白鰭豚疑似再度現身 被宣佈功能性滅絕近10年

Chinese conservationists believe they may have caught a rare glimpse of a freshwater dolphin that was declared functionAlly extinct a decade ago having graced the Yangtze river for 20 million years.

十年前，在揚子江中存在了2千萬年的白鰭豚宣告功能性滅絕。不過近日，中國的某些動物保護人士卻認爲自己看到了這種已滅絕的海豚。

Scientists and environmentalists had appeared to abandon hope that China's baiji, or white dolphin, could survive as a species after they failed to find a single animal during a fruitless six-week hunt along the 6,300-km (3,915-mile) waterway in 2006.

2006年，科學家和環境學家曾在長度達6300公里的揚子江流域展開了爲期六週的搜尋行動，卻一無所獲。從此科學界對白鰭豚仍存於世不抱希望。

But a team of amateur conservationists now claims it spotted the so-called "goddess of the Yangtze" last week on a stretch of Asia's longest river near the city of Wuhu in Anhui province.

然而，一支由民間動物保護人士組成的科考隊聲稱，他們於上週在安徽省蕪湖市旁揚子江的支流中發現了這種被稱爲“長江女神”的動物的蹤跡。

"No other creature could jump out of the Yangtze like that," Song Qi, the leader of that expedition told Sixth Tone, a government-backed news website. "All the eyewitnesses – which include fishermen – felt certain that it was a baiji."

科考隊隊長宋奇在接受政府支持的新聞網站第六聲採訪時表示：“其他動物不會像那樣躍出水面。包括漁民在內的目擊者都認爲那就是一隻白鰭豚。”

At just after 9.20am on 4 October he recalled spotting a "white dot" emerge from the river. Soon after a "white light" appeared to puncture the surface of the water for a second time. Seconds later Song spotted what he believes was the baiji for the third and final time, swimming towards the river's eastern bank.

據宋奇回憶，他在十月四日上午九點二十分過後發現江面上出現了一個"白點"，幾秒鐘後，一道"白光"躍出水面。又過了幾秒鐘後，宋奇最後一次看到了他確信爲白鰭豚的生物，當時它正在向河的東岸游去。

The amateur conservationist, whose day job is as a publisher in Beijing, admitted he was not a baiji specialist and could not be totally sure the animal he had seen was the aquatic mammal. His group captured no images that might conclusively identify it.

平時宋奇在北京從事出版生意。他承認自己並非專家，無法確認自己看到的是否是真正的白鰭豚。科考隊隊員也未能及時拍到"白鰭豚"的獨家照片。

But Song said local fisherman who had also seen the creature were "100% certain" it was the baiji.

但是宋奇表示，凡是親眼目睹該生物的當地漁民都百分之百確信自己看到的就是白鰭豚。

With the apparent confirmation of its demise, the narrow-beaked river dolphin has become a symbol of the devastating environmental price China has paid for decades of unbridled development.

白鰭豚的滅絕曾得到了科學界的證實。數十年來，中國已經因過快發展付出了巨大的環境代價，這種已滅絕的尖嘴海豚已經成爲這種代價的標誌。

In the 1950s, the Yangtze is thought to have been home to thousands of such animals.

20世紀50年代，人們認爲揚子江中還存在着上千種動物。

But by the end of the 1980s that number had fallen to perhaps 200 thanks to a lethal cocktail of dam-building, over-fishing, pollution and boat traffic.

但此後的種種現象，如興建大壩、過度捕獵、江水污染和沉船事故嚴重破壞了揚子江的環境。拜此所賜，到20世紀80年代爲止，揚子江中的動物銳減至200種左右。

By the turn of the century just 13 remained, according to one survey.

一項調查顯示，江中動物在世紀之交時僅剩下了13種。

Song said he hoped his team's unconfirmed baiji sighting would prompt renewed efforts to save the species.

宋奇表示，他希望此次科考隊的匆匆一瞥能促使人們重新投入拯救白鰭豚的行動。

He vowed to launch another expedition along the Yangtze early next year. "I want society to realise that the baiji is not extinct," he said.

他承諾明年年初將再次前往揚子江進行考察："我希望全社會意識到白鰭豚還沒有滅絕"。