Illegal wildlife trade in Brazil is one of the major threats against our fauna, especially birds, and mainly to supply the pet market with thousands of animals taken from nature every month, and transported far from their origins, to be sold mainly in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
在巴西的非法野生動物交易 是動物界的主要威脅之一, 尤其是鳥類, 主要用來供應寵物市場。 每個月都有上千隻動物從大自然中被盜捕, 然後被運到遠離原生地的地區, 主要是販賣到里約熱內盧還有聖保羅。
It is estimated that all kinds of illegal wildlife trade in Brazil withdraw from nature almost 38 million animals every year, a business worth almost two billion dollars. The police intercepts these huge cargos with live animals, intended to supply the pet market, or they seize the animals directly from the people's houses, and this is how we end up, every month, with thousands of seized animals.
據估計, 在巴西,每年將近有三千八百萬隻的野生動物 被盜捕 並非法販售, 市價高達 20 億美金。 警方攔截下 這些裝有野生動物的大貨櫃, 牠們原本是要用來供應寵物市場的, 警方也會直接從這些人的家中帶回走私動物。 這就是我們每個月都要面對的狀況, 上千隻被收容的動物。
And for us to understand what happens with them, we're going to follow Brad. In the eyes of many people, after the animals are seized, they say, "Yay, justice has been served. The good guys arrived, took the cute, mistreated animals from the hands of the evil traffickers, and everyone lived happily ever after." But did they? Actually, no, and this is where many of our problems begin. Because we have to figure out what to do with all these animals.
為了讓我們更了解在這些動物身上發生的事, 我們將跟著布萊德看下去。 在許多人眼裡, 動物被收容後, 他們會說「太好了!正義得以伸張! 英雄抵達, 將這些被虐待的可愛動物 從邪惡的盜補者手中帶走, 從此動物們就過著幸福快樂的生活。」 但真是如此嗎?事實上並非如此。 這反而是我們所面臨到的許多問題的開端, 因為我們必須找出 處置這些動物的方法。
In Brazil, they are usually first sent to governmental triage facilities, in which most of the cases, the conditions are as bad as with the traffickers. In 2002, these centers received 45,000 animals, of which 37,000 were birds. And the police estimates that we seize only five percent of what's being trafficked. Some lucky ones -- and among them, Brad -- go to serious rehabilitation centers after that. And in these places they are cared for. They train their flying, they learn how to recognize the food they will find in nature, and they are able to socialize with others from the same species. (Laughter)
在巴西當地, 動物通常會被送到政府設的醫療機構, 而在這裡,大部分動物所面臨的狀況 就跟在盜賣者手中的狀況 一樣糟糕。 這些機構在 2002 年接收了 四萬五千隻動物, 其中有三萬七千隻是鳥類。 警方估計我們所救獲的數量 只是被盜賣的百分之五。 其中有些較幸運的動物,像是布萊德, 獲救之後被送到了較好的療養機構。 牠們在這些地方會被細心看護。 人們訓練牠們飛行, 牠們也在這邊學會辨認能再大自然中取得的食物 牠們還能夠與其他同類 進行社交行為。 (笑聲)
But then what? The Brazil Ornithological Society -- so now we're talking only birds -- claims that we have too little knowledge about the species in nature. Therefore, it would be too risky to release these animals, both for the released and for the natural populations. They also claim that we spend too many resources in their rehabilitation. Following this argument, they suggest that all the birds seized from non-threatened species should be euthanized. However, this would mean having killed 26,267 birds, only in the state of São Paulo, only in 2006.
但接下來呢? 巴西的鳥類協會, 我們現在只有針對鳥類在討論, 聲稱我們對於這些在大自然的物種 瞭解太少。 因此,若將這些鳥類野放, 是相當冒險的, 不論是對被野放的鳥或在大自然中的原有族群。 他們也聲稱我們耗費太多資源 在這些鳥類的療養復健上。 基於這個論點, 他們建議將所有救回 但未瀕臨絕種的鳥類 安樂死。 然而,這意味著要殺掉 26,267 隻鳥, 這只是單單在 2006 年的聖保羅。
But, some researchers, myself included -- some NGOs and some people from the Brazilian government -- believe there is an alternative. We think that if and when the animals meet certain criteria concerning their health, behavior, inferred origin and whatever we know about the natural populations, then technically responsible releases are possible, both for the well-being of the individual, and for the conservation of the species and their ecosystems, because we will be returning genes for these populations -- which could be important for them in facing environmental challenges -- and also we could be returning potential seed dispersers, predators, preys, etc.
但有些研究者,包含我在內, 一些非政府組織,還有來自巴西政府的一些人, 都深信還有一個選擇。 我們認為,當這些動物符合 某些健康上,行為上的標準, 推斷出其來源地, 以及我們對該物種野生族群所知的事物, 那麼就技術面上來說,負責任的野放是有可能的。 不僅是為了個體的生存, 也為了該物種和生態系統的保育。 因為我們將歸還基因到野生族群中, 這對牠們可能是相當重要的, 尤其當面臨到環境變遷時。 我們可能也同時保留了 潛在的種子傳播者,狩獵者或獵物等等。
All of these were released by us. On the top, the turtles are just enjoying freedom. (Laughter) On the middle, this guy nested a couple of weeks after the release. And on the bottom, my personal favorite, the little male over there, four hours after his release he was together with a wild female. So, this is not new, people have been doing this around the world. But it's still a big issue in Brazil. We believe we have performed responsible releases. We've registered released animals mating in nature and having chicks. So, these genes are indeed going back to the populations.
這些都是由我們所完成的。 在上方,你可以看到烏龜正享受著自由。 在中間, 這傢伙在野放後幾個星期就築了一個巢。 下方則是我個人的最愛, 在那邊的雄鳥, 在野放後四個小時, 已跟另一隻雌鳥在一起。 這不是新鮮事, 全世界的人都正做著這樣的事情, 但在巴西,這仍極具爭議性。 我們相信我們已做到了 負責任的野放。 我們記錄到野放的鳥類在野外配對成功 並養育幼鳥。 所以,這些基因真的有回歸到原有的族群中。 然而這仍是極少數的案例,
However this is still a minority for the very lack of knowledge. So, I say, "Let's study more, let's shed light on this issue, let's do whatever we can." I'm devoting my career to that. And I'm here to urge each and every one of you to do whatever is in your reach: Talk to your neighbor, teach your children, make sure your pet is from a legal breeder. We need to act, and act now, before these ones are the only ones left. Thank you very much. (Applause)
因為我們在這方面的知識仍然不足。 所以我說,讓我們更進一步地研究,讓我們一起多關注這個議題, 讓我們一起竭盡所能地努力。 我將我的事業貢獻在這方面。 而我今天在這裡,要呼籲你們之中的每一個人 去做你能力所及的任何事, 告訴你的鄰居,教導你的小孩, 確認你的寵物是來自合法的飼育者。 我們需要行動,現在就馬上行動! 在這些物種消逝前! 謝謝! (掌聲)