Romulus Whitaker: The real danger lurking in the water

60,203 views ・ 2010-01-07

TED


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譯者: yuanyuan liang 審譯者: Joan Liu
00:15
I want you to put off your preconceptions,
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我希望大家能放下成見,
00:18
your preconceived fears and thoughts about reptiles.
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放下那些對爬行動物先入為主的恐懼和想法。
00:23
Because that is the only way I'm going to get my story across to you.
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因為只有這樣我才能讓你們相信我要講的內容。
00:26
And by the way, if I come across as a sort of
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另外,如果我讓大家以為我是某類
00:29
rabid, hippie conservationist,
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狂熱的,嬉皮環保份子,
00:31
it's purely a figment of your imagination.
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那完全是你們想像出來的。
00:34
(Laughter)
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(觀眾笑聲)
00:39
Okay. We are actually the first species on Earth
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好。我們事實上是地球上的第一個物種
00:42
to be so prolific to actually threaten our own survival.
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其繁育程度確實在威脅到我們自己的生存。
00:47
And I know we've all seen images enough to make us numb,
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我也知道我們已經看到麻木了,
00:50
of the tragedies that we're perpetrating on the planet.
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那些我們正在這個星球上造成的種種悲劇的圖片。
00:55
We're kind of like greedy kids, using it all up, aren't we?
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我們就像貪婪的小孩,什麽都要用光光,是不是?
00:57
And today is a time for me to talk to you about water.
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今天我想跟大家聊聊水。
01:03
It's not only because we like to drink lots of it,
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這不僅因為我們喜歡喝水,
01:06
and its marvelous derivatives, beer, wine, etc.
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以及水的大量衍生物,啤酒,葡萄酒等等。
01:11
And, of course, watch it fall from the sky
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當然,還有看著水從天空降下
01:13
and flow in our wonderful rivers,
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流進我們那些美麗的河流,
01:16
but for several other reasons as well.
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但除此以外還有其他一些原因。
01:18
When I was a kid, growing up in New York,
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我小時候在紐約長大,
01:20
I was smitten by snakes, the same way most kids are
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我深深迷上了蛇這種動物,就像很多孩子
01:22
smitten by tops, marbles, cars, trains, cricket balls.
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迷戀陀螺,彈子,汽車,火車,板球一樣。
01:27
And my mother, brave lady,
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而我母親,一位大膽的女士
01:29
was partly to blame,
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也要為此負點責任,
01:31
taking me to the New York Natural History Museum,
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她帶我去紐約自然歷史博物館,
01:33
buying me books on snakes,
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給我買了一堆關於蛇的書,
01:35
and then starting this infamous career of mine,
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開啟了我這個不甚光彩的事業。
01:39
which has culminated in
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也因此促成
01:41
of course, arriving in India 60 years ago,
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60年前
01:45
brought by my mother, Doris Norden,
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我被我媽Doris Norden
01:47
and my stepfather, Rama Chattopadhyaya.
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和我的繼父Rama Chattopadhyaya帶到了印度。
01:49
It's been a roller coaster ride.
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這簡直就像是坐雲霄飛車。
01:53
Two animals, two iconic reptiles
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這兩種動物,這兩種典型的爬行動物
01:55
really captivated me very early on.
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確實從一開始就把我吸引住了。
01:58
One of them was the remarkable gharial.
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一個是不同尋常的印度鱷。
02:01
This crocodile, which grows to almost 20 feet long
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這種鱷魚可以長至20英尺長,
02:03
in the northern rivers,
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棲息在北部流域,
02:05
and this charismatic snake, the king cobra.
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而另一種是富有魅力的是:眼鏡王蛇。
02:10
What my purpose of the talk today really is,
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今天我的講座的目的就是
02:12
is to sort of indelibly scar your minds
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要永久性地在你們的腦子里留下
02:15
with these charismatic and majestic creatures.
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關於這些神秘而又威嚴的動物的印記。
02:18
Because this is what you will take away from here,
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因為這就是我希望你們將從講座中得到的,
02:21
a reconnection with nature, I hope.
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與大自然重新建立聯繫,我希望。
02:26
The king cobra is quite remarkable for several reasons.
