Sinking into the steamy hot springs, the giant rodents of the Izu Shaboten Koen close their eyes as people gather around to take pictures. The noise of cameras and the crowd do not stop the animals from falling asleep in the water.

当人们聚集在一起拍照的时候，伊东市伊豆的巨型啮齿动物们闭上了眼睛。 摄像机的噪音和人群并没有阻止这些动物们在水中入睡。

The creatures are capybaras, the largest rodent in the world.

这些动物就是水豚，世界上最大的啮齿类动物。

The five capybaras might not realize they are the main attraction at Izu Shaboten Koen. The zoo is just two hours south of Tokyo by train. Its grounds are home to over 100 different animals and birds, as well as cactus plants from around the world.

这五头水豚可能没有意识到他们在伊豆动物园的明星身份。从东京往南坐火车只要两个小时就能到这个动物园。这里有100多种不同的动物和鸟类， 还有来自世界各地的仙人掌植物。

Workers expect the zoo will make money from all the people interested in seeing the capybaras this year. It helps that 2020 is the Year of the Rat on the Chinese Zodiac. Capybaras are a close relative of rats.

工作人员预计，今年那些有兴趣观赏水豚的游客将会给动物园带来丰厚的盈利。2020年是中国的鼠年，这为动物园带来了巨大的商机。 因为水豚是老鼠的近亲。

Masahiro Takeda is a zookeeper at the Izu Shaboten Koen. He says the capybaras are the highlight of the zoo, so the Year of the Rat is a chance to "push their popularity up even more."

武田雅广是伊豆的一名饲养员。他说，水豚是动物园的重头戏， 所以鼠年是一个“进一步提升它们受欢迎程度”的机会。

"We're really hoping that this will catch on with people from all over the world visiting Japan, too," he told the Reuters news agency.

我们真的希望他们可以吸引世界各地来日本旅游的人。” 他对路透社这样说道。

Capybaras are not native to Japan. They come from the tropical forests of South America. The animals live close to bodies of water, are great swimmers and can stay underwater for up to five minutes. As adults, they can weigh anywhere between 35 and 65 kilograms.

水豚不是日本本土的动物。 它们来自南美洲的热带森林。这些动物生活在水源附近，他们也是是游泳好手，可以在水下待上五分钟。成年后，它们的体重可以达到35到65公斤。

In the wild,capybaras usually live in groups of around 10 to 20. They are known for being calm and friendly with other animals. That is probably why so many creatures like to be with or even sit on them.

在野外，水豚通常以10到20只左右的群体生活。 在与其他动物的相处方面， 他们是出了名的冷静和友好。 这可能就是为什么这么多生物喜欢和它们在一起，甚至坐在它们身上。

The Izu Shaboten Koen's winter tradition of giving the capybaras baths every day started almost 40 years ago. One day, a worker was cleaning their enclosure with hot water when he turned around and noticed something: The animals had crowded together and were trying to sit in a warm puddle.

伊豆的冬季传统是每天给水豚洗澡，这一传统始于40年前。 有一天，一个工人正在用热水清洗他们的围场，这时他转过身来发现: 这些水豚竟然挤在一起，想一起挤进一个温暖的水坑里。

The baths quickly became popular at Izu Shaboten Koen and other zoos across Japan, where the number of capybaras jumped from 126 in 2006 to 422 in 2016.

这种温泉在伊豆和日本各地的其他动物园迅速流行起来，在那里，水豚的数量从2006年的126头增加到了2016年的422头。

The popularity of the large rodents in Japan has led to sales of a soft toy and other products called Kapibarasan. And online videos of bathing capybaras have been played hundreds of thousands of times.

这种大型啮齿类动物在日本的流行，带动了一种名为Kapibarasan的软玩具和其他产品的销售。 而它们泡澡的视频在网上点击量也达到了几十万次。

At Izu Shaboten Koen,the capybaras eat apples and leaves thrown by their keeper into the hot bath water before they fall asleep. When the capybaras are awake,visitors can wear special mittens to touch and feed the animals.

在伊豆, 水豚们吃着饲养员在它们睡觉前扔到热水里的苹果和树叶。 当水豚醒着的时候，游客们可以戴上特制的手套来触摸和喂养它们。

People who stop for food at the zoo's restaurant can order something special: A beef burger with bread in the shape of a capybara. Its eyes and mouth are made of chocolate.

在动物园餐厅停下来吃饭的人可以点一些特别的食物: 一个水豚形状的牛肉汉堡。它的眼睛和嘴巴是巧克力做的。 它的眼睛和嘴都是巧克力做的。

Takeda estimated the zoo has had 20 to 30 percent more winter visitors since it started publicizing the bathing capybaras.

武田估计，自从动物园开始宣传这种沐浴的水豚以来，冬季来这的游客增加了20%到30%。

"I'd only ever seen the capybaras sit in hot springs on TV, so I really wanted to see it in person," said Kayo Kogai,who was a recent visitor to the zoo.

我以前只在电视上看到过泡温泉的水豚， 所以我很想亲眼看看。 一位名叫贺夜·小饲雅道的游客说。

"They look so relaxed … I would really like to join them in their bath," Kogai's friend Mizuki Aoki added with a laugh.

“他们看起来很舒服…，我真的很想和它们一起洗澡。” 小饲雅道的朋友青木瑞之笑着补充道。

I'm Alice Bryant.

爱丽斯·布莱恩特报道。