VOA慢速英语2018--老挝为保护濒危亚洲黑熊的斗争

Laos Fights to Protect Endangered Asiatic Black Bears

The capture and trafficking of endangered Asiatic black bears continues to be a problem in Laos, although the government is trying to reduce it.

The bears often are sold so their parts can be used in traditional medicine.

Protection in action

In early March, officials in northern Laos took three endangered Asiatic Black Bears from villagers who captured the animals. Government officials said the bears were caught when they were cubs¹. They are now thought to be between five and seven years old.

The officials gave the animals to the Free the Bears Fund. The Australian wildlife-protection organization operates in Laos and other Southeast Asian countries.

This is not the first time Lao officials have stopped trade in endangered animals.

In January, Lao customs officers found five red pandas in containers during a vehicle inspection² at the border with China.

Three of the five pandas died while being taken to the Free the Bears Fund rescue center in Luang Prabang province.

And in July 2017, two Asiatic black bears, only a few weeks old, were put up for sale for $1,800 each in a market in Luang Prabang city. Officials took the animals and donated them to the Free the Bears Fund.

Police said a villager in northern Laos caught the bears in a forest after their mother was killed by illegal hunters.

Used for traditional medicine

Asiatic black bears are called moon bears because of the white-colored markings on their chests. The animals are found across Asia from Iran to Japan. But, their numbers are decreasing because of hunting and the loss of forests where they live.

Traffickers can demand large amounts of money for the bears’ gallbladder and bile. These are used in traditional medicines believed to cure many illnesses.

The bile helps protect bears from illness during hibernation⁴. It is taken through a painful process in which the animals are drugged and stabbed in the stomach with needles to get at their gallbladders.

During the past several years, many rescued bears have been sent to the Free the Bears Fund center in Tat Kuangxi.

In August, a British volunteer from the center told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that the center has too many bears and needs to expand.

To control the center’s population, the center’s leaders decided⁵ to sterilize⁶ the bears and requested permission from provincial⁷ officials to expand the center. The officials denied the request at first, but later agreed to let the group build in a new place for the bears to live.

Sengaloune Vongxay is manager of the center’s Lao Bear Conservation Project. He told RFA that the center is now separating males from female after they reach reproductive age. They are also building a new center that will hold up to 150 rescued bears.

“This center will be larger — more than 26 hectares,” he said, adding that the center would be completed later this year or in early 2019.

Political efforts

Forest rangers⁹ believe there are still many wild bears in the country’s 24 national protected forests although illegal trafficking continues.

One ranger⁸ told RFA that more than 200 domesticated¹⁰ bears are currently held in captivity¹¹.

In March of 2017, the nonprofit group World Animal Protection released a report. It said 25,000 bears are held in captivity in centers that collect bear bile across Asia.

Bear farming for bile or gallbladder removal is legal in South Korea and China, the report said. Vietnam banned bile removal 13 years ago. But, more than 1,000 bears are still held captive there.

Asiatic black bears are considered at high risk of endangerment by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna¹² and Flora¹³. Known as CITES, the treaty aims at protecting endangered plants and animals. Laos became a member of CITES in May 2004.

However, Laos remains¹⁴ a place where wildlife trafficking of exotic animals is common.

On March 30, Lao and Chinese officials met with Chinese visitors and businesspeople. They warned the group that buying or selling wildlife and ivory is illegal in Laos.

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

bile - n. a yellow or greenish liquid that is made by the liver and that helps the body to digest fats?

cubs - n. a young animal that eats meat?

exotic - adj. very different, strange, or unusual?

gallbladder - n. the organ in the body in which bile from the liver is stored ?

hibernation - n. to spend the winter sleeping or resting?

ivory - n. a hard white substance that forms the tusks¹⁵ of elephants and other animals?

needles - n. the unpleasant tingling¹⁶ feeling in a part of your body (such as your arm or leg) as it becomes numb³ or recovers from being numb?

sterilize - v. to make (someone or something) unable to produce children, young animals, etc.

1 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

3 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

4 hibernation   

n.冬眠

参考例句：

• Bears wake up in the spring after a winter of hibernation.熊经过一个冬天的冬眠后在春季苏醒。
• The tortoise spends the winter months in hibernation.乌龟在冬眠中度过寒冬季节。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 sterilize   

vt.使不结果实；使绝育；使无效；杀菌，消毒

参考例句：

• Antiseptic is used to sterilize the skin before giving an injection.杀菌剂被用于在注射前给皮肤消毒。
• He pricks the blister on his heel with a sterilize needle.他用一根消过毒的针扎破他脚后跟上的水泡。

7 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

8 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

9 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

10 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

12 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

13 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

16 tingling   

v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》