Panda's Birthday, and Wombat Walker

News Bites

Hi everyone! It's time for today's episode of New Bites! I'm Nancy Sun. And I'm Kelly Kimura. In today's stories… Celebrating a panda's birthday, and exercising with a wombat. And we've got a mix of amazing facts and giggles for you in today's Tasty Tidbit. Let's check it out. ________________________________ 大貓熊「圓仔」11歲生日會 Yuan Zai's 11th Birthday Bash "Paws" and take a moment kids… A "beary" special day is coming up at the Taipei Zoo. This Saturday… Giant Panda Yuan Zai is turning 11! The Taipei Zoo is throwing Yuan Zai a big birthday party. And it's inviting people to the zoo to help celebrate (慶祝). 台北動物園計劃在7月6日，為大貓熊「圓仔11歲」舉辦慶生。 There's going to be so much to do. The party starts at 8:30 in the morning. First, everyone will watch Yuan Zai enjoy her special birthday cake. Last year, the zoo made her an "ice cake", with some of her favorite fruits and vegetables. The ice was shaped like Taipei 101. And it was decorated with carrots, grapes, kiwi, pineapples, and sugar cane. Yuan Zai pushed the cake, and it fell onto the ground. But she really enjoyed eating it! I wonder what her cake will be like this year… Next, the zoo will show everyone what pandas usually eat. They'll show people the bamboo forest at the zoo. This is where keepers get bamboo leaves for the pandas to eat. And some people will even get to try making panda buns (窩窩頭). The pandas at the zoo also eat these buns. 參加活動的民眾可以體驗製作大貓熊窩窩頭，和參觀竹林，更加瞭解大貓熊的飲食習慣。 Then the visitors get to eat too. They'll have a special lunch at Panda Cafe in the Giant Panda House. And the lunch comes with a panda cake too. Finally, everyone who goes to the party gets to take home a special panda pillow. Sounds like a time of fun, learning and panda-tastic adventures at the zoo! ________________________________ 去澳洲遛袋熊 Wombat Walkers Wanted in Tasmania They're roly-poly (圓滾滾的)… They poop in cubes… And many would say they're one of Australia's cutest animals. They're wombats (袋熊)! And these furry animals need new friends to help them exercise. The island of Tasmania (塔斯馬尼亞州), in Australia, is looking for a "wombat walker". Yes, you heard that right. Wombats are a marsupial (有袋類動物). They have brown fur, short legs, and a muscular body. They eat plants. And they live in forests and grassy parts of mountains in Australia. Now, Tasmania wants someone to take wombats out for their morning walks. 工作人員要負責跟可愛的袋熊一起進行早晨散步。 The wombats live at a natural wildlife park. And they need someone to get them out of bed. The park says sometimes, the wombats like to sleep in (睡懶覺). The walker needs to give the wombats lots of praise (誇獎). And the walker needs to keep them on track. The park also wants the walker to make sure the wombats behave (乖乖地，舉止端正). The walker should also be ready with snacks. Sometimes the wombats get hungry on their walk. They need fuel to keep exercising. The park says these walks help keep the wombats happy and healthy. It's the wombats' favourite part of the day. Unfortunately, this is not a paid job. So you won't get any money for doing this work. But, if you get chosen for the job… You will get a free flight to Tasmania. You can stay there for free for two nights. And your meals (餐點) will be free too. Sounds like a pretty good deal. But if you're not much of an animal person, Tasmania has other interesting jobs to try out. How would you like to be a star seeker? You would stay up at night to help scientists watch the stars. Or an oyster organizer? You would harvest (採收) oysters from right out of the ocean, and get them clean and organized. Looks like there's lots of fun and unique jobs out there! ________________________________ So, in today's News Bites… Giant Panda Yuan Zai is turning 11! The Taipei Zoo is throwing Yuan Zai a big birthday party. And it's inviting people to the zoo to help celebrate. ________________________________ And, The island of Tasmania, in Australia, is looking for a "wombat walker". They need someone to take wombats out for their morning walks. They say these walks help keep the wombats happy and healthy. ________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit In today's Tasty Tidbit… What time is it when the clock strikes 13? Time to get a new clock. And now, 13-year-old Ryan Kuan from Da Cheng Junior High School in Nantou County has an amazingly sweet fact. ***** And 14-year-old Kaie Lai from Yu Shan Public Junior High School in Chiayi City tells us about one of his embarrassing moments. ***** And that's it for today's episode of News Bites. If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to [e-mail], and you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!