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眼鏡王蛇之所以這麼不平凡有幾個原因。
02:29
What you're seeing here is very recently shot images
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你在這裡看到的是最近拍攝的影像
02:32
in a forest nearby here,
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就在這附近的叢林里,
02:34
of a female king cobra making her nest.
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一條雌眼鏡王蛇正在做窩。
02:36
Here is a limbless animal, capable of gathering a huge mound of leaves,
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這種完全沒有四肢的動物,能夠聚攏起一個巨大的葉子小山,
02:40
and then laying her eggs inside,
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然後把卵產在裏面,
02:42
to withstand 5 to 10 [meters of rainfall],
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它能承受5到10米的降雨量,
02:46
in order that the eggs can incubate over the next 90 days,
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從而這些卵能夠在接下來的90天里孵化,
02:49
and hatch into little baby king cobras.
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生出小眼鏡王蛇。
02:51
So, she protects her eggs,
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於是,她就這樣保護自己的卵,
02:53
and after three months,
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3個月以後,
02:56
the babies finally do hatch out.
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小蛇終於破殼而出。
02:58
A majority of them will die, of course. There is very high mortality
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當然,它們中的大部份都會死掉。年幼爬行動物的死亡率很高
03:01
in little baby reptiles who are just 10 to 12 inches long.
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這時它們僅有10到12英寸長。
03:06
My first experience with king cobras was in '72
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我第一次接觸到眼鏡王蛇是在1972年,
03:08
at a magical place called Agumbe,
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在一個叫做Agumbe的神秘地方,
03:11
in Karnataka, this state.
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在Karnataka邦(印度地名)。
03:14
And it is a marvelous rain forest.
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那裡是一個令人驚異的雨林。
03:17
This first encounter
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第一次相遇
03:19
was kind of like the
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有些類似
03:21
Maasai boy who kills the lion to become a warrior.
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馬賽族(非洲部族)的男孩要殺死一頭獅子才能成為戰士。
03:25
It really changed my life totally.
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它的確徹底改變了我的一生。
03:27
And it brought me straight into the conservation fray.
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它一下就把我帶入環境保護的衝突中。
03:30
I ended up starting this research
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最後我在Agumbe建立了這個
03:32
and education station in Agumbe,
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研究和教育工作站,
03:34
which you are all of course invited to visit.
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歡迎你們大家都來參觀。
03:37
This is basically a base wherein
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基本上這就是一個基地
03:39
we are trying to gather and learn
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在這裡我們試圖聚在一起並學習
03:41
virtually everything about the biodiversity
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差不多關於這個極為複雜的雨林系統的
03:43
of this incredibly complex forest system,
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生物多樣性的一切
03:46
and try to hang on to what's there,
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並試圖維持這一切,
03:48
make sure the water sources are protected and kept clean,
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保證水源受到保護,保持清潔,
03:51
and of course, having a good time too.
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當然,我們自己也玩得很開心。
03:54
You can almost hear the drums
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你幾乎能聽到鼓聲
03:56
throbbing back in that little cottage where we stay when we're there.
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在這個小窩棚里迴蕩。我們就待在裡頭。
04:01
It was very important for us to get through to the people.
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讓當地人理解我們是非常重要的。
04:05
And through the children is usually the way to go.
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最常見的辦法是通過小孩子。
04:08
They are fascinated with snakes. They haven't got
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他們也對蛇很著迷。他們還沒有
04:10
that steely thing that you end up
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那種你們現在持有的雷打不動的看法
04:13
either fearing or hating or despising or loathing them in some way.
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不是害怕就是仇恨,不是鄙夷就是厭惡。
04:17
They are interested.
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他們覺得有趣。
04:19
And it really works to start with them.
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而且從他們開始這個方法確實有效。
04:21
This gives you an idea of the size of some of these snakes.
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這能讓你知道一些蛇有多大。
04:23
This is an average size king cobra, about 12 feet long.
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這是一條一般大小的眼鏡王蛇:大約12英尺長。
04:26
And it actually crawled into somebody's bathroom,
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它真的爬進某人家的浴室,
04:28
and was hanging around there for two or three days.
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還在那裡小住了兩三天。
04:30
The people of this part of India
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印度這一地區的人們
04:32
worship the king cobra.
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崇拜眼鏡王蛇。
04:34
And they didn't kill it. They called us to catch it.
