How pigeons took over the world - Elizabeth Carlen and Joanna Moles

Translator: Tasya Rahmawati Reviewer: Maria Nainggolan

It’s the morning of June 12th, 1944

Suatu pagi tanggal 12 Juni 1944,

and a pigeon named Paddy is making an epic 368 kilometer journey.

seekor merpati bernama Paddy dengan gagah terbang sejauh 368 kilometer.

He manages to dodge Nazi falcons then beats on through stormy weather,

Dia coba lari dari elang Nazi dan menerjang cuaca buruk disertai petir,

flying an average of 79 kilometers per hour for almost five hours straight.

dengan kecepatan rata-rata 79 km per jam dan sudah terbang lima jam.

Paddy’s carrying the first news of the D-Day invasion back to England.

Paddy membawa berita invasi ke Inggris.

He wins a medal for gallantry for this accomplishment.

Dia dianugerahi medali keberanian atas tindakan itu.

Paddy was one of around 250,000 pigeons

Paddy adalah satu dari 250.000 merpati

used by the British during World War II to speedily transport secret messages.

yang dimanfaatkan Inggris untuk mengirim pesan rahasia di Perang Dunia II.

In fact, pigeon delivery systems are ancient human practices.

Pengiriman lewat merpati adalah tindakan manusia zaman dulu.

Seeing their meat as a protein source

Dagingnya sebagai sumber protein,

and their nitrogen-rich poop as the perfect fertilizer,

dan kotoran kaya nitrogen untuk pupuk,

humans brought pigeons into captivity as far back as 10,000 years ago.

manusia mulai menangkar merpati pada 10.000 tahun lalu.

We then tapped into other traits.

Lalu kita pun menyadari sifat lainnya.

Pigeons are naturally speedy and possess a powerful homing instinct

Merpati cepat dan memiliki insting kuat

that drives them to navigate long distances

yang membuat mereka mampu menavigasi jarak jauh

back to the location they consider “home.”

dan kembali ke tempat yang mereka sebut “rumah”.

So we began developing pigeon posts and breeding and training them for racing.

Kita mulai mengembangkan pos merpati dan melatih mereka balapan.

In a hobby called “pigeon fancying,”

Hobi yang disebut “menggayakan merpati”,

people selected for traits like head plumage

orang memilih burung berdasar bulu kepalanya

and fabulously feathered feet.

dan bulu di kakinya.

As we carried pigeons around the world, they escaped or were released,

Kita membawa merpati ke seluruh dunia, mereka lepas atau dilepaskan,

forming the wild urban flocks we're familiar with today.

membentuk kawanan liar yang kita kenal kini.

Pigeons are now one of the most abundant, widespread species on the planet,

Merpati adalah satu spesies yang jumlahnya banyak dan tersebar luas di planet ini,

managing to thrive in chaotic cities.

mereka pun berkembang di kota-kota.

They owe their success to an ideal combination of traits,

Mereka menggantungkan kesuksesan ke satu ciri ideal,

including some that were accentuated by humans.

yang ditekankan pada manusia.

Unlike birds that nest on the ground or in trees,

Tak seperti burung yang sangkarnya di tanah atau pohon,

pigeons were originally cliff-dwellers.

merpati tinggal di sekitar tebing.

City buildings mimic their natural habitat.

Bangunan kota bagai habitat alamiah mereka.

And pigeons set a notoriously low bar when it comes to homemaking.

Merpati terkenal tak muluk-muluk soal rumah.

Add some sticks to any window ledge or highway overpass

Ranting kecil di dekat jendela atau di atas jalan raya

and it's a great spot to raise babies.

sudah bagus untuk menjadi tempat tinggal.

This unfussiness allows them to live in environments

Kemudahan itu membuat mereka dapat tinggal

where more specialized species can’t.

di tempat yang spesies lainnya tak bisa tinggali.

As generalists, pigeons take advantage of urban food waste.

Merpati dapat memakan sisa-sisa makanan.

With an organ in their throats called a crop,

Dengan organ bernama crop di tenggorokan,

they can gorge themselves when food is available and store some for later.

mereka bisa menelan dengan baik saat makanan masuk dan menyimpan untuk sesaat.

They provide “crop milk” to their young instead of having to fetch them live food.

Mereka memberi “crop milk” ke bayi mereka dibanding memberi mereka makanan.

Chicks grow quickly with this fat and protein-rich meal.

Merpati tumbuh cepat dengan makanan kaya lemak dan protein.

If conditions are right, pigeons breed year-round

Jika kondisi memadai, merpati berkembang biak sepanjang tahun,

and produce new offspring every six weeks.

dan menghasilkan anakan tiap enam minggu.

They actually have higher breeding rates in cities

Angka perkembangan lebih tinggi di kota-kota

because of the abundance of food and shelter.

karena kelimpahan makanan dan tempat tinggal.

These booming populations attract predators.

Populasi itu menarik predator.

New York City is home to a million pigeons,

New York adalah rumah bagi jutaan merpati,

which support large populations of raptors.

dengan populasi raptor yang besar pula.

But pigeons’ aptitude for swift flight,

Kemampuan merpati terbang dengan lincah,

further exploited by being bred for racing,

menjadikannya dibudidayakan untuk balapan,

means they’re made for high speed chases.

mereka dilatih terbang cepat.

Compared to barn owls, which are a similar size,

Dibanding burung hantu putih, dengan ukuran serupa,

pigeon wing bones are thicker and more curved,

sayap merpati lebih tebal dan melekuk,

providing extra space for muscle mass.

memberi ruang untuk berkembangnya massa otot.

They can reach speeds of 125 kilometers per hour.

Kecepatan mereka mencapai 125 kilometer per jam.

And their large flocks ensure safety in numbers and more eyes on the lookout.

Kawanan yang besar menjaga kelestarian mereka dan memudahkan penjagaan.

While pigeons play a starring role in urban wildlife,

Ketika merpati memainkan peran dalam kehidupan liarnya,

we’re not always enthusiastic neighbors.

kita tak selamanya jadi tetangga yang baik.

In 1966, New York’s parks commissioner coined the term “rats with wings”

Tahun 1996, komisioner taman New York menjuluki mereka “tikus bersayap”

and it stuck.

dan tetap begitu.

Indeed, their poop,

Kotoran mereka,

which we originally cherished as fertilizer, presents a unique problem.

yang digunakan untuk fertilizer, memicu masalah baru.

Just one pigeon can leave behind 11 kilograms of acidic excrement per year,

Satu merpati saja bisa menghasilkan 11 kilogram kotoran per tahun,

which, in the United States, scales to about $1.1 billion

yang di Amerika Serikat, dianggap merugikan sebesar $1,1 miliar

in structural damage annually.

kerusakan struktural tiap tahunnya.

Though incidents of infection are rare,

Meski kejadian infeksinya langka,

this poop can host fungi that are harmful to people if inhaled.

kotoran ini mengandung jamur yang berbahaya jika dihirup.

They may be numerous, noisy and a little too keen on your lunch,

Populasi mereka banyak, berisik, dan suka mengusik makanan kalian,

but the pigeons that swirl around us

tapi merpati di sekitar kita itu

are evidence of an ancient, ongoing relationship.

bukti dari adanya hubungan lama yang masih terjalin.

Their rise to world domination has been a collaborative effort.

Pertumbuhan mereka di dunia adalah hasil kolaborasi.

For better or for worse, we did this to ourselves.

Baik atau buruknya kita lakukan itu untuk diri kita sendiri.