新冠肺炎疫情重创的不仅有人类，动物也深受其累，其中就包含无辜的水貂。因为从人类身上感染了新冠肺炎病毒，荷兰、西班牙、美国等地超百万只水貂被宰杀。
The coronavirus pandemic has already claimed more than a million human lives, but we aren't the only living things in danger from COVID-19: minks are being killed off in their thousands because of the spread of the virus.
新冠大时尚病已经夺走了超越100万人的生命，但人类并不是唯一受新冠肺炎病毒威胁的生物：因为病毒的传播，已经有成千上万的水貂被宰杀。
NBC News reports on the deaths of almost 10,000 minks at farms in Utah in the US, while the picture in Europe has been even bleaker according to Sky News at a farm in Spain, for example, over 92,000 of the animals have been slaughtered after it was estimated that 90 percent of them had caught the virus.
美国国家广播公司新闻部曾对美国犹他州农场近1万只水貂的死亡进行了报道，依据天空新闻报道，欧洲的状况则更为惨烈譬如说在西班牙的一处农场有超越92000只水貂被宰杀，缘由是预计那里90%的水貂都感染了新冠肺炎病毒。
In the Netherlands, the death toll has been even higher: over 1 million mink have been culled in the country over concerns that the animals could pass the virus back to humans, as per an AP report. World Health Organisation epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove has said the risk of catching COVID-19 from an animal remains very limited.
在荷兰，水貂的死亡总数更甚。依据美联社的报道，因担心水貂将病毒传回给人类，荷兰国内有超越100万只水貂被扑杀。世界卫生组织的时尚病学家玛利亚范科克浩夫曾表示，从动物身上感染新冠肺炎病毒的风险仍旧十分有限。
In the case of the Utah outbreak, it covers nine fur farms and has been thought to have been caused by the virus being passed on from an infected handler. The first signs of the virus spreading to minks in the region were spotted back in August.
美国犹他州的疫情暴发涉及到9家皮毛农场，据觉得是由一名染病的管理者传播的病毒。在该区域，病毒传播给水貂的刚开始迹象可以追溯到今天年8月份。
COVID-19 affects minks in a similar way to people, causing respiratory problems that tend to be worse in older animals. The mustelids group, which includes minks, weasels and badgers, is known to be at particular risk of catching the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
水貂感染新冠肺炎病毒的表现和人类非常像，会发生呼吸系统问题，较老的动物病情会更紧急。据了解，包含水貂、黄鼬和獾在内的鼬科动物特别容易感染新冠肺炎病毒。
Minks show open mouth breathing, discharge from their eyes and nose, and are not sick for several days before they pass away, Utah veterinarian Dean Taylor told NBC News. They typically die within the next day.
感染后的水貂会张着嘴呼吸，双眼和鼻子里会流出液体，不会病几天才死亡，犹他州的兽医迪恩泰勒告诉美国国家广播公司新闻部说，他们（染病后）一般第二天就会死亡。
The lungs of the dead minks were wet, heavy, red and angry when examined, veterinary pathologist Tom Baldwin, from Utah State University, told Science. That's consistent with signs of pneumonia, and matches up with investigations carried out in Europe.
犹他州立大学的兽医病理学家汤姆鲍德温告诉《科学》期刊说，在检查病死的水貂时，能看到肺部是湿重的、红色并有炎症。这与肺炎的症状一致，也和欧洲拓展的调查结果相符。
angry: adj.（伤口等）发炎的
Scientists are urgently trying to establish which animals are able to pass the virus back to humans there are instances of it potentially happening, but as noted by WHO, at the moment the risk is thought to be low .
科学家正迫切地想要查实哪种动物可以将病毒传回给人类。虽然有一些潜在的案例，但世界卫生组织指出，现在觉得这种风险较低（而且比人传人的风险要低不少）。
It appears we can very much pass it on to other species though, as this tragedy among mink populations shows yet another reason for the rest of the animal kingdom to be very afraid of us.
不过，看着人类极大概将病毒传播给其他物种，正如这场水貂的悲剧所显示的。这也是动物王国的其他成员很惧怕大家的另一个缘由。
It's another sad story in a year that's been full of them, but there are reasons to be optimistic that a coronavirus vaccine isn't too far off.
这是充满悲剧的一年里的又一出悲剧，但也有值得乐观的原因，由于新冠肺炎疫苗已经不远了。