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他們不會殺死它,而是打電話叫我們來抓它。
04:36
Now we've caught more than 100 king cobras
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在過去的三年裡,
04:38
over the last three years,
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我們已經抓了一百多條眼鏡蛇
04:40
and relocated them in nearby forests.
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並把它們放生在周圍的叢林中。
04:43
But in order to find out the real secrets of these creatures
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但是爲了找到這些生物的真正的秘密,
04:46
[it was necessary] for us to actually insert
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我們有必要殖入
04:49
a small radio transmitter inside [each] snake.
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一個微型的無線電發射器在每條蛇裡。
04:52
Now we are able to follow them and find out their secrets,
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現在我們可以追蹤它們,並發現它們的秘密,
04:56
where the babies go after they hatch,
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孵化出來的小蛇們去了哪裡,
04:59
and remarkable things like this you're about to see.
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以及很多類似的你將看到的神奇的事。
05:03
This was just a few days ago in Agumbe.
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這是幾天前,在Agumbe,
05:05
I had the pleasure of being close to this large king cobra
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我很高興能如此靠近這條大眼鏡王蛇,
05:10
who had caught a venomous pit viper.
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它抓到一條劇毒的毒蛇。
05:12
And it does it in such a way that it doesn't get bitten itself.
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它的捕食方式很巧妙令它不會被咬到。
05:15
And king cobras feed only on snakes.
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而且眼鏡王蛇只吃蛇。
05:19
This [little snake] was kind of a tid-bit for it,
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這條小蛇對它來說還不夠塞牙縫,
05:21
what we'd call a "vadai" or a donut or something like that.
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只能算一塊小點心。
05:23
(Laughter)
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(觀眾笑聲)
05:26
Usually they eat something a bit larger.
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通常它們吃的蛇更大一些。
05:28
In this case a rather strange and inexplicable
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這裡發生的是一件更為奇特和無法解釋的行為
05:32
activity happened over the last breeding season,
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它發生在上一個交配季節
05:35
wherein a large male king cobra actually grabbed a female king cobra,
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一條很大的雄性眼鏡王蛇抓住了一條雌蛇,
05:39
didn't mate with it, actually killed it and swallowed it.
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它非但沒有進行交配,反而竟然殺死了它,吞了下去。
05:42
We're still trying to explain and come to terms with
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我們還在試圖解釋和理解
05:44
what is the evolutionary advantage of this.
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這樣做能帶來什麽進化上的優勢。
05:49
But they do also a lot of other remarkable things.
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但是還有另外一些奇異的事。
05:52
This is again, something [we were able to see] by virtue of the fact
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這個,是我們真真切切看到的,
05:54
that we had a radio transmitter in one of the snakes.
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我們在其中一條蛇身上植入了發射器,
05:57
This male snake, 12 feet long, met another male king cobra.
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這條雄蛇,有12英尺長,遇到了另一條雄蛇。
06:00
And they did this incredible ritual combat dance.
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然後它們就開始了這場令人難以置信的儀式性的戰鬥舞蹈。
06:04
It's very much like the rutting of mammals, including humans,
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這非常類似包括人類在內的哺乳動物的發情表現,
06:06
you know, sorting out our differences, but gentler, no biting allowed.
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就是展示自己的獨特之處,但是更為溫和,禁止撕咬。
06:10
It's just a wresting match,
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這就是一場角力,
06:12
but a remarkable activity.
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卻是非比尋常的行為。
06:14
Now, what are we doing with all this information?
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那麼,我們收集這些信息來幹什麼呢?
06:16
What's the point of all this?
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這樣做有什麽意義?
06:18
Well, the king cobra is literally
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眼鏡王蛇根本就是
06:20
a keystone species in these rainforests.
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這些雨林中的關鍵物種。
06:23
And our job is to convince the authorities
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我們的工作就是讓有關當局相信
06:27
that these forests have to be protected.
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這些雨林必須受到保護。
06:29
And this is one of the ways we do it,
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我們採取的方法之一
06:31
by learning as much as we can
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就是儘量多的瞭解
06:33
about something so remarkable and so iconic in the rainforests there,
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雨林中最不同尋常最有代表性的事物,
06:37
in order to help protect trees, animals
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從而有助於保護其他植物和動物
06:40
and of course the water sources.
