Munir Virani: Why I love vultures

Translator: Morton Bast Reviewer: Thu-Huong Ha

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: Crystal Tu

I would like to talk to you about

讓我來為你介紹

a very special group of animals.

一種非常特別的動物

There are 10,000 species of birds in the world.

世界上有一萬種不同的鳥類

Vultures are amongst the most threatened group of birds.

禿鷹是所有鳥類中最受威脅的一種

When you see a vulture like this, the first thing

當你看到這樣的禿鷹

that comes to your mind is, these are disgusting, ugly,

你的腦海裡浮現的第一個念頭是

greedy creatures that are just after your flesh,

這真是噁心、醜陋、貪婪的生物

associated with politicians. (Laughter) (Applause)

也讓你聯想到政客（大笑）（掌聲）

I want to change that perception. I want to change

我想改變你的看法

those feelings you have for these birds, because

我想改變你對這些鳥類的感覺

they need our sympathy. They really do. (Laughter)

因為他們需要我們的同情，非常需要。（笑聲）

And I'll tell you why.

稍後我將告訴你為什麼

First of all, why do they have such a bad press?

首先，為什麼大家對禿鷹的印象這麼差？

When Charles Darwin went across the Atlantic in 1832

當達爾文在1832年橫跨大西洋時

on the Beagle, he saw the turkey vulture,

在小獵犬號上，他看見土耳其禿鷹

and he said, "These are disgusting birds

他說：「這些是為了沉溺墮落而生的

with bald scarlet heads that are formed to revel in putridity." (Laughter)

無毛、紅頭的噁心鳥類。」（笑聲）

You could not get a worse insult, and that from Charles Darwin. (Laughter)

你想不到更惡毒的侮辱了， 而這卻出自於達爾文之口。（笑聲）

You know, he changed his mind when he came back,

但是，他在回來後改變了他的想法

and I'll tell you why.

之後我再告訴你為什麼

They've also be associated with Disney — (Laughter) —

另外，迪士尼也已經把禿鷹列入角色之一了（笑聲）

personified as goofy, dumb, stupid characters.

裡頭包括了像高飛狗一樣象徵愚笨的角色

More recently, if you've been following the Kenyan press

如果你最近看到肯亞的報導

— (Laughter) (Applause) (Cheers) —

（笑聲）（鼓掌）（歡呼）

these are the attributes that they associated

牠們們還被看作是肯亞的國會議員

the Kenyan MPs with. But I want to challenge that.

但是我想要抗議這件事

I want to challenge that. Do you know why?

你知道我為什麼想要抗議這件事嗎？

Because MPs

因為國會議員

do not keep the environment clean. (Laughter)

不會讓環境更乾淨（笑聲）

MPs do not help to prevent the spread of diseases.

國會議員無助於預防疾病的散播

They are hardly monogamous. (Laughter) (Applause)

而且還很難做到一夫一妻制（笑聲）（鼓掌）

They are far from being extinct. (Laughter)

得要很久才會絕種（笑聲）

And, my favorite is, vultures are better looking. (Applause) (Laughter)

而且我最喜歡的一點是， 禿鷹長得比較好看（笑聲）（鼓掌）

So there's two types of vultures in this planet.

這裡有現存的兩種禿鷹

There are the New World vultures that are mainly found

有在美國被發現的新世界禿鷹

in the Americas, like the condors and the caracaras,

像是兀鷹、卡拉卡拉鷹

and then the Old World vultures, where we have

以及有十六種的舊世界禿鷹

16 species. From these 16, 11 of them are facing

在這十六種當中

a high risk of extinction.

有十一種瀕臨絕種

So why are vultures important? First of all,

為什麼禿鷹很重要呢？

they provide vital ecological services. They clean up.

首先，牠們在生態中提供了非常重要的服務

They're our natural garbage collectors.

牠們是大自然的清道夫，為我們清理垃圾

They clean up carcasses right to the bone.

牠們清理屍骨殘骸

They help to kill all the bacteria. They help absorb anthrax

牠們幫忙殺死細菌、吸收炭疽病毒

that would otherwise spread and cause

阻止可能大量傳播

huge livestock losses and diseases in other animals.

造成無數生物死亡或得病的病菌

Recent studies have shown that in areas where there are

最近的研究報告指出

no vultures, carcasses take up to three to four times

在沒有禿鷹的地區，屍體需要經過三到四倍的時間

to decompose, and this has huge ramifications

來分解與腐爛

for the spread of diseases.

這樣的過程讓疾病交錯傳染

Vultures also have tremendous historical significance.

禿鷹也具有許多重要歷史性的意義

They have been associated in ancient Egyptian culture.

禿鷹讓人們聯想到了埃及文化

Nekhbet was the symbol of the protector

奈克貝特是保護者與母性的象徵

and the motherhood, and together with the cobra,

與眼鏡蛇同時出現時

symbolized the unity between Upper and Lower Egypt.

