獵獅新聞促使航空公司決定禁運獵物
The recent killing of a popular lion named Cecil by an American dentist in Zimbabwe sparked considerable outrage on social media and elsewhere against safari hunting. The event has also brought to light the role that airlines play in transporting trophy kills as cargo, and may have contributed to changing airline policy.
近期，美國牙醫獵殺明星獅子塞西爾(Cecil)一事在社交媒體和世界各地激發了人們對狩獵的憤怒。此事也暴露了航空公司把遭到獵殺的動物作爲貨物運送的事實，或將有助於轉變現有的航空政策。
On Monday, Delta Air Lines became the latest carrier to change its rules about transporting hunting trophies. Its announcement came as a group of airlines including Air France, KLM, Iberia, IAG Cargo, Singapore Airlines and Qantas signaled last week they would ban the transport of trophy-hunting kills, according to Paul Ferris, the campaign director at , a consumer-based petition agency in Brooklyn, which has pressed for changing cargo policies.
週一，達美航空(Delta Air Lines)成爲最新一家針對運送獵物的運輸規定作出修改的航空公司。總部位於布魯克林的消費者請願機構的活動總監保羅·費瑞斯(Paul Ferris)表示，除達美外，法國航空(Air France)、荷蘭皇家航空(KLM)、西班牙國家航空(Iberia)、國際航空集團(IAG Cargo)、新加坡航空(Singapore Airlines)和澳洲航空(Qantas)在上週均表示將禁止運送獵物。致力於推動貨運政策的修改。
“Airlines and other large travel corporations would be foolish to ignore the public reaction to the killing of Cecil the lion, and growing concern about the plight of endangered species,” Mr. Ferris said.
“如果無視公衆對塞西爾被殺的反應和對瀕危物種面臨的困境與日劇增的擔憂，航空公司和其他大型旅行公司無疑是愚蠢的，” 費瑞斯說。
Such a ban was initiated by South African Airways in April, and Emirates, Lufthansa and British Airways later joined. These airlines pledged not to carry big game trophies, including elephants, rhinos, lions and tigers as cargo.
這樣的禁令最初是由南非航空(South African Airways)在今年4月發起的，隨後阿聯酋航空(Emirates)、漢莎航空(Lufthansa)和英國航空(British Airways)也加入其中。這些公司承諾不會再運輸大型獵物，包括大象、犀牛、獅子和老虎。
One major holdout had been Delta, which has direct service between the United States and countries in Africa. But bowing to pressure from some travelers and activists, and an online petition on , Delta changed its position too.
之前，其中一個拒不讓步的公司就是達美。這家公司擁有美國和多個非洲國家之間的直飛航線。不過，面對來自旅客和活動人士的壓力，還有在網站上的請願行動，達美也讓步了。
“Effective immediately, Delta will officially ban shipment of all lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo trophies worldwide as freight,” according to a statement by Morgan Durrant, a Delta spokesman. “Prior to this ban, Delta’s strict acceptance policy called for absolute compliance with all government regulations regarding protected species. Delta will also review acceptance policies of other hunting trophies with appropriate government agencies and other organizations supporting legal shipments.”
“達美航空將正式在全球範圍內禁止以貨物形式運輸任何獅子、豹、大象、犀牛和水牛，立即生效，”達美航空發言人摩根·達蘭特(Morgan Durrant)說。“在此項禁令之前，達美嚴格的貨物收寄政策完全遵守了各國政府對保護物種的全部規定。達美也將與相關政府機構和其他組織一起審覈其他獵物的收寄政策，以支持合法運輸。”
Still resistance to change can run deep. South African Airways initially banned trophy cargo after a shipment of elephant tusks marked as machine parts bound for Kuala Lumpur was discovered during a stop in Australia. But since July there have been reports that SAA lifted the ban and has resumed shipping trophy kills.