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當然還有水資源。
06:42
You've all heard, perhaps, of Project Tiger
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可能你們都聽說過老虎計劃
06:44
which started back in the early '70s,
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它始於70年代早期,
06:47
which was, in fact, a very dynamic time for conservation.
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事實上那是自然保護事業最動盪的時期。
06:51
We were piloted, I could say,
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可以這麼說,我們被
06:54
by a highly autocratic stateswoman,
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一位相當獨裁的女政治家所掌控,
06:56
but who also had an incredible passion for environment.
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但她同時對自然環境也有著驚人的熱情。
07:00
And this is the time when Project Tiger emerged.
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而這就是老虎計劃出現的時機。
07:03
And, just like Project Tiger,
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正如老虎計劃一樣,
07:06
our activities with the king cobra
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我們針對眼鏡王蛇的行動
07:08
is to look at a species of animal
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也是要針對一種動物,
07:10
so that we protect its habitat and everything within it.
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從而可以保護它的棲息地以及裡頭的一切。
07:13
So, the tiger is the icon.
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因此,老虎就是一個象徵。
07:15
And now the king cobra is a new one.
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而現在眼鏡王蛇是一個新的象徵。
07:19
All the major rivers in south India
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南印度的所有主要河流
07:21
are sourced in the Western Ghats,
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都發源於西高止山脈,
07:23
the chain of hills running along the west coast of India.
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這一山脈綿延在印度西海岸。
07:27
It pours out millions of gallons every hour,
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它的流量達每小時數百萬加侖,
07:30
and supplies drinking water to at least 300 million people,
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為至少3億人提供飲用水,
07:34
and washes many, many babies,
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讓很多很多小寶貝在裏面洗澡,
07:37
and of course feeds many, many animals,
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當然也養育了很多很多動物,
07:40
both domestic and wild,
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既有家養的,也有野生的,
07:42
produces thousands of tons of rice.
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種植出數千噸的稻米。
07:44
And what do we do? How do we respond to this?
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而我們在做什麽?我們如何回報這一切呢?
07:46
Well, basically, we dam it, we pollute it,
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嗯,基本上,我們築水壩,污染水源,
07:48
we pour in pesticides, weedicides, fungicides.
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傾倒殺蟲劑,除草劑和殺菌劑。
07:51
You drink it in peril of your life.
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喝了它你就有生命危險。
07:54
And the thing is, it's not just big industry.
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而問題在於做破壞的並不是大型企業,
07:57
It's not misguided river engineers
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也不是不明智的水利工程師,
07:59
who are doing all this; it's us.
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而是我們大家都在破壞。
08:01
It seems that our citizens find the best way to dispose of garbage
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看起來我們這些市民發現丟垃圾的最佳方式,
08:05
are in water sources.
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就是扔進水裡。
08:07
Okay. Now we're going north, very far north.
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好吧。現在我們向北走,走到很北的地方。
08:10
North central India, the Chambal River
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印度的中北部,Chambal河
08:12
is where we have our base.
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就是我們的基地所在地。
08:14
This is the home of the gharial, this incredible crocodile.
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這裡是印度鱷的故鄉,這是一種不可思議的鱷魚。
08:18
It is an animal which has been on the Earth
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這種動物已經在地球上
08:21
for just about 100 million years.
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生活了上億年。
08:24
It survived even during the time that the dinosaurs died off.
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即便恐龍都滅絕了但是它都生存了下來。
08:28
It has remarkable features.
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它有很多獨特之處。
08:30
Even though it grows to 20 feet long,
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即便它長到20英尺長,
08:32
since it eats only fish it's not dangerous to human beings.
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它也對人無害,因為它只吃魚。
08:35
It does have big teeth, however,
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但是它的確長著一嘴大牙,
08:37
and it's kind of hard to convince people
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而且似乎很難讓人相信
08:39
if an animal has big teeth, that it's a harmless creature.
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一個長著這麼大牙齒的動物能夠對人無害。
08:42
But we, actually, back in the early '70s,
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但是,回到70年代早期,我們確實
08:46
did surveys,
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做過調查,
08:48
and found that gharial were extremely rare.
