在这个动物保护区，成年人可以和小水獭一起游泳

在这个动物保护区，成年人可以和小水獭一起游泳，照片很可爱

Barn Hill Preserve organizes guided encounter tours, lets its visitors hang out with sloths, and… swim with otters. That’s right, if you’re stressed out from working long hours or the mundane routine that is everyday life and are thinking to yourself, “What could make me feel more relaxed?” Chilling with Asian small-clawed otters in a pool is the answer.

巴恩山保护区组织导游，让游客和树懒一起玩，和水獭一起游泳。没错，如果你因为长时间的工作或日常生活中的琐事而倍感压力，并对自己说:“有什么能让我更放松呢?”答案是和亚洲小爪水獭一起泡在游泳池里。

The participants must be at least 16 years and are required to sign a waiver before their experience. “We are a federally licensed facility in Ethel, Louisiana. Our otter swims are a very limited experience as we don’t provide many,” the President/CEO of Barn Hill Preserve, John “Gabe” Ligon, told Bored Panda. “The swim experience includes a tour of the preserve which includes African servals, red kangaroos, and a climate-controlled sloth exhibit.”

参加者必须至少年满16岁，并须签署一份弃权书，方可获得经验。“我们是路易斯安那州埃塞尔市的一家联邦许可机构。我们的水獭游泳是非常有限的经验，因为我们不提供很多，”总统/巴恩山保护区首席执行官，约翰“盖比”利冈告诉Bored Panda。“游泳体验包括参观保护区，包括非洲驴、红袋鼠和气候控制的树懒展览。”

The otter swim portion of the tour includes time for changing clothes, orientation, and swimming with the otters. It lasts for approximately 1 hour. The average time otters swim in the pool is 35 minutes. The number of otter swims is limited so that this remains a very positive experience for them.

水獭游泳部分的旅游包括更换衣服，定位，并与水獭游泳。大约持续1个小时。水獭在游泳池里游泳的平均时间是35分钟。水獭游泳的数量是有限的，所以这对它们来说仍然是一个非常积极的体验。

However, the preserve does much more. “We also provide a home for animals, including a large group of free-flying macaws,” Ligon said. “These macaws have lifespans of up to 80 years and possess intelligence that compares with human toddlers. We help these birds learn to fly so they can live out their 80 years in the Louisiana countryside. We hope that seeing these birds fly in a flock, will inspire people to help protect their wild cousins, who are rapidly losing land to human development. Some animals are owner surrenders, while others are planned acquisitions from Federally licensed facilities.”

然而，保护区的作用要大得多。“我们还为动物提供了一个家，包括一大群自由飞翔的金刚鹦鹉，”利贡说。“这些金刚鹦鹉的寿命可达80岁，其智力可与人类幼儿媲美。我们帮助这些鸟学习飞行，这样它们就可以在路易斯安那州的乡下生活80年。我们希望看到这些鸟成群飞翔，能够激励人们帮助保护它们的野生近亲，因为人类的发展正使它们迅速失去土地。一些动物是主人的投降，而另一些则是计划从联邦政府许可的设施收购。”

Coming back to the otter swim, the activity is only scheduled once per day and only a few days per week. “Guests enter the pool, and the otters are introduced for playtime. If they want to play with enrichment toys on the deck, that’s their choice. Our otters are never forced to do anything, the entire experience is completely positive,” Ligon explained.

回到水獭游泳，活动每天只有一次，每周只有几天。客人们进入水池，水獭就会被带进来玩耍。如果他们想在甲板上玩浓缩玩具，那是他们的选择。我们的水獭从来没有被强迫做任何事情，整个体验是完全积极的，”Ligon解释说。

Interestingly, the Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest otter species in the world. It inhabits mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands in the South and Southeast Asia and lives in extended family groups with only the alpha pair breeding; offspring from previous years help to raise the young.

有趣的是，亚洲小爪水獭是世界上最小的水獭物种。它栖息在南亚和东南亚的红树林沼泽和淡水湿地，并生活在一个大家庭中，只有阿尔法对繁殖;前些年的后代帮助抚养后代。

“A typical day for an Asian otter at the preserve includes waking up to the smell of a fish and shrimp breakfast. Taking a morning swim, grooming one another to dry off, taking a mid-day nap, chasing insects that fly into the exhibit, and taking more naps. Our otters on exhibit have a large behind the scenes privacy house that allows them to enter any time they aren’t feeling social.”

对于保护区的亚洲水獭来说，典型的一天包括醒来时闻到鱼虾早餐的味道。早上游泳，互相梳理弄干，中午小睡，追逐飞进展览的昆虫，多打个盹。我们展出的水獭在幕后有一个很大的隐私屋，可以让它们在不喜欢社交的任何时候进入。”

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图片来源：Ilona Baliūnaitė