雏鹰之死
This week, the nation's capital is mourning the death of Valor.
这一周，举国悼念威勒之死。
2018年8月9日
天气晴
01
Valor was one of two young eaglets in a nest at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., that is monitored by a popular 24/7 webcam.
威勒是位于华盛顿的国家植物园的一个鹰巢里的两只雏鹰之一，这个巢受到有名的网络摄像头全天候的监控。
He fell from the nest in the middle of the night on July 26.
在7月26日的半夜，他从巢里掉了下来。
02
It wasn't necessarily a cause for alarm.
这本不必要引起恐慌。
Valor's sibling, Victory, had "accidentally fledged" a few weeks earlier — that is, the bird fell from the nesting tree by accident but learned to fly as a result, returning to the nest the next day.
威勒的兄弟，维多利亚，也在几周前“意外长成”了——也就是说，这只鸟也从巢里意外掉下来，不过却学会了飞，第二天又回到了巢穴里。
Valor didn't seem to be flying back, however.
然而，威勒却似乎并没有飞回来。
The next morning he was located, damp from the rain, on the ground beneath the tree.
第二天早上他被人们找到了，位于树下的地上，被雨淋湿了。
He was spotted later in a nearby tree.
后来他被看到出现在旁边的一棵树上。
03
Then, on July 30, he was found on the ground several blocks away, in a residential neighborhood.
后来，在7月30号，他被发现于几个街区的地上，周围是居民区。
There were no obvious injuries, but experts decided to hold on to him for a few days to monitor his health before he was placed back in the nest, as The Washington Post reported at the time.
没有发现明显的损伤，不过专家们决定多留他几日来监测他的健康状况，然后把它放回巢穴里去 ，华盛顿邮报当时进行了报道。
His new exploits were treated like one big lark.
他的这次新事迹让人们欢呼雀跃。
Everyone assumed the bird would be fine — and, soon enough, would learn to fly on his own, just like Victory did.
每个人都以为这只鸟会没事——并且很快，就会像维多利亚那样，学会自己飞了。
But it was not to be.
不过事与愿违。
Something was wrong with Valor.
威勒还是出了点毛病。
He was transferred to a bird rescue and research facility, which reported that he was severely underweight and anemic.
他被转移到了一处鸟类救助和研究机构处，他们检查发现它严重偏瘦，并且贫血。
The bird's fans watched and waited nervously, to see whether he would recover.
这只鸟的粉丝们紧张地观察并等待着，看它是否能康复。
Mr. President and the First Lady have been raising young eaglets in a picturesque tulip poplar in the National Arboretum — a spot they picked themselves, for the record — since the spring of 2015.
总统和他的太太曾在国家植物园的一棵诗意如画般的鹅掌楸上饲养雏鹰—补充声明一下，这个地方是他们自己选的—是从2015年春天开始的。
The DC Eagle Cam, organized by the American Eagle Foundation, has been broadcasting their family life on the Internet since 2016.
而华盛顿老鹰摄像直播，是由美国老鹰基金会组织的，自从2016年开始就在网上直播它们的家庭生活。
Passionate readers might remember that first season in the nest — we covered every pip and every hatching of eaglets Freedom and Liberty.
忠实读者们可能还记得这个巢穴的第一季——我们曾在《自由与解放》系列文中报道了每一只蛋和产下和每一只雏鹰的孵化。
The next year, Mr. President and the First Lady raised Honor and Glory, again before a long-distance audience.
第二年，总统和夫人养出了荣誉和光荣两只雏鹰，也是在很多远距离观众的关注下。
So by the time they emerged from their eggs this spring, Valor and Victory had already inherited a crowd of eager eagle-watchers who had followed the avian first family for years.
所以当今年春天它们从蛋里孵出来的时候，威勒和维多利亚就已经继承了一波热情的老鹰观察者们，他们追随第一个鸟类家庭已经有几年了。
This year, they watched Victory and Valor from the time they were eggs, carefully guarded by their parents, through the thrill of the first shakes of the hatching egg.
今年，他们从蛋开始就观察着维多利亚和威勒，它们由父母仔细守护着，顺利通过了孵化初期的一些考验。
They watched as the birds grew into fluffy chicks, then sleeker, darker young birds, making their first tentative hops toward flight and freedom.
他们眼看着这些鸟长成了毛茸茸的雏鸟，然后成为更苗条，暗色的鸟儿，朝着飞翔和自由进行着它们试探性的跳跃。
And now, the DC Eagle Cam community grappled with its first real tragedy.
如今，华盛顿老鹰直播社区正面临他们的第一次真正的悲剧。
Valor wasn't gaining weight.