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發現印度鱷十分稀少。
08:52
In fact, if you see the map,
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事實上,如果從地圖上看,
08:54
the range of their original habitat
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它們最開始的棲息範圍
08:56
was all the way from the Indus in Pakistan
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從巴基斯坦的印第安座(印度西北部河流)
08:59
to the Irrawaddy in Burma.
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一直到緬甸的伊洛瓦底江。
09:01
And now it's just limited to a couple of spots
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而現在,它只剩下幾個點
09:03
in Nepal and India.
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分佈在尼泊爾和印度。
09:05
So, in fact at this point
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事實上,目前
09:08
there are only 200 breeding gharial left in the wild.
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在野生環境下只剩下200條還在繁殖的印度鱷。
09:12
So, starting in the mid-'70s
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因此,從70年代中期開始,
09:14
when conservation was at the fore,
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當時環境保護運動正方興未艾,
09:17
we were actually able to start projects which were
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我們所啟動的計劃基本上能夠
09:20
basically government supported
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獲得政府的支持
09:22
to collect eggs from the wild from the few remaining nests
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可以從野外幾個僅存的巢穴里收集蛋,
09:25
and release 5,000 baby gharial
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並將5000條印度鱷寶寶放歸
09:27
back to the wild.
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回到野外。
09:29
And pretty soon we were seeing sights like this.
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很快我們就能看到這樣的景象。
09:32
I mean, just incredible to see bunches of gharial
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我覺得這是令人驚訝的,能看到一群印度鱷
09:35
basking on the river again.
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再次出現在河裡曬著太陽。
09:37
But complacency does have a tendency to breed contempt.
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但是滿足以後難免衍生出大意。
09:41
And, sure enough, with all the other pressures on the river,
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可以肯定的是,河流還承受著很多其他壓力,
09:44
like sand mining, for example,
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例如挖沙子,
09:47
very, very heavy cultivation all the way down to the river's edge,
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沿河區域一路而下的密集種植業,
09:51
not allowing the animals to breed anymore,
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不能允許動物再有更多的繁衍,
09:53
we're looking at
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我們現在看到
09:56
even more problems building up for the gharial,
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有更多的問題正威脅著印度鱷
09:59
despite the early good intentions.
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儘管一開始都帶著良善的意圖。
10:01
Their nests hatching along the riverside
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它們沿著河岸建築巢穴
10:05
producing hundreds of hatchlings. It's just an amazing sight.
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孵化出上百條小鱷魚。這真令人大開眼界。
10:08
This was actually just taken last year.
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這些都是去年拍攝的。
10:10
But then the monsoon arrives,
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但是,當雨季來臨,
10:14
and unfortunately downriver there is always a dam or
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很不幸的是在河的下游,總是有一個水壩
10:16
there is always a barrage,
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或是一個河堰,
10:18
and, shoop, they get washed down to their doom.
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然後,它們就都被沖下去完蛋了。
10:22
Luckily there is still a lot of interest.
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所幸還有很多人對它們有興趣。
10:24
My pals in the Crocodile Specialist Group of the IUCN,
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我的同事來自IUCN(國際自然與自然資源保護聯合會)鱷魚專家小組
10:27
the [Madras Crocodile Bank], an NGO,
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馬德拉斯鱷魚銀行,一個非政府組織,
10:29
the World Wildlife Fund,
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世界野生動物基金會,
10:31
the Wildlife Institute of India, State Forest Departments,
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印度野生動物學會,國家林業部,
10:34
and the Ministry of Environment, we all work together on stuff.
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以及政府的環境部,我們都在共同努力合作。
10:37
But it's possibly, and definitely not enough.
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但是可能這還是遠遠不夠。
10:41
For example, in the winter of 2007 and 2008,
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例如在2007和2008年冬天,
10:46
there was this incredible die-off of gharial, in the Chambal River.
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在Chambal河里的印度鱷相繼死亡。
10:50
Suddenly dozens of gharial appearing on the river, dead.
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幾十隻印度鱷突然出現在河上,死的。
10:52
Why? How could it happen?
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爲什麽?這是怎麼發生的?
10:54
This is a relatively clean river.
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這是一條相對來說還算清潔的河。
10:56
The Chambal, if you look at it, has clear water.
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如果你去過,就知道Chambal的水還很清澈。
10:59
People scoop water out of the Chambal and drink it,
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人們從Chambal河裡取水飲用,
11:01
something you wouldn't do in most north Indian rivers.
