中文导读

10月5日晚，北京野生动物园通报，假期抓虫活动已吸引2278人参与，累计捕获超过34万条美国白蛾幼虫。一场游戏怎样把游客带入生态保护，又有哪些专业防治无法被替代？

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A holiday at a wildlife park usually means watching animals. At Beijing Wildlife Park, some visitors are also helping to protect trees. They are taking part in a competition to catch caterpillars. Reports on October 5 showed how the activity had turned a task for park workers into a shared holiday experience.

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去野生动物园度假，通常意味着看动物。但在北京野生动物园，一些游客也在帮助保护树木。他们正在参加一场抓毛毛虫比赛。10月5日的报道展示了这项活动如何把园区工作人员的任务变成了大家共同参与的假日体验。

The target is the fall webworm, the young form of a moth from North America. These caterpillars eat leaves and can damage more than 300 kinds of plants, including fruit trees and crops. The event gives visitors a clear purpose: collect these insects while learning why they need to be controlled.

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比赛的目标是美国白蛾的幼虫，这种蛾原产北美。这些毛毛虫以树叶为食，能够危害包括果树和农作物在内的300多种植物。活动给游客一个明确目标：一边收集这些昆虫，一边了解为何需要控制它们。

Before the search begins, visitors have a short lesson on how to recognize the caterpillars. They then use gloves, chopsticks and plastic containers to collect them. Park workers weigh what each person brings back. Those with the heaviest collections can win prizes, including park tickets. The park says visitors can join without paying a separate fee for the competition.

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开始寻找之前，游客会先接受简短培训，学习辨认这种毛毛虫。随后，他们用手套、筷子和塑料容器收集昆虫。园区工作人员会称量每个人带回来的虫子。收集重量最多的人可以获得包括园区门票在内的奖品。园方表示，游客参加比赛不需要另付费用。

The numbers show how much the public has contributed. In a notice published late on October 5, the park said 2,278 people had taken part since the activity began on September 28. Together, they had collected more than 340,000 caterpillars. The event is due to continue until October 7. These figures describe the collection effort, rather than proving that the insects have disappeared.

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这些数字显示了公众的贡献。园方在10月5日晚发布的通知中称，自9月28日活动开始以来，已有2278人参加，累计收集了超过34万只毛毛虫。活动计划持续到10月7日。这些数字反映的是收集成果，并不能证明害虫已经消失。

However, collecting insects requires care. In a CCTV report published on October 4, professor Zhang Aihuan explained that people should identify the right species and use protective equipment. Catching other caterpillars by mistake could cause injuries. Collected insects also need to be dealt with together. Throwing them away without care could allow them to spread again.

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不过，收集昆虫需要谨慎。央视10月4日发布的报道中，张爱环教授解释说，人们应该辨认正确物种并使用防护装备。误抓其他毛毛虫可能导致受伤。收集的昆虫也需要统一处理，随意丢弃可能使它们再次扩散。

Zhang also explained the limits of catching insects by hand. It can help where numbers are relatively small, but it cannot become the main method of control. Other methods include removing leaves covered with webs, using lights to trap adult moths, and using insects that naturally attack the pest. Public help supports this wider work rather than replacing it.

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张教授还解释了人工捕捉的局限。它可以在虫口数量较少时提供帮助，却不能成为主要防治手段。其他方法包括清除有虫网的叶片、用灯光诱捕成蛾，以及利用能够自然攻击害虫的昆虫。公众参与是对这些更广泛工作的支持，而不是替代。

The activity has another purpose beyond the number caught. According to Zhang, learning to recognize the caterpillars can help people report them when they appear elsewhere. This can support long-term monitoring. For visitors, the competition offers both a holiday activity and a lesson in protecting plants. For park workers, it brings more people into an effort that still needs professional knowledge.

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除了捕获数量，这项活动还有另一个目的。张教授表示，学会辨认这种毛毛虫，有助于人们在其他地方发现它们时进行报告，从而支持长期监测。对于游客，比赛既是假日活动，也是一堂植物保护课。对于园区工作人员，它让更多人参与到一项仍需要专业知识的工作中。

新闻来源

• Reuters：Beijing park’s holiday caterpillar hunt targets ‘forest food monster’
• 京报网：北京野生动物园抓“毛毛虫”大赛，战绩突破100斤！
• 央视新闻：从热议到参与 一场抓“毛毛虫”大赛带动全民保护生态

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