英検1級コミュのコロナ巣ごもり勉強会　第５回　埼玉英語会

みなさん、お元気でおすごしでしょうか。
がんばって英英で最後まで読んでくださいね。
じっさいの授業では講師がじっくりと説明します。

前回までは文字化けや勝手な改行が出ていたようで申し訳ありませんでした。

Nara asks visitors to stop feeding the deer

One of the most popular tourist sites in all of Japan is Nara Park in Nara Prefecture,
where people can walk among free-roaming deer that cross at pedestrian crossings
and bow to tourists in return for sembei rice crackers

roam
to walk or travel, usually for a long time, with no clear purpose or direction,
→ wander.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, tourist numbers have plummeted, and
with international travel restrictions leaving the park emptier than it’s ever been, the
deer have been hungry for rice crackers usually fed to them by visitors. With a large
number of deer seen wandering far from the park in search of food and others looking gaunt, concerned locals have recently been spotted giving the animals scraps of food. However, the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation, who helps to care for the animals,
says the deer are perfectly fine without handouts from strangers, and have installed
signs around the park asking visitors not to feed the deer any food other than rice
crackers.

plummet
to suddenly and quickly decrease in value or amount,
→plunge

feed fed fed

gaunt
very thin and pale, especially because of illness or continued worry,
→drawn

According to the foundation, a number of visitors have been giving the deer sweets and vegetable scraps to supplement the animals’ diets following the drop in tourists. This can do them more harm than good, though, and the foundation is looking to put an
end to the practice by implementing a “Feeding Prohibition Campaign” from Feb 1-28, patrolling the grounds at night to ensure there is no improper feeding and setting up
signs at 16 places in and around the park to prohibit people from feeding the deer anything other than rice crackers.

supplement
to add something to something to make it more successful, useful, or complete

implement
to take action or make changes that you have officially decided should happen

diet
the kind of food that a person or animal eats each day


They also shared information about the deer to put everyone’s minds at ease, saying
the animals have been living wild at Nara for over 1,300 years. The deer can safely
survive on grass, leaves and acorns found inside the park, and food like bread and
snacks are not part of their natural diet.

acorn
the nut of the oak tree

According to the foundation, deer crackers have been used by tourists in the park since the Edo Period (1603-1868), and are fine for the animals as a supplement to their
natural diet.
Hiroyasu Takeda, director of the Nara Park Administration Office, reinforced the importance of keeping the animals on their usual diet, saying: “Deer are wild animals and will not starve even if the number of tourists decreases. We’d like people to stop giving
the deer food that isn’t deer sembei.”

Given that a number of deer have been showing signs of dependence on rice crackers, with some eating up to 200 a day, the absence of tourists actually presents a good
opportunity for the animals to return to a more healthy natural diet. There are already promising signs that their health is improving, as a recent study showed deer droppings have become firmer and darker compared to before the pandemic, which indicates
they’re eating more grass than usual.

promising
showing signs of being successful or good in the future

So next time you’re in Nara and wanting to give the deer a bit of your lunch in return
for a bow, don’t forget that the deer have been surviving without handouts from
humans for centuries.