當然，對於變革的頑強抵抗還是存在的。南非航空起初發起對獵物運輸的禁令，是因爲運往吉隆坡的一單貨物標記爲機械部件，但在澳大利亞經停時被發現是象牙。不過，從7月開始就有報道稱，南非航空已經取消禁令，又開始重新運輸被殺的獵物。
Americans make up the bulk of non-African hunters. About 15,000 American tourists visit Africa on hunting safaris every year, according to Conservation Force, a nonprofit group that advocates responsible hunting. Currently, 11 African countries issue lion-hunting permits, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania.
在來自非洲之外的獵人中，美國人佔了很大一部分。根據倡導良心狩獵的非營利組織“保護力量”(Conservation Force)提供的數據，每年有1.5萬名美國遊客前往非洲進行狩獵遊。目前，有11個非洲國家頒發獵獅許可，其中包括津巴布韋、南非、納米比亞和坦桑尼亞。
Of those, South Africa’s hunting industry is the biggest, estimated to be worth around $675 million, according to the Professional Hunters Association. And just as important, it is woven into the luxury sector of the travel industry, with fees that can reach $55,000 to hunt lions, for example.
按照職業獵人協會(Professional Hunters Association)公佈的數據，在這些國家中，南非的狩獵行業規模最大，估計產值在6.75億美元左右。同樣重要的是，狩獵還與豪華旅遊業結合了起來。比方說，獵獅的收費可達5.5萬美元。
Many of the ranches in Africa where big game is hunted have their own luxury accommodations. Such is the case with Bushman Safaris, the outfitters used by Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist.
非洲的不少大型動物獵場配有豪華住宿服務。獵殺塞西爾的明尼蘇達牙醫瓦爾特帕爾默(Walter Palmer)採用的裝備供應商布須曼遊獵公司(Bushman Safaris)即爲一例。
Luxury hotel chains do not condemn trophy hunting or ban hotel guests from big-game hunting, even though it does little for the local economy. Less than 3 percent of the revenue from trophy hunting goes to local guides, business owners or people living in communities near the animals, according to a report by the think tank Economists at Large.
連鎖豪華酒店並不會譴責爲了獲得紀念品而進行的狩獵活動，也不會禁止賓客獵殺大型動物，儘管此類活動對當地經濟貢獻寥寥。根據智庫“自由經濟學人”(Economists at Large)發佈的一份報告，狩獵活動的收入中，不到3%流向了當地導遊、企業主或是居住在臨近動物領地的社區裏的民衆。
Many conservationists are concerned that the laws regulating trophy hunting can be ambiguous and often lead to poaching.
許多動物保護人士感到憂心忡忡，他們認爲規範狩獵活動的法規措辭模糊，而且往往會導致偷獵。
African lion population numbers vary, but many estimate there were about 100,000 a century ago. Today, there are around 35,000. Lion populations had been stable, but because they dropped noticeably in the last three years, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the lion as a threatened species.
各方對非洲獅種羣規模的估算不一，不過許多說法認爲一個世紀前約爲10萬頭。目前的數據則爲3.5萬頭左右。獅子的種羣規模曾經較爲穩定，但在過去三年裏顯著縮小，因此美國魚類和野生動物管理局(United States Fish and Wildlife Service)提議將之列爲受威脅物種。
While this would not eliminate trophy hunting, it would regulate it through a permit system for importing sport-hunted trophies into the United States. Opponents to the listing are concerned that the agency’s proposal would hamper conservation funds raised by the fees collected for trophy hunting. A decision is expected by January 2016.
儘管進入名錄並不會消滅狩獵行爲，但會使其接受監管，方式是推出將獵取的動物運入美國的進口許可制度。反對把獅子列入名錄的人士擔心，管理局的這項提議會阻礙通過狩獵來籌集保護基金。有關這項建議的決定將於2016年1月做出。
But while the pace of federal regulation moves slowly, conservationists said airlines like Delta and other travel corporations are in a much better position to press for change.
不過，儘管聯邦監管方面步伐緩慢，動物保護人士表示，在推動變革上，達美等航空公司和其他類別的旅遊企業所處的位置要有利得多。
