德國著名鬥雞眼負鼠被執行安樂死
An opossum that gained worldwide fame for its comedic cross-eyed looks has been put to sleep after its health deteriorated, Leipzig Zoo said Wednesday.
德國萊比錫動物園週三宣佈，因鬥雞眼而出名的可愛負鼠在健康狀況日益惡化的情況下被執行安樂死。
The female opossum, called Heidi, became a German media sensation after her picture was published in late 2010 and had more than 330,000 fans on Facebook.
在2010年下半年照片曝光後，這隻被稱爲Heidi的母負鼠成爲德國媒體競相追逐的對象，並且在Facebook上吸引了33萬粉絲。
According to the zoo's website, she and a sister were probably born in May 2008. The pair were found as orphans and raised in a wild animal sanctuary in North Carolina before moving to a zoo in Denmark and eventually arriving in Leipzig in May last year.
據該動物園網站介紹，這隻負鼠和妹妹大約出生於2008年5月，它們被發現時已成爲孤兒，被收容於北卡羅來納州野生動物收養所，之後被送入丹麥的一個動物園，最後於去年5月被送入萊比錫動物園。
Leipzig Zoo released a statement saying: "Heidi, our cross-eyed opossum, has closed her eyes forever today. She passed away having shown typical symptoms of her old age and having severely suffered from arthrosis.
萊比錫動物園發表一項聲明稱：“Heidi，我們的鬥雞眼負鼠已經於今日早上永遠地閉上了雙眼。她因爲年老體衰出現了各種病症，並常年遭受關節炎的痛苦。”
"This illness has made it painful for her to move over the last couple of weeks and Heidi was treated with vitamins and other medicine. Following a short-lived improvement of her condition, her general state of health deteriorated over the last days despite continuous efforts by the veterinarians."
“關節炎使它最近幾周行動遲緩，我們給它吃了維生素和其它藥物。雖然在獸醫的治療下它的病情有短暫緩解，但它的身體狀況仍在最近幾天迅速惡化下去。”
Heidi had to be put to sleep avoid her suffering pain, in accordance with animal welfare guidelines, the zoo said.
動物園宣稱：根據動物福利條例，爲了避免讓Heidi再遭受痛苦，我們決定對它實行安樂死。
The cause of Heidi's profoundly crossed eyes remains a mystery, although the zoo's website suggests the way she was fed when she was hand-reared in the United States may have played a role -- as well as the fact she was overweight, which led to "fatty deposits behind the eyes which are pressing the eyeballs slightly out of the eye sockets."
Heidi成爲鬥雞眼的原因尚不得而知，雖然動物園網站上暗示這可能與其在美國被人工餵養有關，另外它體重超重，導致“脂肪沉積在雙眼周圍，壓迫眼球稍微突出眼眶”。
Her sister, named Naira, is also cross-eyed but the zoo's third opossum, a male called Teddy, lacks their distinctive looks.
它的妹妹Naira同樣是鬥雞眼，但動物園的另外一隻雄性負鼠Teddy卻沒有跟它們一樣成爲鬥雞眼。
Opossums, a type of marsupial found in North and South America, have a maximum life expectancy of four to five years, the zoo's website says.
據該動物園網站介紹負鼠是一種生活在北美和南美的有袋類動物，其生命週期最長可達4-5年。
