Vultures: The acid-puking, plague-busting heroes of the ecosystem - Kenny Coogan

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

In the grasslands of Mauritania,

在茅利塔尼亞的草原上，

a gazelle suffering from tuberculosis takes its last breath.

一隻飽受結核病之苦的瞪羚 嚥下了牠的最後一口氣。

Collapsing near a small pool,

這隻動物在一個小池子旁邊倒下，

the animal’s corpse threatens to infect the water.

牠的屍體可能會 侵染水源，造成威脅。

But for the desert’s cleanup crew, this body isn’t a problem: it’s a feast.

但對於沙漠的清理小組而言，

這具屍體不是個問題：是頓大餐。

Weighing up to 10 kilograms

體重可高達十公斤，

and possessing a wingspan of nearly 3 meters,

翅膀張開時可以達到近三公尺寬，

the lappet-faced vulture is the undisputed king of the carcass.

肉垂禿鷹可說是 屍體之王，當之無愧。

This bird’s powerful beak and strong neck

這種鳥類有強力的鳥嘴 和強壯的脖子，

easily tear through tough hide and muscle tissue,

可以很輕易就撕開 堅韌的獸皮和肌肉組織，

opening entry points for weaker vultures to dig in.

為其他較弱的禿鷹起個頭， 讓牠們可以繼續挖進去。

This colossal competition is too dangerous for the tiny Egyptian vulture.

對於小型的埃及禿鷲（白兀鷲） 而言，這種可觀的競爭太危險了。

With a wingspan of only 180 centimeters,

這隻禿鷹的翅膀完全展開後 只有一百八十公分寬，

this vulture migrated to Africa from his family nest in Portugal,

牠是從葡萄牙的居巢 遷移到非洲的，

using thermal updrafts to stay aloft for hours at a time.

牠會利用上升暖氣流， 一次可以待在空中數小時。

But upon arrival, he finds himself near the bottom of the pecking order.

但在抵達時，牠卻發現自己 在啄序當中幾乎排名最後。

Fortunately, what he lacks in size, he makes up for in intelligence.

幸運的是，牠用智慧 來補足尺寸上的劣勢。

A short distance away, he spots an unguarded ostrich nest,

牠看到不遠處有一個 無防備的駝鳥巢，

full of immense, but impenetrable eggs.

裡面滿是巨大但無法刺穿的蛋。

Using a large rock, he smashes one open for a well-earned meal—

牠使用一塊大石頭，將一顆蛋 砸開，成為牠應得的餐點——

though he’ll circle back to the gazelle once the larger birds are gone.

不過，當大型鳥類離開之後， 牠又會繞回到瞪羚的屍體所在。

High above the commotion are Ruppell’s Griffon vultures.

飛在這騷動上方 高處的是黑白兀鷲。

Soaring at an altitude of over 11,000 meters,

這些鳥類能在超過 一萬一千公尺高的地方翱翔，

these birds fly higher than any other animal.

牠們飛得比任何動物都高。

At this height, they can’t see individual carcasses.

在這個高度，牠們 看不見個別的屍體。

But the sight of their fellow vultures guides them to the feeding.

但看見牠們的禿鷹夥伴， 就能引導牠們找到食物所在。

Their featherless heads help them regulate

當牠們下降時，無毛的頭能協助

the sudden rise in temperature as they descend—

牠們調節突然升高的溫度——

and keep them clean as they tear into the decaying gazelle.

並讓牠們在撕開腐爛的 瞪羚時還能保持乾淨。

The carcass is stripped clean in hours,

數小時內，瞪羚就被吃乾淨了，

well before the rotting meat infects the water supply.

腐爛的肉根本 還來不及侵染到水源。

And the tuberculosis doesn’t stand a chance at infecting the vultures.

而結核病完全沒有機會感染禿鷹。

These birds have evolved the lowest gastric pH in the animal kingdom,

這些鳥類演化出動物王國中 最低的胃 pH 值，

allowing them to digest diseased carrion and waste without becoming sick.

