英闻天下——418 Deputies Urge to Reform Wildlife Protection Law

 　　China's wildlife protection law was passed in 1989 with the aim of sustaining wildlife as a resource.

 

　　Now academics and animal rights activists² are pushing to reform the law.

 

　　Mang Ping is a professor with the Central Institute of Socialist³ Studies in Beijing.

 

　　Professor Mang contributed to writing the draft proposal and is optimistic about the law being changed.

 

　　"The draft proposal was backed by many NPC deputies this time. Our law says that if over 30 members jointly⁵ proposed legislation, it will get more attention during the reviewing process, which makes it eligible⁶ for the fast-track process to be made into law. So the joint⁴ proposal by 37 members this time is really something significant."

 

　　The draft proposal outlines four main amendments⁷ to the law.

 

　　These include an increase in the animal species covered under the law and more involvement by NGO's and the public in wildlife protection.

 

　　Harsher punishments for law breakers and stronger legal support for animal rights activists are also major recommendations.

 

　　But Animals Asia's China representative, Toby Zhang, says that while the current draft proposal is an important step in the right direction, it doesn't go far enough.

 

　　"We really hope that China should have animal welfare law. It's not only about wild animals but about all animals and regulate the behavior of people when they deal with animals, no matter if the animals are wild or not. If that law is in place a lot of problems will be solved."

 

　　Those problems include the repercussions⁸ for animal rights activists who choose to put themselves at risk when protecting animals.

 

　　Three weeks ago animal rights activists stopped a truck loaded up with over 900 dogs on a busy highway in Chongqing.

 

　　The dogs were headed to China's southern Guangdong province to be sold to restaurants to be served as food.

 

　　In that incident an animal activist¹ Peng Tao who led the group told the China Daily the driver attacked him and the police had to be called.

 

　　Xie Zheng is the founder⁹ of Don't Eat Friends, a Beijing-based animal protection awareness¹⁰ organization.

 

　　He was there in Chongqing to stop the truck and recently stopped three illegal shipments of dogs that were being delivered to restaurants

 

　　"I thought of this as an opportunity. I didn't feel nervous or fearful. I wanted to expose the delivery of dogs to the public, and let the people know that it's immoral¹¹ and illicit¹²."

 

　　Xie and other animal rights activists chose to put themselves at risk even though they were not protected under any animal welfare protection law.

 

　　Zhang says that a new, more general animal protection law would not only benefit the animals but the people who protect them as well.

 

　　"But without this kind of law we cannot have these people carry out their protective actions very legally, very properly while there are so many people who can attack these groups of people for their behaviors like stopping the trucks in the highway and they can be easily challenged. I think that's a problem."

 

　　But Zhang says that a more general animal welfare law is not going to happen any time soon and the movement must take one step at a time.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Alexandra Blucher.

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

6 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

7 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

8 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 immoral   

adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的

参考例句：

• She was questioned about his immoral conduct toward her.她被询问过有关他对她的不道德行为的情况。
• It is my belief that nuclear weapons are immoral.我相信使核武器是不邪恶的。

12 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。