The return of Mongolia's "wild" horses - Nigel Rothfels

譯者: Lily Cheng 審譯者: Helen Chang

For thousands of years, native Takhi horses roamed the steppes of Central Asia.

數千年來，原生普氏野馬在中亞草原上 奔馳 (別稱：蒙古野馬)

But by the late 1960s, they’d become extinct in the wild—

卻於 1960 年代晚期 在野外絕跡了

the last herds struggling in meager habitats

最後的馬群在貧脊的棲地掙扎求生

against hunters and competition from local livestock.

躲避獵人，與當地畜群爭奪資源

Some small groups of Takhi survived in European zoos,

雖然小部分蒙古野馬 在歐洲動物園倖存下來

but their extinction still seemed inevitable.

野馬看來仍已註定滅絕

To prevent this terrible fate,

為了阻止這可怕的命運

a coalition of scientists and zoos pulled together

一群科學家和動物園聯合起來

to start an international Takhi breeding program.

開啟了蒙古野馬的國際復育計畫

By the 1990s, these collaborators in Europe and the US

1990 年代，在歐洲和美洲合作

began releasing new generations of Asia’s ancient wild horse

開始放生古老亞洲野馬的新世代

back into their native habitat.

回到原始棲地

This Takhi revival was a world-famous conservation victory,

蒙古野馬的成功復興，聞名世界

but the full story is much more complicated than it first appears.

但完整故事其實更加複雜

And its twists and turns raise serious questions about the role of zoos

複雜曲折的劇情也引起大眾 對動物園的質疑

and what conservation even means.

並開始思考保育的意義

To get the whole story, we need to start in the late 1800s

故事必須從 1800 晚期從頭說起

when Russian explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky was gifted

當俄國探險家尼古拉·普熱瓦利斯基

the remains of one of these wild horses.

得到一隻野馬的殘骸

Though the Takhi had long been known to local Mongolians,

儘管蒙古野馬對當地人來說不稀奇

European scientists were intrigued by the remains,

歐洲科學家卻對殘骸大感興趣

which looked more like those of a donkey or zebra than any known domestic horse.

它比任何家馬，更近似驢子或斑馬

They concluded the species was a sort of missing link

結論是，這種野馬是介於野驢 和現代馬之間

between wild asses and modern horses.

原本缺失的一環

And as reports of the newly dubbed Przhevalsky’s horse

普熱瓦利斯基的新冠名馬的相關消息

circulated through Europe and America,

傳遍歐洲和美洲

zoo proprietors became eager to acquire the previously unknown species.

動物園老闆都熱切想獲得 過去未知的新品種

At this time, zoos were focused primarily on drawing visitors with exotic animals,

當時，動物園主要是用 異國動物吸引遊客

and their exhibitions were more concerned with entertainment than animal welfare.

表演作為娛樂，不關注動物健康

But in the early 1900s, the near extinction of the American bison

然而 20 世紀初，美洲野牛 差點滅絕的情況

and the total extinction of other species like the passenger pigeon

和一些完全消失的物種，比如候鴿

inspired zoos to rebrand as centers for conservation.

激勵動物園改頭換面，成為保育中心

And as it became clear that Przhevalsky’s horse might be headed for a similar fate,

而明顯地，普氏野馬也即將 步這些物種的後塵

zoos began breeding programs to sustain the captive population.

於是動物園啟動了圈養馬群的復育計畫

However, the individuals behind these programs came to an interesting conclusion

不過，這些計畫主持人對於復育方式

about how the horses should be bred.

提出了一個有趣的結論

Like their colleagues, they believed the species represented a missing link

所有人都認為，蒙古野馬代表著

between modern domestic horses and their more primitive ancestors.

現代家馬和牠們的原始種之間的過渡

They also knew that some of the horses in their collections weren’t purebred Takhi,

他們搜集的馬匹樣本 也並非全是純種蒙古野馬

and many didn’t even resemble the species’ standard description.

有些連像樣的標準特徵都沒有

So breeders felt it was up to them to determine what a wild Takhi

因此復育員們認為可以自行敲定

should look like,

一匹蒙古野馬該有的模樣

and breed them accordingly.

並依此進行復育

Basing their work on just a few specimens and broad beliefs

以少量樣本和大量想像為基礎

about what a primitive horse might look like,

得出初始馬的樣子

they created a rigorous model for the ideal Takhi.

建立理想中蒙古野馬的嚴謹建模

And over the 20th century,

整個 20 世紀

breeders in western zoos and private collections

西方動物園和私人基地的復育員

created a population of thousands of horses

復育出數千匹野馬

all carefully bred to share the same physical characteristics.

精心培育之下，全擁有相同的體態特徵

Of course, in their native habitat,

當然，在牠們的原生地

wild Takhi had regularly interbred with domesticated horses for millennia,

數千年來，野生馬群與家馬雜交已是常事

producing a population with much more diverse appearances.

使得野生馬群外觀更加多樣化

So when it was time to introduce the Takhi to their ancestral home,

因此，將復育馬放歸家園時，

they were quite different from the horses

牠們與百年前被帶離草原的祖先

who’d been taken from those steppes a century earlier.

顯得大不相同

Complicating things even further,

使情況更複雜的是

while these new Takhi herds were no longer in zoos,

這些復育馬雖然離開了動物園

to this day, almost all remain closely monitored

如今，仍受到密切監控

and controlled for their own protection.

並以保護為名實行控制

So in a strange way, it’s hard to say if these animals are actually in the wild

因此弔詭的是，很難說 這些動物是野生動物

or even if they’re truly Takhi.

或甚至是真正的蒙古野馬

The story of the Takhi horse is not unique.

蒙古野馬的故事並非特例

In many of our conservation victories,

許多成功的復育故事中

it’s difficult to say exactly what was saved,

其實很難確認哪個物種受到拯救

and the role that zoos play in conservation can be very complicated.

動物園在保育計畫中 扮演的角色也非常複雜

It's clear that zoos have been and can continue to be significant forces

當然，對於從過去到未來的動物保育

for animal preservation,

動物園都是重要的力量

especially efforts to save charismatic animals from extinction.

尤其是為了拯救特殊動物免於滅絕

But today, the most direct cause of animal extinctions

不過至今，動物滅絕的最直接因素

are humanity’s impacts on animal habitats and Earth’s climate.

還是人類對棲地的影響和氣候變遷

So if zoos truly want to help protect the diversity of animal life on this planet,

如果動物園真的想保護生物多樣性

perhaps they should redirect their efforts

也許應該轉移方向

to preserving the natural habitats these animals so desperately need.

努力保護這些瀕危動物 亟需的自然棲地