讓牠們能夠消化染病的腐屍 和廢物而不會生病。

In fact, species like the mountain-dwelling bearded vulture

事實上，生活在山上的 胡兀鷲這類物種

have stomachs so acidic,

胃部的酸性非常高，

they can digest most bones in just 24 hours.

讓牠們能夠在二十四小時內 將骨頭消化掉。

This adaptation helps smaller vultures supplement their diet with dung,

這種適應性的改變，讓較小型的 禿鷹可以用糞來補充食物，

while larger vultures can consume diseased meat up to 3 days old.

而較大型的禿鷹則能消化 已經病死三天的動物的肉。

Their acidic stomachs protect them from living animals too:

牠們的酸性胃也能保護牠們 不受活動物的侵擾：

their rancid vomit scares off most predators.

牠們的腐臭嘔吐物能把 大部分捕食性動物給嚇跑。

These stomachs of steel are essential to removing pathogens like cholera,

這些鋼鐵胃很重要，它們能夠除去

非洲生態系統的病原體，

anthrax, and rabies from the African ecosystem.

如霍亂、炭疽，及狂犬病。

But while vultures can easily digest natural waste,

雖然禿鷹可以輕易 消化大自然的廢物，

man-made chemicals are another story.

人造的化學物質又是另一回事了。

Diclofenac, a common veterinary drug used to treat cattle in India,

雙氯芬酸是種常見的獸醫用藥， 在印度用來治療牛隻，

is fatal to vultures.

這種藥對禿鷹很致命。

And because local religious beliefs prohibit eating beef,

因為當地的宗教信仰禁止吃牛肉，

scavengers often consume cattle carcasses.

食腐動物通常會吃牛的屍體。

Since the 1990s, the drug,

從 1990 年代起，這種藥

along with threats from electricity pylons and habitat loss,

以及其他威脅（從高壓線 鐵塔到棲息地消失）

has contributed to a 95% decline in the region’s vulture population.

已經造成了該區域的 禿鷹數量下降 95%。

In nearby Africa, poachers intentionally poison carcasses

在鄰近的非洲，偷獵者 會刻意對屍體下毒，

to prevent the birds’ presence from alerting authorities to their location.

目的是避免這些鳥類的出現 讓管理機構發現偷獵者的所在。

One poisoned carcass can kill over 500 vultures.

一具被下毒的屍體就可以 造成至少五百隻禿鷹死亡。

Today, more than 50% of all vulture species are endangered.

現今，有超過 50% 的 禿鷹物種瀕臨絕種。

In regions where vultures have gone extinct,

在禿鷹已經絕種的地區，

corpses take three times longer to decay.

屍體要花三倍長的時間才會腐爛。

These carcasses contaminate drinking water,

這些屍體會污染到飲用水，

while feral dogs and rats carry the diseases into human communities.

而野生的狗類和鼠類則會 把疾病帶到人類社區內。

The Asian and African Vulture Crisis has led to an epidemic of rabies in India,

亞洲和非洲的禿鷹危機

已經造成了印度的狂犬病大流行，

where infections kill roughly 20,000 people each year.

在那裡，每年大約有 兩萬人死於狂犬病感染。

Fortunately, some communities have already realized how important vultures are.

幸運的是，有些社區 已經知道禿鷹有多麼重要。

Conservationists have successfully banned drugs like Diclofenac,

保育人士已經成功禁止 雙氯芬酸等藥物，

while other researchers are working to repopulate vulture communities

還有其他研究者致力於繁殖計畫

through breeding programs.

來重新增加禿鷹的數量。

Some regions have even opened vulture restaurants

有些區域甚至開了禿鷹餐廳，

where farmers safely dispose of drug-free livestock.

在那些地方，農夫會 安全丟棄沒有用藥的家畜。

With help, vultures will be able to continue their role

在協助之下，禿鷹將可以 繼續扮演牠們的角色，

conserving the health of our planet— transforming death and decay into life.

保護地球的健康——

將死亡和腐爛轉化成生命。