Hoy Bree es veterinaria especializada en el cuidado de animales salvajes.

Y aunque a ella le importan mucho todos y cada uno de sus pacientes, lo cierto es que los koalas son para ella los más especiales.

It’s hard to say why I love koalas so much.

One of the reasons is because they’re adorable with their big ears and round eyes.

But even though everyone thinks they’re cute, humans are one reason why the koala population is becoming smaller.

That’s why I work hard to protect and save as many koalas as I can.

Welcome, les damos la bienvenida a “Relatos en inglés”, un podcast de Duolingo.

Soy Diana Gameros.

En cada episodio podrás practicar inglés a tu propio ritmo, escuchando historias reales y fascinantes, contadas por las personas que las vivieron.

Los protagonistas hablan en un inglés sencillo y fácil de entender para quienes están aprendiendo el idioma.

Hoy, dos historias sobre la fauna australiana y dos personas que dedican su vida a protegerla.

Una pequeña aclaración sobre el acento de nuestros narradores.

Ellos son de Australia, así que notarás que no pronuncian la R en el medio o al final de algunas palabras, como care: “care” o owner: “owner”.

Bree comenzó su carrera en Sidney, la capital del estado australiano de Nueva Gales del Sur, que está en el sudeste de Australia.

Como la mayoría de veterinarios allí, atendía principalmente a animales domésticos y ganado.

Pero en la primera clínica en la que trabajó, a veces recibían pacientes salvajes.

When someone brought in a wild animal, the animal didn’t have an owner and there was no one to pay its bills.

So, we always took care of pets with owners before we took care of wild animals.

I didn’t like that.

So, I started taking care of the wild animals during my free time.

I read books, talked with wildlife professionals, and took classes to learn more about wild animals.

I also paid for their medicine with my own money.

I felt like I was doing something very important, and I was really good at it.

Finalmente, Bree aceptó un puesto en el hospital de animales exóticos y salvajes de la Universidad de Sidney.

Cerca de ese hospital, a una media hora en auto, vivía una colonia de koalas.

Así que frecuentemente alguno de ellos terminaba en el hospital.

I really liked working with koalas.

So, I offered to be the person to take care of them at that hospital.

Unfortunately, I saw a lot of koalas that were hit by cars or attacked by dogs.

Cuidar a los koalas motivaba especialmente a Bree porque algunas poblaciones de esta especie están en peligro de extinción, o endangered.

El gobierno australiano descubrió que, sin una rápida intervención, el país podría perder toda su población de koalas salvajes en esta área antes de 2050.

The endangered koalas living in southeastern Australia, are a combination of two other kinds of koalas: northern and southern.

Northern koalas are usually a lot smaller than southern koalas.

Sadly, all of them are endangered.

Bree aprendió que hay varias amenazas para la supervivencia de los koalas, como enfermedades o incendios.

Aunque uno de los mayores riesgos es la urbanización que pone en peligro su alimento principal: los eucaliptos, o eucalyptus.

Koalas need to live near special types of trees because they mainly eat eucalyptus leaves.

But humans are cutting those trees down to create space for new houses.

So now a lot of koalas don’t have a place to live.

And they have to walk across busy roads to look for new trees.

It’s really dangerous.

Por este motivo, Bree se esfuerza tanto como puede por salvar a la mayor parte de los koalas.

Todavía recuerda a uno pequeño llamado Willy, que se quedó huérfano después de que un coche arrollara a su madre cuando ambos intentaban cruzar una carretera para buscar nuevos árboles para vivir.

We had to feed and take care of him because he was so little.

Koalas sleep for 18 hours a day, and they usually awake later in the day.

So, we had to be awake all night at the hospital to feed Willy a special diet.

Cuando Willy creció, tuvo que aprender a vivir libre con otros koalas.

Lo primero que hizo Bree fue ponerlo en un pequeño parque especial que lo ayudaba a desarrollar una habilidad fundamental: trepar.

Koalas learn how to climb on the playground.

It’s a space where they don’t get hurt if they fall.

A koala expert is also there to help the babies learn how to climb.

It was important for Willy to be good at climbing because koalas spend most of their time in trees.

If you see a koala on the ground, that usually means it’s sick.

​​A medida que Willy crecía y se hacía más y más fuerte, Bree y su equipo hacían que la zona de juegos fuera más alta y compleja para que el koala ganara fuerza y confianza.

Willy usually got tired after climbing for a while, so then we put him in a little basket to sleep.

He always looked so comfortable! We really wanted to give Willy a comfortable environment, with the kind of care that joeys usually get from their mothers.

That was so important.

