VOA慢速英语--摄影师希望通过照片拯救动物

AS IT IS 2016-08-18 Photographer Hopes to Save Animals by Taking Pictures of Them 摄影师希望通过照片拯救动物

American photographer Joel Sartore is taking pictures of animals in his effort to save them. He calls the effort, “Photo Ark.”

The National Geographic¹ Society is providing financing² for the project.

The term ark comes from the large boat in which Noah, his family and many creatures were saved from a great flood in ancient times. The flood is described in the writings of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Joel Sartore hopes to photograph about 12,000 animals. They all are in danger of disappearing forever because of hunting, loss of habitat and climate change.

Sartore launched the project in 1995. He has taken pictures of about half the animals.

He told VOA by email that he began thinking about endangered creatures when he was a teenager. He remembered reading a book about the North American wild pigeon. The bird is extinct³ now because it was hunted and its habitat was destroyed. He said the story had a strong effect on him.

The last passenger pigeon died “in her cage at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio,” he said. “She died in 1914, and the species⁴ went from billions to none. I couldn’t get over that -- still can’t.”

As Sartore grew up, he often thought of that last passenger pigeon. He noted⁵, “I never dreamed I’d be meeting face to face with other species like frogs, birds and even rhinos⁶ that are down to the last of their kind. But that’s exactly what’s happening now, and I feel like I’ve got to do something to turn things around, while there’s still time to save species.”

Some animal species he will never see again. One example is the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, which he photographed just before she died. It was the last of its kind.

Sartore said that when he takes pictures, “I hope the animal glances back at me and makes eye contact. It doesn’t always happen, but when it does, that’s exactly the connection I’m hoping to make.”

The Photo Ark project began at a small zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska, Sartore’s home. He has now traveled to more than 40 countries for the photography project.

He said the animals most at risk are in Asia and Africa because of what he describes as “human overpopulation.” He recently visited the West African nations of Gabon and Cameroon. He said he saw major problems “with habitat destruction from logging, farming and poaching due to overpopulation.”

In Cameroon, he searched for the Cross River gorilla⁷ and the goliath frog. He said he never saw the frog. “They had all been caught and eaten by local people -- and we saw just one of the gorillas⁸, in a rehab center,” he noted.

He said people are often so hungry that they eat animals they normally would not. Even small birds are killed for food. People are even eating bats, he noted.

Sartore hopes his photos will persuade people to take steps to save the animals. He told VOA half of them could become extinct by the year 2100.

“I hope the public will finally stop and pay attention to the fact that we’re all in this together,” he said. “There’s still time to save the majority of species on the planet, but we must care, and act now. As other species go extinct, so could we.”

Sartore is 54 years old. He hopes he will be able to finish the project. But he has a plan if he cannot. His oldest son is 22 years old and helps him from time to time. The young man has promised to continue the project if his father cannot.

Words in This Story

habitat – n. the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows

teenager – n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old

extinct – adj. no longer existing

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants; a group of related animals or plants that is smaller than a genus

glance – v. to look at someone or something very quickly

log – v. to cut down trees in an area for wood

poach – v. to hunt or fish illegally; to catch or kill an animal illegally

rehab center – n. a place where injured animals are cared for

1 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 financing   

n.筹措资金

参考例句：

• The main source of our outside financing is bank loan. 我们向外筹措资金的主要渠道是银行贷款。
• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing. 他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。

3 extinct   

adj.灭绝的，不再活跃的，熄灭了的，已废弃的

参考例句：

• All hopes were extinct.所有希望都破灭了。
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years.恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。

4 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 rhinos   

n.犀牛（rhino的复数形式）

参考例句：

• There are many reports of people taming and even training Indian rhinos. 有许多关于人们驯养甚至训练印度犀牛的记载。 来自辞典例句
• The rhinos had fed during the night in the rice fields of these villagers. 犀牛夜里在这些村民的庄稼地里也已吃饱了。 来自辞典例句

7 gorilla   

n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• I was awed by the huge gorilla.那只大猩猩使我惊惧。
• A gorilla is just a speechless animal.猩猩只不过是一种不会说话的动物。

8 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》