則象徵了上埃及與下埃及的團結與統一

In Hindu mythology, Jatayu was the vulture god,

在印度神話中，加達羽是禿鷹之神

and he risked his life in order to save the goddess Sita

牠冒著生命危險從十頭惡魔羅波那手中

from the 10-headed demon Ravana.

救出悉達女神

In Tibetan culture, they are performing very important

在西藏文化裡，牠們在天葬中扮演了很重要的角色

sky burials. In places like Tibet, there are no places

在某些地區，如西藏

to bury the dead, or wood to cremate them,

他們沒有地方或木材可以為亡者辦理火葬

so these vultures provide a natural disposal system.

因此禿鷹提供了自然分解的機制

So what is the problem with vultures?

那麼禿鷹到底出了什麼問題？

We have eight species of vultures that occur in Kenya,

有八種禿鷹在肯亞出現

of which six are highly threatened with extinction.

其中有六種正瀕臨絕種的危機

The reason is that they're getting poisoned, and the reason

原因是被人類毒殺

that they're getting poisoned is because there's

而被毒殺的原因則是

human-wildlife conflicts. The pastoral communities

人類與野生動物之間的衝突

are using this poison to target predators,

牧羊人毒死那些會掠食的動物

and in return, the vultures are falling victim to this.

結果是這些禿鷹成了犧牲者

In South Asia, in countries like India and Pakistan,

在印度、巴基斯坦等南亞國家

four species of vultures are listed as critically endangered,

有四種禿鷹被列為極危物種

which means they have less than 10 or 15 years to go extinct,

意味著再過十五年牠們就會絕種了

and the reason is because they are falling prey

絕種的原因是因為

by consuming livestock that has been treated

牠們吃了被餵食像雙氯芬酸鈉這種止痛藥的生畜

with a painkilling drug like Diclofenac.

而成為了犧牲者

This drug has now been banned for veterinary use in India,

這種藥物在印度的獸醫中

and they have taken a stand.

已確定被列為禁藥

Because there are no vultures, there's been a spread

因為沒有禿鷹的時候

in the numbers of feral dogs at carcass dump sites,

就會有無數的野狗在屍體丟棄場

and when you have feral dogs, you have a huge time bomb

而當有野狗的時候

of rabies. The number of cases of rabies

就有了狂犬病爆發的不定時炸彈

has increased tremendously in India.

狂犬病已在印度以驚人的速度蔓延開來了

Kenya is going to have one of the largest wind farms in Africa:

肯亞將要興建非洲最大型的風車農場

353 wind turbines are going to be up at Lake Turkana.

353座風車將會座落在圖爾卡納湖

I am not against wind energy, but we need to work

我並不反對風力發電

with the governments, because wind turbines

但是我們需要和各國政府合作

do this to birds. They slice them in half.

因為風車會將鳥切成兩半，就像圖片裡的那樣

They are bird-blending machines.

它們是鳥類攪拌機

In West Africa, there's a horrific trade

在西非，有一種黑市交易是

of dead vultures to serve the witchcraft and the fetish market.

將禿鷹的屍體販賣給做巫術和戀物癖的人

So what's being done? Well, we're conducting research

目前我們已做了一些努力 我們做了關於這些鳥的研究

on these birds. We're putting transmitters on them.

我們在這些鳥的身上放了傳輸器

We're trying to determine their basic ecology,

我們試著了解最基本的禿鷹生態

and see where they go.

然後看牠們將前往何處

We can see that they travel different countries, so

我們發現牠們在不同國家間來去

if you focus on a problem locally, it's not going to help you.

所以如果只著重於單一地點，對解決問題毫無幫助

We need to work with governments in regional levels.

我們需要與各國政府進行區域合作

We're working with local communities.

我們也和當地居民合作

We're talking to them about appreciating vultures,

告訴他們如何欣賞禿鷹

about the need from within to appreciate these

以及人類對這些美麗物種的需求

wonderful creatures and the services that they provide.

以及牠們提供的幫助

How can you help? You can become active,

怎樣參與合作呢？你可以開始行動

make noise. You can write a letter to your government

積極表示意見，寫信給你的政府

and tell them that we need to focus on these very

告訴當權者我們需要關注這些

misunderstood creatures. Volunteer your time

被誤會的物種

to spread the word. Spread the word.

花點時間分享這些內容，傳遞出去

When you walk out of this room, you will be informed

當你走出這間房間

about vultures, but speak to your families, to your children,

你將收到關於禿鷹的訊息

to your neighbors about vultures.

告訴你的家庭、孩子和鄰居

They are very graceful. Charles Darwin said

禿鷹是一種優美的動物

he changed his mind because he watched them fly

達爾文見到牠們在空間輕鬆飛翔的姿態時

effortlessly without energy in the skies.

改變了他的想法

Kenya, this world, will be much poorer

如果沒有這樣美麗的物種

without these wonderful species.

肯亞和這個世界都將會變得更貧窮

Thank you very much. (Applause)

謝謝！（掌聲）