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.

和訳春、キツネの一家が市の公園に引っ越してきた。彼らは子どもの遊び場の近くの古い木の下に巣穴を作り、すぐにみんながその話をするようになった。

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.

和訳キツネたちは美しかった。母ギツネは長い赤い尻尾と白い胸をしていて、3匹の子ギツネは毎晩、草の上で遊んだ。人々は立ち止まって、小さな前足と長いひげの写真を撮った。

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.

和訳でも、みんなが喜んだわけではなかった。自分の猫を心配する人もいた。キツネはゴミ箱に食べ物を探しに来るので汚いと言う人もいた。キツネに餌をやりたい人も何人かいて、毎晩、木のそばにパンや肉を置いていった。

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."

和訳市は野生動物センターの女性に、会議で話してもらうよう頼んだ。彼女は、キツネはふつう臆病で、人を避けると説明した。「問題はキツネではありません」と彼女は言った。「問題は私たちのゴミと、外に置く食べ物です。人に慣れると、人をこわがらなくなり、それはキツネにとって危険になりえます。」

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.

和訳彼女は3つの簡単なルールを示した。餌をやらない、触らない、夜はゴミ箱を閉める。また、公園はキツネだけでなく多くの動物のものだと、みんなに思い出させた。木にはリス、茂みにはハリネズミ、夜に狩りをするフクロウ、街灯に巣を作ったカラスも、みんなここに住んでいるのだ。

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

和訳人々はルールを守り、秋までに子ギツネは大きくなって去っていった。公園はキツネたちがいなくて、少し寂しく感じられた。

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

和訳町は私たちだけの家ではない。たくさんのほかの隣人たちの家でもある。