Los koalas son marsupiales, esto es un tipo de animal que no está completamente desarrollado al nacer.

Y por eso, las madres llevan y amamantan a los bebés marsupiales, o joeys, en una bolsa en su vientre, o pouch.

After a baby koala is ready to leave the pouch, they still need support from their mothers.

So, Willy slept while holding a toy bear.

It was kind of like a mother for him, and it helped him feel more comfortable.

Durante varios meses, Bree seguía vigilando a Willy para asegurarse que creciera sano.

Los koalas que nacen en cautiverio pasan por lo que Bree describe como un programa de “deshumanización” para prepararlos para la vida en el bosque australiano, o bush.

Soon, Willy was ready to go outside and spend time in nature.

This is when we avoid touching the koalas.

We want to make sure that they can live without us in the bush.

Basically, we want them to be scared of people by the time they go back to the wild.

Esta parte del tratamiento del koala suele ser difícil para Bree.

Para ella, es fácil encariñarse con estos animales peluditos.

Everyone at work fell in love with Willy because he was so cute.

We took a lot of photos of him and his toy bear all the time.

We loved him, but we had to remember that he was a wild animal.

And teaching koalas to stay away from people is important because it means they will be safer in the wild.

And the wild is the best place for koalas, even if it is difficult to say goodbye to animals like Willy.

Después de ocho meses de tratamiento, Willy ya estaba fuerte y sano.

Había aprendido a moverse como un koala y estaba listo para volver a enfrentarse al ecosistema australiano…

I know Willy is doing better in the wild, because that’s where he needs to be.

I hope his story will make more people care about protecting wildlife in Australia.

And I also want more people to know about the work that wildlife veterinarians do.

Then, people can bring injured, wild animals to hospitals like mine.

Su mayor deseo es que los koalas sean retirados de la lista de especies en peligro de extinción.

It’s a very stressful job, but it makes me very happy to see animals like Willy go back to their homes.

Seeing those wild animals returning to nature is the best feeling in the world.

A unos 600 kilómetros de donde trabaja Bree, Kelly Davis está tratando de evitar la desaparición de otro animal emblemático de Australia: el demonio de Tasmania, o Tasmanian devil.

Kelly es conservacionista en un proyecto de preservación de la vida silvestre llamado Aussie Ark.

El mayor desafío para ella es tratar de cambiar las percepciones equivocadas que hay sobre estos animales.

When I was growing up, I thought Tasmanian devils were scary and dangerous.

That’s what a lot of people think in Australia.

Then, I actually met a Tasmanian devil while I was working at a wildlife park near the city of Sydney.

The park takes care of baby Tasmanian devils who don’t have parents.

I remember seeing these tiny animals drinking from bottles, and they weren’t scary at all.

They were adorable, they liked to play, and they were very curious.

Como su nombre lo indica, el demonio de Tasmania es originario de Tasmania, una isla que es parte de Australia.

De aspecto, se parece a un oso pequeño con pelo negro y panza blanca.

Este animal tiene mala reputación en la cultura popular, en parte debido a una vieja serie de dibujos animados de Estados Unidos llamada Looney Tunes.

I watched Looney Tunes when I was a kid.

One of the characters was called the Tasmanian Devil.

He was angry and mean, and he made horrible noises.

And so I always thought that’s what Tasmanian devils were really like.

But I promise you that Tasmanian devils are not like that! They’re called “devils,” so of course that makes them seem very dangerous.

But a lot of things that people think about these animals are just wrong.

Los demonios de Tasmania pueden crecer tanto hasta llegar a pesar catorce kilos, el tamaño de un pequeño perro.

Son carnívoros y principalmente carroñeros, lo que significa que se alimentan de animales que ya están muertos.

Aunque puede sonar desagradable, en realidad sus hábitos alimenticios ayudan a proteger a otros animales para que no se enfermen.

Tasmanian devils can smell a dead animal from a few kilometers away.

So, they usually find and eat the dead animals before they’re covered in dangerous bacteria.

This helps other animals in the wild avoid diseases.

That’s why Tasmanian devils are an important part of the environment.

Kelly realmente comprendió la complejidad especial de estos animales cuando hizo un voluntariado en un parque con fauna silvestre, mientras estaba en la universidad.

At my university, I studied the noises that Tasmanian devils make.

I thought it was interesting because they make many sounds, and humans don’t really understand them.

I’ve heard Tasmanian devils make more than 35 different sounds.

They make one sound called the “arf.” This often happens when a group of Tasmanian devils are eating together.

Their screams usually show that they’re stressed, but it doesn’t always mean they’re going to attack.

Each devil also has a unique voice — just like humans.

