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Volunteers Save Pangolins Rescued from Illegal Trade

时间:2020-11-15 23:57:20

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(单词翻译)

 

A volunteer team in South Africa is rescuing pangolins from illegal traffickers as the animals face growing threats of extinction1.

Although many of the pangolins arrive afraid and badly injured, they are the lucky ones. They have a good chance of survival thanks to a team of volunteers who take care of their wounds, feed them and bring them back to health.

Pangolins – which are about the size of a cat – are unusual creatures. They are the world's only mammals with scales. While they are sometimes called scaly2 anteaters, they are not related to true anteaters. But like those animals, their tongues can be very long.

Pangolins are not well known. Yet, they are among the most poached and illegally trafficked animals in the world. Experts warn that the creatures are nearing extinction because of high demand for their scales in traditional medicines in Asia.

The African Pangolin Working Group in Johannesburg is a volunteer team of veterinarians and wildlife experts. The group is carrying out the pangolin rescues. Nicci Wright heads the organization.

"When we receive those pangolins they are all compromised, whether they have been with the poachers for a few days or sometimes up to two weeks," Wright said. "They have got wounds, they have got injuries and it is very pitiful and very difficult to emotionally deal with that kind of suffering and abuse."

The animals are often caught in homemade traps and recently the group received a pangolin cut deeply through its middle by a trap - almost from stomach to back - Wright said.

Treatment for the animals often includes receiving fluids and food intravenously as part of a special diet. They are also given drugs at first to sleep for up to 48 hours. "Rest is the most important thing, next to the physical recovery," Wright said.

The pangolins are then moved to other areas so the wildlife hospital is not targeted by poachers.

The pangolin group's chairman, Professor Raymond Jansen, recorded 97 tons of pangolin scales seized from smugglers trying to take them out of Africa last year. This amounts to about 150,000 poached animals. Jansen estimates that is only about 20 percent of the total number because the rest escape with the poachers.

"If this trend continues and this demand is provided, then there is a very likely extinction event for all eight species of the pangolin," Jansen said.

The group is not just treating pangolins, it is also fighting back. It works with police to identify and catch poachers and traders, often in undercover operations. Last month, two men were arrested in a parking lot in Pretoria trying to sell a pangolin for $20,000.

The work brings an element of personal danger for Jansen. He sometimes poses as an illegal buyer and meets poachers before police move in to arrest them.

The group is also working on anti-trafficking measures. The latest program led by Jansen trains dogs to sniff3 out pangolins being hidden and transported.

Words in This Story

extinction – n. when a plant or animal completely dies out and disappears

scale – n. a thin, hard plate of material that covers the bodies of some animals

veterinarian – n. a person who is trained to give medical care to animals

compromise – v. damaged or weakened

pitiful – adj. deserving or causing a feeling of pity or sympathy

intravenous – adj. through or into the veins4

trend – n. the general direction of change

pose – v. to pretend to be something that you are not


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1 extinction sPwzP     
n.熄灭,消亡,消灭,灭绝,绝种
参考例句:
  • The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
  • The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。
2 scaly yjRzJg     
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。
3 sniff PF7zs     
vi.嗅…味道;抽鼻涕;对嗤之以鼻,蔑视
参考例句:
  • The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
  • When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候,他们会彼此嗅一会儿。
4 veins 65827206226d9e2d78ea2bfe697c6329     
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理
参考例句:
  • The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的,感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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