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在大多數的印度北部河流你可不敢這麼做。
11:04
So, in order to try to find out the answer to this,
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因此,爲了找到這個問題的答案,
11:07
we got veterinarians from all over the world
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我們從世界各地請來獸醫
11:09
working with Indian vets to try to figure out what was happening.
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和印度獸醫一起試圖搞清楚發生了什麽問題。
11:12
I was there for a lot of the necropsies on the riverside.
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我在河岸上做了大量的屍體檢查。
11:16
And we actually looked through
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我們仔細檢查了
11:18
all their organs and tried to figure out what was going on.
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所有的器官,試圖搞清楚問題所在。
11:21
And it came down to something called gout,
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最後我們發現是痛風,
11:24
which, as a result of kidney breakdown
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它是由腎衰竭造成的,
11:27
is actually uric acid crystals throughout the body,
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使得尿酸結晶遍佈全身,
11:30
and worse in the joints,
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在關節中尤其嚴重,
11:33
which made the gharial unable to swim.
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從而使得印度鱷無法游泳。
11:36
And it's a horribly painful death.
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最後在可怕的疼痛中死去。
11:38
Just downriver from the Chambal is the
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Chambal的下游
11:40
filthy Yamuna river, the sacred Yamuna river.
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就是骯髒的Yamuna河,也是神聖的Yamuna河
11:43
And I hate to be so ironic and sarcastic about it
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我並不願意這麼諷刺挖苦,
11:47
but it's the truth. It's just one of the filthiest cesspools you can imagine.
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但這是事實,它就是一個你能想像得出的最污穢的化糞池。
11:50
It flows down through Delhi, Mathura, Agra,
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它流經德里,馬圖拉,阿格拉,
11:54
and gets just about every bit of effluent you can imagine.
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帶著你能想像到的每一滴污水。
11:57
So, it seemed that the toxin that was killing the gharial
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所以看來殺死印度鱷的毒素
12:01
was something in the food chain,
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是食物鏈中的某種東西,
12:03
something in the fish they were eating.
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在它們吃的魚里。
12:05
And, you know, once a toxin is in the food chain
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要知道,一旦毒素進入到食物鏈
12:07
everything is affected, including us.
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所有東西都會受到影響,包括我們。
12:10
Because these rivers are the lifeblood of people all along their course.
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因為這些河流就是沿河人們的生命線。
12:14
In order to try to answer some of these questions,
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爲了解決這裡的一些問題,
12:16
we again turn to technology,
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我們再次回到技術領域,
12:18
to biological technology, in this case,
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在這裡是生物技術,
12:21
again, telemetry, putting radios on 10 gharial,
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我們再次運用遙感測量,將無線電發射器放在10條鱷魚身上;
12:25
and actually following their movements. They're being watched
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從而時時追蹤它們的活動。它們被監視著
12:27
everyday as we speak, to try to find out
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時時刻刻,甚至在當下,從而試圖找出
12:29
what this mysterious toxin is.
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這種神秘的毒素到底是什麼。
12:32
The Chambal river is an absolutely incredible place.
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Chambal河絕對是一個你無法想像的地方。
12:36
It's a place that's famous to a lot of you who know
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它應該頗具盛名,如果你們瞭解
12:39
about the bandits, the dacoits
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印度緬甸一代的強盜匪幫
12:42
who used to work up there. And there still are quite a few around.
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他們曾經在這一帶活動。而且直至今天都還有一些在這裡。
12:45
But Poolan Devi was one [of them]. Which actually Shekhar Kapur
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但其中有個叫Poolan Devi的(印度女強盜后為政客),Shekhar Kapur(印度電影人)以她為題材
12:48
made an incredible movie, "The Bandit Queen," which I urge you to see.
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拍攝了一部非常棒的電影《強盜女王》,我強烈推薦大家去看。
12:51
You'll get to see the incredible [Chambal] landscape as well.
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在電影里你同時也會看到美麗的Chambal河風光。
12:54
But, again, heavy fishing pressures.
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但是,這裡也面臨著沉重的捕撈業壓力。
12:58
This is one of the last repositories of the
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這裡棲息著最後的
13:01
Ganges river dolphin,
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恒河江豚,
13:03
various species of turtles,
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很多種烏龜,
13:05
thousands of migratory birds,
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上千種候鳥,
13:07
and fishing is causing problems like this.