威勒的体重没有增加。
His condition was "very poor," Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research said.
它的情形不容乐观，三州鸟类救助和研究机构称。
Some eagle-eyed cam-watchers wondered whether the health problems dated to days in the nest when Valor didn't seem to get his full share of food; the equity of food division in the nest is a common anxiety among eagle cam observers.
有一些眼尖的网络直播观众们猜想，健康问题可能要追溯到威勒在巢里没能吃到足够食物的日子；鹰巢内食物分配不均是老鹰直播观众们的普遍担忧。
Or was the fall a symptom of something more ominous?
又或者体重的下降是别的隐疾的预兆？
"We know that many are concerned about the prognosis for this eaglet," the group said on Monday.
“我们知道很多人都担心雏鹰的预后诊断，”这只研究团队在周一称。
"We are doing all we can, but despite intensive medical treatment and nutritional support over the past three days, Valor has shown no improvement and his prognosis remains guarded."
“我们正在竭尽所能，不过即便在过去三天里提供了精心的医疗和营养辅助，威勒还是没什么起色，它的预后仍然需要谨慎。”
The bird experts understood that the public was blindsided by this news.
鸟类专家们知道公众受到了新闻的蒙蔽。
" We know his decline may seem sudden to many people," they explained.
“我们知道它的消瘦对很多人来说可能有点突然，”他们解释道。
"Wild animals are adept at hiding injury" to avoid being targeted by predators and can "appear bright and alert" despite being in ill health, they said.
“野生动物往往善于隐藏伤情”这样来避免被捕食者盯上，就算生了病也会“看起来似乎硬朗又警醒”，他们说道。
On Tuesday, they released their final update.
周二时，他们发布了最后的更新。
Valor had been lethargic.
威勒昏昏欲睡。
He had no appetite and had to be force-fed.
他没有胃口，只好被强行喂食。
His head and body were trembling.
他的头和身体都在颤抖。
He tested positive for West Nile Virus, which can be fatal in birds, the facility said.
他的西尼罗病毒检测是阳性，这对鸟类来说是致命性的，该机构说道。
The wildlife experts said it was "extremely unlikely" that he would recover and that "prolonging his suffering would have been inhumane."
野生动物专家说它很可能没法恢复了，还说“再让它痛苦地活下去是不人道的。”
He was euthanized on Tuesday.
周二时他被施行了安乐死。
"Words are not enough to convey the sadness we are feeling for the loss of our precious eaglet, Valor," the American Eagle Foundation said on the DC Eagle Cam website.
“语言已经无法表达我们对于珍贵的雏鹰，威勒的逝去所感受到的悲痛，”美国老鹰基金会在华盛顿老鹰直播网站上说道。
The group said euthanizing him was "the most difficult but compassionate decision."
该机构称把他施行安乐死是“最困难而出于同情心的决定。”
"We are thankful for the opportunity to finish the 2018 season watching Mr. President, the First Lady, and Victory," AEF wrote.
“我们对于有机会能完成2018季的观鸟非常感激，总统，第一夫人，还有维多利亚，”美国老鹰基金会写道。
"Rest gently, Valor. You were loved."
“安息吧，威勒。我们都爱你。”
And he was. He really, really was.
而他确实是深受喜爱的。真的是这样！
On Facebook, mourners called him "beloved Valor," "precious Valor," "sweet baby Valor."
在脸书上，悼念者们管他叫“心爱的威勒”，“珍贵的威勒”，“可爱宝贝威勒”。
One dedicated a statue to him.
有人给它献上了一尊雕塑。
They reminisced about watching him grow from the day the eggs were laid, recalling how bravely he had endured heat and cold, wind and rain.
他们追忆了看着它从蛋里孵出来的过程，回忆了它是如何勇敢地经历了严寒酷暑，风霜雨雪。
"I wish I understood how one little bird's passing could rip a hole in one's heart," one woman wrote on Facebook.
“我希望我能够理解一直小鸟的去世怎么就能戳中某人的心脏，”有一名女士在脸书上写道。
"I will picture him flying above the clouds, knowing he fledged directly to heaven," another wrote.
“我会想象着他翱翔云端的样子，知道他会直接飞向天天，”另一名网友写道。
"However short his life was, he brought joy to many around the world," wrote another fan.
“无论他的生命有多么短暂，他给全世界的人多人带来了欢乐，”另一名粉丝写道。
"That will be his legacy."
“而这就是他留给我们的遗产。”
对于威勒的故事，朋友有什么看法吗？欢迎给amber留言哦！