Malayan Tigers Debut at Taipei Zoo

News Bites

B*News Bites 文字檔 (國中) ________________________________ Hi there. It's time for an all-new episode of News Bites. I'm Jacob Ingram. And I'm Nancy Sun. In today's episode, we'll be talking about Malayan Tigers, and football-playing AI robots! And for today's Tasty Tidbit: The king of the jungle! Stay tuned for those stories. ________________________________ 臺北動物園新生報到兩瀕危馬來虎 Malayan Tigers Debut at Taipei Zoo Exciting news from Taipei Zoo: Two Malayan tigers have just made their first public appearance. Their names are Shima and Serikin. These tigers came all the way from France, arriving on March 1st from a special zoo dedicated to big cats (來自法國一家專門保育大型貓科動物的動物園). Shima and Serikin spent over two months in quarantine (檢疫) and spent some time getting used to their new home. After that, they were ready to meet visitors! Zookeepers say Shima and Serikin have very different personalities (個性大不同). Shima loves to play and explore her new surroundings, while Serikin is more shy and careful. This is a big deal for Taipei Zoo, because it's the zoo's first time participating in a global program to help save Malayan tigers. Malayan tigers live in the forests of southern Thailand and Malaysia. They are an endangered subspecies (亞種) of tiger. They're named after Peter Jackson! No, not that Peter Jackson - the director the Lord of the Rings trilogy. 不是魔戒電影的導演。 They're named after another Peter Jackson, who's a notable tiger conservationist (老虎保育人士). Jackson "earned his stripes" way back in 2005, when the Malayan tiger subspecies was discovered, and named after him. Sadly, Malayan tiger numbers are dropping because of habitat loss and poaching. Taipei Zoo Director Chen I-tsung (諶亦聰) says these tigers are critically endangered, which means they are at very high risk of extinction. Deforestation for palm oil plantations (棕櫚樹園區) and urban development (城市發展) has significantly reduced their natural habitat. This makes it harder for them to find sufficient prey and leads to increased encounters with poachers (盜獵者). Poaching remains a major threat, driven by the illegal wildlife trade, where tiger parts like their coats (皮毛) are highly valued. 盜獵依然是重大威脅，由於老虎的皮毛非常值錢，帶來許多非法的野生動物交易。 Thankfully, conservation efforts are underway to protect the remaining Malayan tigers. These efforts include anti-poaching measures, habitat preservation and community engagement programs. 保育措施包括反盜獵、棲息地保護和社區參與計畫。 Shima and Serikin are both very elegant and quiet, so the zookeepers ask visitors to be considerate when visiting them. They can be found in the Tropical Rainforest Area at Taipei Zoo. Let's help raise awareness about these beautiful animals and support efforts to protect them. ________________________________ 日內瓦人工智慧展 機器人踢足球 Robots Play Soccer at AI Showcase in Geneva Time to head over to Switzerland for this next story - the land of chocolate, mountain landscapes and luxury watches. Recently, an A-I for Good Global Summit took place in Geneva. 最近日內瓦舉行了一場人工智慧全球高峰會，探討怎樣讓AI做好事。 You remember what A-I is, right? It stands for Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence can do many things. It can look at a lot of data very fast and find important information. AI can do boring and repetitive tasks, so people can do more interesting work. It helps with decision-making by showing patterns and predictions. But it can do much more than that! At the Summit, AI-controlled robots played soccer, answered trivia questions, and even poked fun at human mistakes! Cool, huh? These robots were built by students from ETH Zurich - a public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. 這些機器人是由瑞士蘇黎世的公立研究型大學ETH Zurich的學生所打造的。 The robots kicked, passed, and tracked the ball using sensors. The project supervisor Jan-Nico Zaech said it helps students learn and test new algorithms (演算法) that can be used in the real world. Apart from robots playing soccer, the summit also showcased other amazing AI technologies. For example, prosthetic limbs (義肢) that learn from users and adapt to their movements, as well as devices to help visually impaired people avoid obstacles (幫助視障人士避開障礙物的設備), and bionic pets (跟真正寵物很像的機器寵物) to keep people company. ________________________________ So in today's News Bites, Two Malayan tigers made their debut at Taipei Zoo after arriving from France. Their names are Shima and Serikin. Zookeepers say they have different personalities. Shima is playful and adventurous, while Serikin is more reserved. Taipei Zoo is participating in a global program to save these critically endangered tigers, whose numbers are declining due to habitat loss and poaching. The Zoo urges visitors to be respectful. ________________________________ And, The AI for Good Global Summit recently took place in Geneva, Switzerland. AI, short for Artificial Intelligence, can process data quickly, perform repetitive tasks, and assist with decision-making. At the summit, AI-controlled robots built by students from ETH Zurich played soccer and showcased advanced technologies. These innovations demonstrate how AI is revolutionizing various fields and improving lives around the world. _______________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit And for today's Tasty Tidbit, You might have heard that tigers are called "kings of the jungle". Well, it just so happens that stripe pattern on a tiger's head looks like the Chinese character for king (王). 有趣的是，老虎頭上的條紋圖案與中文「王」字相似。 In Chinese culture, the tiger holds a special significance as a symbol of power, strength, and bravery. ________________________________ And that's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke or interesting news story you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [e-mail], and you might hear it at the end of an episode. We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!