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而捕魚業帶來了類似這樣的問題。
13:10
And now [these] new elements of human intolerance
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新的問題在於來自人
13:15
for river creatures like the gharial
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對河中生物如印度鱷的排斥,
13:18
means that if they don't drown in the net,
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這意味著,如果鱷魚沒在網中淹死,
13:21
then they simply cut their beaks off.
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那麼漁民就會把它們的顎切下來。
13:23
Animals like the Ganges river dolphin
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像恒河江豚這樣的動物
13:25
which is just down to a few left,
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目前只有很少幾只殘餘,
13:27
and it is also critically endangered.
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同樣也極度瀕危。
13:29
So, who is next? Us?
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那麼接下來輪到誰?我們?
13:31
Because we are all dependent on these water sources.
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因為我們都依靠這些水源為生。
13:34
So, we all know about the Narmada river,
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我們都知道Narmada河,
13:36
the tragedies of dams, the tragedies of huge projects
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那些水壩,那些大型工程帶來的悲劇,
13:39
which displace people and wreck river systems
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它們迫使人們遷移,破壞了江河系統,
13:42
without providing livelihoods.
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卻并沒有帶來任何生機。
13:44
And development just basically going berserk,
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而發展開始變得粗暴,
13:47
for a double figure growth index, basically.
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為的是維持兩位數的發展指數。
13:50
So, we're not sure where this story is going to end,
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所以我們也不敢肯定事情會以怎樣的結局告終,
13:55
whether it's got a happy or sad ending.
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皆大歡喜還是悲劇收場。
13:57
And climate change is certainly going
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而氣候變化肯定正在發生,
13:59
to turn all of our theories and predictions on their heads.
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它將推翻我們所有的理論和預測。
14:02
We're still working hard at it.
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我們還在努力。
14:04
We've got a lot of a good team of people working up there.
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我們有一個很好的團隊齊心協力。
14:07
And the thing is, you know, the decision makers,
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而問題在於,你知道,那些決策者們,
14:10
the folks in power,
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那些當權派,
14:12
they're up in their bungalows and so on in Delhi,
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他們都住洋房別墅,在德里,
14:14
in the city capitals. They are all supplied with plenty of water. It's cool.
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在大城市。他們都有充足的水源供應。這很好。
14:17
But out on the rivers there are still millions of people
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但是在河流兩岸,還有數以百萬計的人們
14:20
who are in really bad shape.
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他們的生活令人堪憂。
14:23
And it's a bleak future for them.
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而且前途渺茫。
14:25
So, we have our Ganges and Yamuna cleanup project.
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所以,我們有清潔恒河和Yamuna河的計劃,
14:28
We've spent hundreds of millions of dollars on it,
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我們已經花了數百萬美元,
14:30
and nothing to show for it. Incredible.
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然而什麽效果也沒有。真是不可思議。
14:33
So, people talk about political will.
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於是,人們常說政治意志。
14:36
During the die-off of the gharial we did galvanize a lot of action.
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在印度鱷大量死亡的時候,我們的確激起了大量的行動。
14:39
Government cut through all the red tape,
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政府給我們一路綠燈,
14:41
we got foreign vets on it. It was great.
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我們得到外國獸醫的援助。這很棒。
14:43
So, we can do it.
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所以,我們是能做到的。
14:45
But if you stroll down to the Yamuna
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但是如果你去到Yamuna河,
14:47
or to the Gomati in Lucknow,
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或是勒客瑙(印度北部)的Gomati河,
14:49
or to the Adyar river in Chennai,
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欽乃的Adyar河,
14:52
or the Mula-Mutha river in Pune,
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普納的Mula-muta河,
14:55
just see what we're capable of doing to a river. It's sad.
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去看看我們對一條河的所作所為。太讓人傷心了。
14:59
But I think the final note really is
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但我認為最終的基調仍然是
15:02
that we can do it.
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我們能做到。
15:05
The corporates, the artists, the wildlife nuts,
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社團,藝術家,野生動物狂熱份子,
15:08
the good old everyday folks
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那些普普通通的老百姓們,
15:10
can actually bring these rivers back.
