Foxes in the Park

In the spring, a family of foxes moved into the city park. They made their den under an old tree near the children's playground, and soon everyone was talking about them.

TerjemahanPada musim semi, sekeluarga rubah pindah ke taman kota. Mereka membuat sarang di bawah pohon tua dekat taman bermain anak-anak, dan tak lama kemudian semua orang membicarakan mereka.

The foxes were beautiful. The mother had a long red tail and a white chest, and her three young foxes played in the grass every evening. People stopped to take photos of their tiny paws and long whiskers.

TerjemahanRubah-rubah itu cantik. Sang induk punya ekor merah yang panjang dan dada putih, dan ketiga anaknya bermain di rumput setiap sore. Orang-orang berhenti untuk memotret kaki-kaki mungil dan kumis panjang mereka.

But not everyone was happy. Some people were worried about their cats. Others said the foxes were dirty because they looked for food in the rubbish bins. A few people wanted to feed them, and they left bread and meat near the tree every night.

TerjemahanTetapi tidak semua orang senang. Beberapa orang mengkhawatirkan kucing mereka. Yang lain mengatakan rubah itu kotor karena mereka mencari makanan di tempat sampah. Beberapa orang ingin memberi mereka makan, dan setiap malam mereka meninggalkan roti dan daging di dekat pohon itu.

The city asked a woman from the wildlife centre to speak at a meeting. She explained that foxes are usually shy and avoid people. "The problem is not the foxes," she said. "The problem is our rubbish and the food we leave out. If they get used to people, they stop being afraid of them, and that can be dangerous for the foxes."

TerjemahanPihak kota meminta seorang wanita dari pusat satwa liar untuk berbicara dalam sebuah pertemuan. Dia menjelaskan bahwa rubah biasanya pemalu dan menghindari manusia. “Masalahnya bukan rubah,” katanya. “Masalahnya adalah sampah kita dan makanan yang kita tinggalkan. Kalau mereka terbiasa dengan manusia, mereka berhenti takut kepada manusia, dan itu bisa berbahaya bagi rubah.”

She gave three simple rules: don't feed them, don't touch them, and close your bins at night. She also reminded everyone that the park belonged to many animals, not just foxes: squirrels in the trees, a hedgehog in the bushes, an owl that hunted at night and a crow with a nest on the lamp post all lived there too.

TerjemahanDia memberikan tiga aturan sederhana: jangan beri mereka makan, jangan sentuh mereka, dan tutup tempat sampah kalian pada malam hari. Dia juga mengingatkan semua orang bahwa taman itu milik banyak hewan, bukan hanya rubah: tupai di pepohonan, landak di semak-semak, burung hantu yang berburu pada malam hari, dan gagak dengan sarang di tiang lampu, semuanya juga tinggal di sana.

People followed the rules, and by autumn the young foxes had grown up and left. The park felt a little empty without them.

TerjemahanOrang-orang menaati aturan itu, dan pada musim gugur anak-anak rubah sudah dewasa dan pergi. Taman terasa sedikit sepi tanpa mereka.

A city is not only our home. It is home to many other neighbours too.

TerjemahanKota bukan hanya rumah kita. Kota juga rumah bagi banyak tetangga lain.