A puma at large
一只逍遥法外的美洲狮
Where must the puma have come from?
美洲狮一定是从哪里来的？
Pumas are large cat-like animals which are found in America.
美洲狮是在美国发现的大型猫科动物。
When reports came into London Zoo
当报告进入伦敦动物园时
that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London
在伦敦以南四十五英里处发现了一只野生美洲狮
they were not taken seriously.
他们没有被认真对待。
However as the evidence began to accumulate
然而，随着证据开始积累
experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate
动物园的专家觉得有义务进行调查
for the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma
对于声称见过美洲狮的人给出的描述
were extraordinarily similar.
非常相似。
The hunt for the puma began in a small village
对美洲狮的追捕始于一个小村庄
where a woman picking blackberries saw 'a large cat'only five yards away from her.
一个采摘黑莓的女人看到“一只大猫”离她只有五码远。
It immediately ran away when she saw it
当她看到它时，它立即逃跑了
and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.
专家证实，美洲狮不会攻击人类，除非它被逼入绝境。
The search proved difficult
搜索被证明是困难的
for the puma was often observed at one place in the morning
因为美洲狮经常在早上的一个地方被观察到
and at another place twenty miles away in the evening.
傍晚时分，在二十英里外的另一个地方。
Wherever it went it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits.
无论它走到哪里，它都会留下死鹿和兔子等小动物的踪迹。
Paw prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes.
在许多地方都可以看到爪印，并发现美洲狮的皮毛附着在灌木丛中。
Several people complained of 'cat-like noises' at night
有几个人抱怨晚上有“猫一样的噪音”
and a businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree.
一位商人在一次钓鱼之旅中看到美洲狮爬上了一棵树。
The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma
专家们现在完全相信这只动物是美洲狮
but where had it come from?
但它是从哪里来的呢？
As no pumas had been reported missing from any zoo in the country
由于该国任何动物园都没有美洲狮失踪的报道
this one must have been in the possession of a private collector
这幅画一定是私人收藏家拥有的
and somehow managed to escape.
并以某种方式设法逃脱。
The hunt went on for several weeks but the puma was not caught.
狩猎持续了几个星期，但美洲狮没有被抓到。
It is disturbing to think
想想就令人不安
that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.
在安静的乡村，一种危险的野生动物仍然逍遥法外。
