Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for a new episode of News Bites…

I’m Paz Bueno.

And I’m Nancy Sun.

In today’s stories…

People in Taipei march for wildlife, and some unique items go up for sale in Japan.

And in today’s Tasty Tidbit…a day that’s longer than a year!

Let’s check it out.

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台北為野生動物而走

Taipei March for Wildlife Rights

What wild animals live in Taiwan?

Well, there are pangolins (穿山甲).

These cute creatures love to eat ants.

There are also muntjacs (山羌).

They are little deer that live in the mountains.

And do you know the Taiwan Blue Magpie (臺灣藍鵲)?

Yeah! What a beautiful bird.

But what about stray dogs and cats (流浪犬 流浪貓)?

Are they wild animals?

Not exactly.

Stray dogs and cats come from cities.

They don’t really belong in the wild.

In fact, they often attack wild animals.

流浪的狗和貓不屬於野外，其實他們常常攻擊野生動物。

This is a big problem.

That’s why people recently held a protest in Taipei.

It was called the “2023 Walk for Wildlife”.

University students planned the event.

大學生策劃了這個活動。

They say more wild animals are getting hurt by stray dogs and cats.

What’s more, stray dogs and cats spread diseases (傳播疾病) to wild animals.

This is a disaster (災難) for Taiwan’s wildlife.

Just ask Philip Liao (廖).

He works at Taitung’s wildlife rescue center (台東的動物救援中心)

Philip says the center has seen sixteen injured muntjacs this year.

The poor muntjacs had all been attacked by stray dogs and cats.

Philip joined the Walk for Wildlife because he wants the laws to change.

He was one of more than four thousand people who came to protest at the Legislative Yuan (立法院).

They say the government should not let stray dogs and cats into ecological areas.

他們說政府該禁止流浪狗貓進入生態保護區。

That way, fewer dogs and cats will come to places where wild animals live.

Wild animals have been here a lot longer than dogs, cats, or people.

Many wild animals are unique to Taiwan, and it is their only home.

So let’s have some respect (尊重) for wildlife.

We have a responsibility (責任) to protect wild animals…

…because we all live on this island together.

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京都 可以買賣人孔蓋

City of Kyoto Sells Manhole Covers

What can you see when you walk on the street?

You might see the shops and the signs, the cars driving by, or the people around you.

But if you look down on the ground, you will see something else.

You’ll see manhole covers (人孔蓋).

They look like circles made of iron (鐵做的).

Every street has them.

They cover manholes.

Those are holes in the ground for workers to get under the streets.

That’s where the city keeps water pipes and electrical lines (水管和電纜).

The covers can be boring (無趣), or they can be quite beautiful (漂亮).

And in Japan, these covers are a big deal.

Japanese manhole covers are like works of art.

Many are decorated with colorful designs.

日本的人孔蓋，很多有色彩繽紛的圖案。

For example, in the city of Osaka (大阪市), the covers have a picture of Osaka Castle.

In Tokyo (東京市), they are decorated with cartoon animals.

Other cities decorate the covers with pictures of famous people or flowers.

For many cities, it is a tourist attraction (旅遊景點).

People go there just to check out these iron covers.

Some people in Japan even like to collect them.

有些人甚至喜歡收集人孔蓋。

Recently, the city of Kyoto (京都市) decided to sell its old manhole covers.

The city sold each one for 3000 yen.

That’s just 650 NT.

It’s a win-win situation (雙贏的局面).

The city gets some money, and collectors (收藏家) get a special item.

Lots of people are interested in buying these covers.

Why do collectors love these things so much?

After all, it’s just an old piece of iron.

Well, people love that they’re so unique (獨特).

When they buy one, it feels like they own a piece of the city’s history.

收藏家感覺自己擁有城市的一部分歷史。

Now, many cities in Japan have started using decorated manhole covers on the streets.

The trend (趨勢) is even spreading around the world.

So the next time you walk down the street…

…take a look at what’s under your feet.

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So, in today’s newsbites…

There was recently a march for wildlife rights in Taipei.

University students planned it, and over four thousand people came.

They want to protect wild animals from stray dogs and cats.

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And,

In Japan, the city of Kyoto is selling its old manhole covers.

These heavy iron covers can be found on any street.

They are beautiful works of art, and people want to collect them.

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趣味小點

Tasty Tidbit

Did you know that a day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus?

This might sound strange, but it's true!

Venus rotates on its axis very slowly.

It takes about 243 Earth days to complete one rotation, which is a day on Venus.

However, Venus orbits the Sun faster than it spins on its axis.

It takes only about 225 Earth days for Venus to go all the way around the Sun, which is a year on Venus.

So, a single day on Venus lasts longer than an entire year on the planet!

If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you’d like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [email protected], 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!