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能夠拯救這些河流。
15:13
And the final word is
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最後我想說的是
15:15
that there is a king cobra looking over our shoulders.
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有一條眼鏡王蛇正在身後注視著我們。
15:19
And there is a gharial looking at us from the river.
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有一條印度鱷正從河裡盯著我們。
15:22
And these are powerful water totems.
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這些都是強大的水圖騰。
15:24
And they are going to disturb our dreams until we do the right thing.
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它們將讓我們晚上不得安睡,直到我們做出正確的行動。
15:28
Namaste.
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此致敬禮(印度的合十禮)
15:30
(Applause)
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(觀眾掌聲)
15:36
Chris Anderson: Thanks, Rom. Thanks a lot.
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Chris Anderson:謝謝Rom。非常感謝。
15:39
You know, most people are terrified of snakes.
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要知道,大部份人都怕蛇。
15:42
And there might be quite a few people here who would be
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這裡沒准就有一些人
15:44
very glad to see the last king cobra bite the dust.
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很樂意看到最後的眼鏡王蛇乾脆滅絕。
15:47
Do you have those conversations with people?
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你和這樣的人交談過嗎?
15:50
How do you really get them to care?
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你怎麼能讓這些人真正關心這一切?
15:52
Romulus Whitaker: I take the sort of humble approach,
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Romulus Whitaker:我採取的方式
15:57
I guess you could say. I don't say that snakes are huggable exactly.
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你會覺得有些謙卑。我不會說蛇蛇很可愛,要多抱抱它們。
16:01
It's not like the teddy bear.
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這可不是泰迪小熊。
16:04
But I sort of -- there is an innocence in these animals.
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但是我覺得,這些動物是無辜的。
16:08
And when the average person looks at a cobra
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當普通人看見一條眼鏡蛇
16:10
going "Ssssss!" like that, they say, "My god,
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開始像這樣發出絲絲聲時,他們會說「天啊,
16:12
look at that angry, dangerous creature."
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這是個憤怒又危險的動物。」
16:14
I look at it as a creature who is totally frightened
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而在我看來,這個動物被什麽東西嚇壞了
16:17
of something so dangerous as a human being.
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比如像人這樣危險的東西。
16:20
And that is the truth. And that's what I try to get out.
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而這是事實。這就是我想說的。
16:23
(Applause)
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(觀眾掌聲)
16:27
CA: Now, incredible footage you showed of the viper being killed.
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CA:你剛才播放的精彩片段就是關於毒蛇被捕食的。
16:29
You were saying that that hasn't been filmed before.
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你說這樣的場景是第一次被拍攝到。
16:32
RW: Yes, this is actually the first time anyone of us knew about it, for one thing.
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RM:是的。這的確是首次我們發現這個事實。
16:35
As I said, it's just like a little snack for him, you know?
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正像我說的,對它來說就是塞塞牙縫,你知道嗎?
16:38
Usually they eat larger snakes like rat snakes,
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通常它們都會吃更大的蛇,如吃老鼠的蛇類,
16:40
or even cobras.
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甚至眼鏡蛇。
16:42
But this guy who we're following right now is in the deep jungle.
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但是我們正在追蹤的這個傢伙是在叢林深處。
16:45
Whereas other king cobras
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而其他的眼鏡王蛇
16:47
very often come into the human interface,
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非常頻繁地進入人類的領地,
16:49
you know, the plantations, to find big rat snakes and stuff.
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諸如種植園,去尋找大鼠蛇之類的食物。
16:52
This guy specializes in pit vipers.
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而這個傢伙則專吃毒蛇。
16:55
And the guy who is working there with them,
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而那個和它們一起工作的傢伙,
16:57
he's from Maharashtra, he said, "I think he's after the nusha."
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他來自馬哈拉施特拉邦(印度中部),他說,「我認為他對nusha上癮了。」
17:00
(Laughter)
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(觀眾笑聲)
17:02
Now, the nusha means the high.
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nusha意味著嗨了。
17:04
Whenever he eats the pit viper he gets this little venom rush.
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每次它吃下一條毒蛇都像嗑藥一樣爽一下。
17:07
(Laughter)
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(觀眾笑聲)
17:09
CA: Thanks Rom. Thank you.
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CA:謝謝ROM。謝謝你。
17:11
(Applause)
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(觀眾掌聲)
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