僧海豹卷土重来，出生率逐年上升

Hawaiian monk seal births are on the rise, according to The Marine Mammal Center.

据海洋哺乳动物中心称，僧海豹出生率在上升。

The species is considered critically endangered, with fewer than 1,200 individuals left in the wild. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program recorded 121 monk seals in 2017, up from 103 in 2013. The increase might seem minor, but for a species with such a small population, it's a huge victory.

这一物种严重濒危，野生的僧海豹数量不及1200只。美国国家海洋和大气局夏威夷僧海豹研究项目的科学家记录了2017年出生的121只僧海豹幼崽，比2013年数量多（2013年是103只）。这一数量增加看似微小，但对于数量较小的物种而言，这已经是巨大的胜利了。

Conservationists hope to see additional population increases in the future, now that a new healthcare facility devoted entirely to the Hawaiian monk seal is up and running. Located in the town of Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, the Ke Kai Ola hospital opened in early September, 2017 and aims to "give monk seal pups a better shot at survival and adult seals a second chance when they need it."

生态环境保护者希望将来僧海豹的数量可以增长更多。现在，一家全新的专门服务夏威夷僧海豹的医疗机构已经应运而生并投入运营。柯凯欧拉医院坐落于夏威夷岛的凯卢阿可娜小镇，于2017年9月初开业，意在“给僧海豹更好地生存机会，成年僧海豹如有需要，给它们第二次机会更好地生存。”

Ultimately, the hospital hopes to restore the Hawaiian monk seal population. For now, administrators are optimistic about the species' rising birth rate.

最为重要的是，这家医院希望可以恢复夏威夷僧海豹的数量。就目前而言，管理人员对这一物种呈上升态势的出生率持乐观态度。

Hawaiian monk seals are found only around the Hawaiian Islands. The largest numbers can be located in the remote Northwestern Islands, where they rarely come into contact with humans, but where shark attacks and a lack of fish make survival difficult. For seals living near the main islands, man-made dangers -- getting caught in nets, being run over by motor boats, ingesting fish hooks -- contribute to their low survival rate.

人们只能在夏威夷岛群岛一带觅到僧海豹的踪影。大部分可能位于遥远的西北岛屿，它们鲜与人类交流，但那里有鲨鱼袭击，鱼类也较少，生存困难。对于生存在本岛附近的海豹而言，它们面临人为的危险，会被渔网捕猎到或被摩托艇碾压到，还会勾到鱼钩。这些都导致了僧海豹存活率低。

Ke Kai Ola tries to keep human interaction at a minimum to increase rescued pups' chances of independent survival.

柯凯欧拉医院希望可以最小程度保持与人类的交流，确保被拯救的僧海豹独立存活的几率有所提高。