VOA标准英语2012--South Africa Studying Proposal to Legalize Rhino Trade

 

South Africa Studying Proposal to Legalize Rhino¹ Trade

According to the World Wildlife Fund, a record 448 rhinos² were poached in 2011 and more than half that number already have been killed illegally so far this year.

Pelham Jones, the chairman of South Africa’s Private Rhino Owners Association, said the South African government does not have the resources to stop poachers from killing³ this endangered species for its horns.

They are worth more than their weight in gold for use in some traditional Asian medicines.

“We can double, we can triple our security measures,” said Jones. “We cannot sustain the level of protection of our rhino, especially not when one looks at the value that rhino horns are being sold for in the Far East.”

Jones represents a group of rhino owners and conservationists who now say the best way to save the rhino is to lift the ban on the rhino horn trade.

“We are talking here not of going out and killing rhinos for their horns. South Africa has over 25 tons of horns in stockpiles. These are horns from animals that died of natural causes, horns that broke off during relocation,” he said.

He said legalizing the rhino horn trade would reduce the price and incentive⁴ for poaching. DNA⁵ testing could be used to assure that only legal rhino horns are sold. And taxes and fees from the sale of legal rhino horns could be used to fund increased security and conservation measures.

The South African government has commissioned a study on legalizing the rhino trade, but Jo Shaw with the wildlife trade monitoring organization TRAFFIC remains⁶ skeptical⁷. 

“We need to know exactly how horn is going to be sold. We need to know who it is going to be sold to. We need to be clear on the mechanisms⁸ that will be put into place to stop horns from illegally killed rhinos entering the legal trade.”

She said despite the increase in rhino poaching, the ban is working in that the worldwide rhino population remains steady at about 20,000 animals. And while demand for rhino horns currently is rising in China, Vietnam and Thailand, other countries in Asia have been successful in curbing⁹ the illegal trade.

“We do know that, in the past, markets for rhino horns have grown and then been reduced elsewhere. So historically Japan, Taiwan, Korea were all major users of rhino horn. Those countries all have domestic bans in place and the demand is no longer coming from those regions,” said Shaw.

She said that if legalizing the rhino trade to save the rhinos may sound too good to be true, it most likely is. 

1 rhino   

n.犀牛，钱, 现金

参考例句：

• The rhino charged headlong towards us.犀牛急速地向我们冲来。
• They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.他们已经令犀牛濒临灭绝。

2 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

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

5 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

6 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。

7 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

8 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。