不法交易造成穿山甲濒临灭绝（在线收听）

不法交易造成穿山甲濒临灭绝

Have you ever heard of a pangolin?

你听说过穿山甲吗?

A lot of people haven't.

相信很多人都不知道。

It's also known as a scaly anteater.

它也被称为穿山甲(scaly anteater)。

Conservation groups say it's the world's most illegally trafficked mammal.

动物保护组织表示它是世界上最易被非法贩卖的哺乳动物。

The U.S. government is being asked to designate seven species as endangered.

美国政府被要求指定7个濒临灭绝的穿山甲品种。

Born Free USA's Rosalyn Morrison says pangolins once occupied large areas of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

美国生而自由基金会的罗莎琳·莫里森表示亚洲及撒哈拉以南非洲的大部分地区都曾是穿山甲活动的地区。

“Pangolins are indeed the most threatened mammals in the world right now. And there are eight species in the world. There are four in Asia and four in Africa. They are mammals,and they're covered in scales from their head to their tail. The scales are made of keratin,which is the same ingredient that's in our nails.”

“而现在它则成了世界上最濒危的哺乳动物。世界上有8个品种。在亚洲有4个,另外4个在非洲。穿山甲是哺乳动物,它们从头到尾覆盖着鳞片。这种鳞片是由角蛋白组成,和我们的指甲是相同的成分。”

Born Free USA and others are asking that seven of the eight pangolin species be protected under the U.S.Endangered Species Act.

美国生而自由基金会和其他组织要求穿山甲8个品种中的7个受到美国保护濒危物种法案的保护。

One already has been listed as endangered.

其中一种已被列为濒危物种。

“They're basically endangered because parts of Asia and parts of Africa believe that their scales have medicinal value. And so they're highly sought after for their scales and their meat,which is considered a delicacy in many different countries in Asia and Africa.”

“它们基本上濒临灭绝,因为亚洲和非洲部分部分地区相信他们的鳞片有药用价值。而走私者们高度追捧穿山甲的鳞片和肉质,因为在亚洲和非洲许多不同的国家这种动物被视为一道美味。”

China and Vietnam are the biggest markets for illegal pangolin products,as they are for ivory and rhino horns.

中国和越南是非法走私穿山甲产品最大的市场，而且这里也有象牙和犀牛角的非法走私。

“Even though they're so endangered,most people don't even know they exist. They could go extinct before people even heard about them. The reason most people haven't heard about them is they're nocturnal. They're highly elusive. So,it's extremely hard for scientists to come across them in the wild and they can't be bred in captivity. Rarely any,if any,exist in zoos. I think they're about three in zoos worldwide.”

“尽管它们已濒临灭绝,大多数人甚至不知道它们的存在。穿山甲甚至可能在人们听说过之前就惨遭灭绝。大多数人没有听说过这种动物的原因是穿山甲是夜行动物。而且行动难以捉摸。因此科学家们在野外碰上它们极其困难,而且穿山甲不能圈养。很少有,如果有的话,也是在动物园里。我认为它们在世界各地的动物园。”

Their populations are falling fast.

而且穿山甲的数量正在迅速减少。

“We have found that more than 960,000 pangolins were illegally traded over the past decade. So,when you compare those numbers to elephants and rhinos it is a much,much,much larger scale.”

“我们已在过去的10年中发现超过960000宗穿山甲非法交易。所以,当你将这些数字同大象和犀牛的非法交易比较后,穿山甲的非法交易规模更大。”

There is a market in the U.S. for illegal pangolin products.

在美国有非法穿山甲产品的市场。

Getting the mammals included in the Endangered Species Act would ban the import and sale of the animals or their parts.

包括在濒危物种法案的哺乳动物将禁止这种动物或其器官的进口和销售。

Morrison says it would also heighten awareness about the mammal with the very long,sticky tongue.

莫里森表示还将加强提高保护哺乳动物的意识。

Morrison said loss of the pangolins could damage ecosystems.

莫里森表示穿山甲的减少可能会破坏生态系统。

“They regulate insects.They eat ants and termites. So,if we lose pangolins,there would be a cascading effect on the ecosystem.”

“它们能够对昆虫起到监管作用。它们吃蚂蚁和白蚁。因此如果我们的穿山甲数量减少，就会对生态系统造成影响。”

Born Free USA is joined in petitioning the U.S.government by the Center for Biological Diversity,Humane Society International,The Humane Society of the United States and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

美国生而自由基金会已加入申请美国政府生物多样性中心,国际人道协会、美国人道协会以及国际爱护动物基金会。