不法交易造成穿山甲濒临灭绝

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 scaly¹ 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 delicacy² 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 rhino³ 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 elusive⁴. So,it's extremely hard for scientists to come across them in the wild and they can't be bred in captivity⁵. 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 rhinos⁶ 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 awareness⁷ 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 ecosystems⁹.

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 termites¹⁰. So,if we lose pangolins,there would be a cascading¹¹ effect on the ecosystem⁸.”

“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,Humane¹² 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。

1 scaly   

adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的

参考例句：

• Reptiles possess a scaly,dry skin.爬行类具有覆盖着鳞片的干燥皮肤。
• The iron pipe is scaly with rust.铁管子因为生锈一片片剥落了。

2 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

3 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。

4 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

5 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。

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 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。

8 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

9 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

10 termites   

n.白蚁( termite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Termites are principally tropical in distribution. 白蚁主要分布在热带地区。 来自辞典例句
• This spray will exterminate the termites. 这种喷剂能消灭白蚁。 来自辞典例句

11 cascading   

流注( cascade的现在分词 )； 大量落下； 大量垂悬； 梯流

参考例句：

• First of all, cascading menus are to be avoided at all costs. 首先，无论如何都要避免使用级联菜单。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Her sounds began cascading gently. 他的声音开始缓缓地低落下来。

12 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。