VOA常速英语2013--简要描述犀牛角购买者的新研究

New Study Profiles Rhino 1 Horn Buyers 简要描述犀牛角购买者的新研究

One of the biggest markets for illegally poached rhino horns is Vietnam. Now, a new study profiles the consumers driving that demand and how they view the horns as symbols of status and power.

越南是非法猎杀犀牛角的最大市场之一。最近，一项新的课题建民扼要地揭示了犀牛角的消费者如何控制犀牛角的数量以及他们如何把犀牛角看做身份和地位的象征。

It’s easy to grasp just how big the demand is. In the first half of this year, hundreds of rhinos 2 have been killed in South Africa alone.

对于犀牛角的消费需求量如此之大是显而易见的，在今年的上半年，仅仅在南非就有成百上千头犀牛被杀。

“South Africa is home to about 75 percent of the world’s rhinos. And since 2008, has been experiencing quite a dramatic increase in the poaching of rhinos for their horns -- up from less than 20 a year to 668 in 2012 and already 635 in 2013,” said Dr. Jo Shaw, rhino coordinator 3 for the World Wildlife Fund South Africa.

“全世界75%的犀牛集中在南非。自从2008年开始，南非正体验着，人类为获取牛角而非法捕杀犀牛的数量在戏剧性地增加。从每年少于20头上升到2012年的668头以及到2013年的635头，”世界野生动物基金会南非分部的犀牛工作调解人员Dr. Jo Shaw说。

She said that demand for rhino horns existed long before the huge spike 4 in trafficking to Vietnam and China.

她说，在越南和中国市场非法交易量激增之前，这个关于犀牛角的交易量存在了很长一段时间。

“Earlier demand for horn for dagger 5 handles in the Yemen had a very serious, negative impact on rhino populations throughout eastern and central Africa through the 60s and 70s. But since about 1994, rhino numbers have been increasing. The populations have been growing again. So I think everyone was hit a little bit by surprise by this new wave in the poaching epidemic 6.”

也门用作匕首手柄是对犀牛角的最早需求，这一现象对于非洲东部和中部的犀牛群来说，有着非常可怕的消极影响，但是大概从1994年开始，犀牛的捕杀数量就一直在增加。所以我认为人们对于非法捕杀犀牛数量的激增都会感到有些吃惊。

That new wave in the poaching epidemic led the WWF to fund a consumer research study, which was then coordinated 7 by a Vietnamese branch of the conservation group TRAFFIC. It surveyed 720 people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

非法捕杀犀牛数量的新变化迫使世界野生动物基金会做意向消费者调查研究，这项调查得到了TRAFFIC保护组织越南分部的支持与配合。WWF在河内和胡志明市调查了720人左右。

“With the goal of developing a very targeted demand reduction campaign in that country, we wanted to better understand exactly who it was that was using the horn and why, so that we could begin to try and bring about behavior change,” said Shaw.

“为了在越南实现明显的犀牛捕杀量的减少，我们想要更好地理解到底是谁，出于什么原因来消费这些牛角，以至于我们能够着手并付诸行动来做出改变，”Shaw说。

The study also shows that buyers of rhino horns are often women in their 50s, who are giving them to family members.

这项调查显示，犀牛角的购买者经常是50多岁的妇女，他们多数是买给他们的家庭成员的。

Shaw said, “The finding from the research about this most significant user group to be addressing shows that it’s the wealthy, older businessmen, who are very successful. They still have some belief in the medicinal and functional 8 properties of the horn. It’s seen as a kind of panacea 9, a cure all. [It’s] often given as a gift to other family members or particularly to business associates or people within your peer group to show one’s wealth and status.”

Shaw说，“这项研究发现，最值得关注的使用群体定位在那些富有的、年长的、非常成功的商人身上。他们依然比较相信犀牛角的药物功效，它被看做一种能够包治百病的灵丹妙药。它通常是作为礼物送给亲戚，或者是特地为商业合作伙伴准备，又或者是为了显示某人的财富和地位而送给与其处于同一阶层的群体。”

Only 35-percent of the people surveyed said they would never buy or consume rhino horn.

被调查者中只有35%的人表示他们将不会再购买或消费犀牛角。

“Underneath these current users – the current target group – are another group of slightly younger, very aspirational 10, upwardly mobile people within the same community, who aren’t able to afford to buy rhino horn at the moment, but are very much intending to do so in the future as soon as their economic situation allows it,” she said.

“从目前使用者的形式看——现在的目标群体——是一种稍微年轻，非常雄心勃勃、积极向上的群体，他们现在买不起犀牛角，但是他们非常倾向于将来在他们的经济条件允许的情况下去购买牛角，”她说。

The conservation groups will now use the data to develop an awareness 11 campaign that’s not only effective, but culturally sensitive to Vietnamese. The research indicates that while rhino horn consumers are aware that many animals are being killed, they still feel’ “very disconnected” from the issue. They do not see themselves as “catalysts for the current poaching crisis.”

保护组织将会用数据资料来发起倡议活动，因为那不但是高效的，而且从文化角度来说，越南人会因此有所觉悟。调查表明，即使当犀牛角消费者意识到了许多动物正在被杀害，他们依然会感觉自己和这个问题是“毫无关系的”。他们不会把自己当做“当前非法捕杀危机的催化剂”。

“We need to think carefully about how we run campaigns around behavior change. And understand that being culturally sensitive and speaking in the most influential 12 way to the most influential people is really what will give us the biggest impact,” said Shaw.

“我们需要仔细思考如何围绕改变消费行为来开展活动。并且我们需要知道能够真正给我们带来最大效果的是从文化角度出发，以一种最有影响力的方式说服那些最有影响力的人物。”

The World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC will work closely with Vietnamese agencies in designing the rhino horn awareness campaign.

The World Wildlife Fund 和 TRAFFIC 将会紧密合作并携手越南机构去计划犀牛角保护活动。

While efforts increase to reduce demand for rhino horns in Asia, much still needs to be done in Africa. The U.S. and others have launched new programs to improve anti-poaching efforts. Currently, poachers are often better armed and better equipped than game park rangers 13. Also, local communities will be encouraged to report any poaching they see. 

尽管在亚洲付出了许多努力去减少犀牛角的需求量，但仍然需要在非洲做出很多努力。美国和其他国家已经开始着手新的规划提高反猎捕队伍的工作能力。目前，偷猎者的装备通常是优于野生自然保护区的管理者。另外，当地群众也被鼓励去举报他们看到的任何偷猎行为。

Rhinos are included in CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

犀牛已被列入CITES，（濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约的简称）。