El demonio de Tasmania es una especie en peligro de extinción.

Kelly explica que la mayor amenaza es un tipo de cáncer contagioso, o contagious, que ha matado a más del 90% de la población salvaje.

El programa de cría, o breeding, en Aussie Ark es el más grande para el demonio de Tasmania.

Over the last 20 years, the disease has affected a lot of Tasmanian devils.

So, we started breeding them at the Aussie Ark.

There, we can take care of them and protect them from the contagious cancer.

Kelly ha trabajado con demonios en el Aussie Ark desde 2017.

Un día típico en su trabajo incluye limpiar el espacio donde viven y prepararles la comida.

Meat from kangaroos is their favorite food.

And the 200 Tasmanian devils at Aussie Ark eat a lot of it! I was so nervous the first time I had to feed them, but now it’s a lot of fun because they’re all just excited to see me — and to eat!

Para Kelly, la parte favorita de su trabajo es cuidar a los demonios de Tasmania más pequeños: los joeys.

Estos tienen que criarse en la bolsa de su madre, como los koalas o los canguros.

When you take care of a joey, it’s like you’re its mother.

We make a special milk for them because milk from cows makes them sick.

And then, just like some human babies, we feed them with a bottle when they’re hungry.

Usually, we have to feed the babies every few hours.

It’s exhausting!

De vez en cuando, este tipo de cuidado tan íntimo crea un vínculo especial entre el demonio de Tasmania y la persona que lo cría.

A menudo, el demonio se apega, o becomes attached, al cuidador o cuidadora.

As the animal gets older, it usually becomes less interested in humans.

But sometimes, the Tasmanian devil you took care of becomes attached to you.

It’s almost like it loves you.

This happened to me with a devil named Malloy.

We had a special relationship.

Cuando Malloy cumplió dos años y alcanzó la edad adulta para este tipo de animales, Kelly tuvo que trasladarlo a un área cerrada, o enclosure, distinta y más grande dentro del parque.

De esa manera, podía estar con otros demonios de Tasmania de su misma edad.

When I brought him to that enclosure, he didn’t want to leave me.

And whenever I visited, Malloy always came to find me.

He liked to sit on me or climb on my shoulders.

One time, he hurt his foot, and because we had such a special relationship, he let me clean it.

It’s rare for an injured devil to let a human do that!

Kelly finalmente tuvo que despedirse de Malloy.

Él fue reubicado a otro criadero, en Tasmania.

Allí, no solo estaría protegido de las amenazas de enfermedades sino que tendría la oportunidad de interactuar con más demonios adultos.

It’s sad when the Tasmanian devils leave, but we want them to have children.

And then, one day, hopefully there will be many more, and they won’t be endangered anymore.

That’s the goal of everything we do at the Ark.

It’s also important to say I’m trained to work with wild animals.

People who aren’t professionals should never try to touch wildlife.

It’s not safe for you or the animals.

But I think the example of Malloy shows that Tasmanian devils have unique personalities.

They’re more than the screaming creatures that people see in the media.

Para ayudar a que más personas puedan conocer al auténtico demonio de Tasmania, Kelly dirige recorridos en el Aussie Ark.

Y en esos recorridos Kelly trae algunos de los demonios de Tasmania que se sienten más cómodos con las personas.

Se llaman embajadores o ambassadors.

It’s safe to take the ambassador Tasmanian devils to tours and events and introduce them to the community.

We want everyone to see that it’s important to help and protect them.

Animals like koalas are more popular, so it’s easier to get people to care about them.

But we really want everyone to know that Tasmanian devils are very special animals, too.

Kelly quiere que más personas se involucren en proteger a los demonios de Tasmania y poder asegurarse de que nunca queden extintos, o extinct.

Every creature on this planet has a place.

If one animal becomes endangered or extinct, then that affects many other animals.

In the case of Tasmanian devils, they help other animals in the wild avoid diseases.

So, if all of the Tasmanian devils die, many other animals could die, too.

That’s why I love the work that I do.

Helping baby joeys gives me hope for the future of the Tasmanian devil and all the rest of our amazing Australian wildlife.

Kelly Davis es conservacionista de la vida silvestre en Aussie Ark, un proyecto de cría y conservación del demonio de Tasmania en Australia.

Previamente en este episodio, escuchamos de la doctora Bree Talbot.

Ella es veterinaria jefa del Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, una clínica móvil para animales salvajes.

En las llamadas de zoom, Bree tiene de fondo de pantalla una foto del koala Willy.

Este episodio fue producido por Stephanie Wolf, una periodista de radio que vive en Louisville, Kentucky.