尷尬! 澳大利亞寬帶電纜遭鸚鵡啃咬

Australia's government-built A$36 billion broadband network, already under attack from underwhelmed customers, has found a new and formidable enemy - cockatoos are chewing through cables across the country.

澳大利亞政府花費360億澳元建造的寬帶網絡本就已遭到不滿客戶的攻擊，現又發現一個新的勁敵--鳳頭鸚鵡正在啃咬佈設在全國各處的電纜。

Repairing the damage wrought on the broadband system, including replacing steel-braid wires that the pesky parrots have gnawed, has already cost A$80,000, network builder NBN said.

網絡建設方NBN日前表示，修復寬帶系統的損傷，包括更換令人討厭的鸚鵡啃咬過的鋼絲編織網，已經花費了8萬澳元。

The company estimates the bill could rise sharply as more damage is uncovered and more cables are rolled out in the national telecommunications infrastructure project, which is not due to be completed until around 2021.

該公司估計，澳大利亞全國電信基礎設施項目到2021年左右才能完成，隨着項目推進時更多電纜被佈設，更多損壞會被發現，維修賬單可能會大幅上漲。

"They are constantly sharpening their beaks and as a result will attack and tear apart anything they come across," said NBN Co project manager Chedryian Bresland in a blog post on the company's website.

NBN公司的項目經理切德瑞恩·佈雷斯蘭在其公司官網上的一篇博文中寫道：“這些鸚鵡不停地磨嘴喙，看到什麼就攻擊並啃咬。”

"Unfortunately, they've developed a liking to our cables ... these birds are unstoppable when in a swarm."

“很不幸，它們看上了我們的電纜，這些鳥成羣而來的時候簡直難以阻擋。”

"Cockatoos don't usually go for cables. But it might be the color or the position of the cables that's attracted them," said Gisela Kaplan, a professor in animal behavior at the University of New England.

新英格蘭大學動物行爲學教授吉塞拉·卡普蘭表示：“通常來講，鳳頭鸚鵡對電纜並不感興趣。不過可能是電纜的顏色或位置吸引了它們。”

NBN is installing protective casing it says will protect the wires from birds in the future.

爲了防止今後電纜再遭鳥類啃咬，NBN正在給電纜安裝保護套。