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Many Christians give up meat for Lent, a practice that indirectly affects…hyenas, believe it or not.
许多基督徒在大斋节期间会放弃食用肉类。不论你信与不信，这对鬣狗产生了间接的影响。
In northern Ethiopia, hyenas have become accustomed to scavenging meat that humans throw away. However, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians go vegan for the 55 days before Easter.
在埃塞俄比亚北部，那里的鬣狗已习惯了寻找人类扔掉的腐肉。然而，埃塞俄比亚的东正教徒在复活节前的55天里是严格的素食主义者。
Scientists wondered whether the human dietary change affected the behavior of local hyenas. At three different sites where hyenas scavenge from humans, the researchers swept up hyena droppings. They collected samples as the fast began, when it ended 55 days later and then again 55 days after the regular diet resumed.
科学家想知道人类饮食的变化是否影响到了当地鬣狗的觅食。在鬣狗寻觅人类弃肉的三个不同的地点，研究人员采集了鬣狗的粪便。他们在大斋节开始之时收集粪便样本，大斋节结束55天之后收集一次，在人类恢复正常饮食55天之后再收集一次。
Based on animal fur found in the scat, the researchers discovered that the hyenas hunt more during Lent, when meaty leftovers from human meals are scarcer. Which is bad news for donkeys.
根据在鬣狗粪便中发现的动物皮毛，研究人员判断，鬣狗在大斋节期间会大量捕猎——这是因为人类所丢掉的肉类极其匮乏的缘故。这对鬣狗的食物野驴而言可不是个好消息。
Before Lent, about 15 percent of hair in hyena scat samples came from hunted donkeys. During Lent, the number more than doubled. And donkey meals decreased again after the end of Lent. That’s when the people resume eating meat and the hyenas go back to scavenging free lunches—giving the hyenas the last laugh, while the donkeys breathe a sigh of relief.
在大斋节之前，鬣狗粪便中约15％的皮毛来自野驴。大斋节期间，这个比例增加了一倍以上。大斋期结束之后，野驴作为鬣狗食物的比例又大大降低。这是因为人类恢复了吃肉，鬣狗又有了免费的午餐。鬣狗笑到了最后，而野驴也可舒口气了。
