时间:2024-06-03
John R. Platt
大银幕上的帕丁顿熊让很多人一见钟情,殊不知现实中的帕丁顿熊已是濒危物种,更需要我们的关爱。一起来了解一下它们吧!
As the new Paddington movie has opened in U.S. theaters, let's take a look at the real-life endangered species that inspired author Michael Bond's beloved books: the Andean spectacled bear.
Species Name: Andean or spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), sometimes referred to as the Andean short-faced bear for its unique abbreviated snout1). The bears are the only member of their genus2) and the last surviving species of the Tremarctinae subfamily3), all others of which died out millennia ago.
Notable Characteristics: These mid-sized bears (about one-third the size of grizzlies4)) have black-brown fur broken only by the "spectacle" pattern of beige5) and white around their eyes and snouts. Although their teeth are adapted for eating flesh, they vastly prefer cactus6), bamboo, bromeliads7), fruit and bark8), all of which make up about 95 percent of their diets. (Sorry Paddington fans, real spectacled bears don't eat marmalade9). Also please note the complete absence of hats and raincoats on wild bears.)
Where Found: The only ursine10) species in South America, the spectacled bear ranges through much of the tropical Andes, including populations in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. (In the books, Paddington is said to have traveled to London via lifeboat from "Darkest Peru".)
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable to extinction. The most recent population estimates put the species at about 16,000~20,000 individuals.
Major Threats: As we have seen with so many other large predators11), habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and poaching12) pose the biggest threats to spectacled bears. Logging, mining, oil exploration, agriculture and roads have whittled away at13) the bears' habitats for decades, while hunting (both for food and as retaliation for destroyed crops) results in a few hundred killed bears every year.
Notable Conservation Programs: Quite a few, actually. The Wildlife Conservation Society has been active in studying the species since 1976 and helped to establish several protected areas. They also just published a massive new study identifying many of the habitats necessary to protect the bears in Bolivia and Peru. The Spectacled Bear Conservation Society also operates in Peru, where it works with landowners and rural communities to improve relationships with bears, which frequently eat maize14) and sugarcane15) crops. The Andean Bear Foundation has similar operations in Ecuador.
鉴于新电影《帕丁顿熊》已经在美国各大影院公映,让我们一起来看看现实生活中的这一濒危物种——安第斯眼镜熊,作家迈克尔·邦德所著的那些深受喜爱的书的灵感正源自它。
物种名称:安第斯熊或眼镜熊(学名Tremarctos ornatus)由于其独一无二的超短口鼻部,有时也被称为安第斯短面熊,是其所属种下的唯一成员,也是眼镜熊亚科中最后幸存的物种——该亚科的所有其他物种在数千年前就已灭绝。
显著特征:这些熊体形中等,约为灰熊的三分之一那么大,全身长满了棕黑色的毛发,唯有眼睛和口鼻周围米白相间的“眼镜”状图案破坏了这种整体性。它们虽然牙齿已经进化到可以吃肉,但还是极其偏爱仙人掌、竹子、凤梨科植物、水果和树皮——所有这些约占它们日常饮食的95%。(不好意思啦,《帕丁顿熊》的粉丝们,现实中的眼镜熊可不吃果酱哦。也请注意,野生眼镜熊是绝对不戴帽子也不穿雨衣的。)
发现地:作为南美唯一的熊科物种,眼镜熊的分布范围遍及安第斯山脉位于热带的大部分地区,包括委内瑞拉、哥伦比亚、厄瓜多尔、秘鲁和玻利维亚。(在有关帕丁顿熊的书中,帕丁顿熊据说是从“神秘的秘鲁”搭乘救生船来到伦敦的。)
世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录评级:易危级(编注:即未达到极危或者濒危标准,但是在未来一段时间内,其野生种群面临灭绝的概率较高)。最新数据估计该物种总计约有1.6~2万只。
主要威胁:正如我们在许多其他大型食肉动物身上看到的那样,栖息地减少、栖息地遭到分割和偷猎是眼镜熊面临的最大威胁。几十年来,伐木、采矿、石油勘探、农耕和道路建设使眼镜熊的栖息地逐渐减少,而狩猎(既是为了获取食物,也是对眼镜熊毁坏农作物的报复)导致每年都有几百只眼镜熊被杀。
重要保护项目:其实还不少。国际野生生物保护学会自1976年开始就积极地对眼镜熊进行研究,并协助建立了几个保护区。他们还刚刚(编注:英文原文发表于2015年6月)公布了一项新的大规模研究,在玻利维亚和秘鲁确定了多处保护眼镜熊必不可少的栖息地。眼镜熊保护协会也在秘鲁展开了工作,与土地所有者和农村社区共同合作以改善人们与眼镜熊的关系——眼镜熊常常吃掉玉米和甘蔗等作物。安第斯熊基金会在厄瓜多尔也有一些类似的行动。
IUCN,即International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources,指世界自然保护联盟,于1948年在瑞士格兰德成立,旨在影响、鼓励及协助全球各地的组织,保护自然的完整性与多样性,并确保在使用自然资源上的公平性以及生态上的可持续发展。世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录(或称IUCN红色名录)于1963年开始编制,是全球动植物物种保护现状最全面的名录,是生物多样性状况最具权威的指标,其划分的濒危等级有:灭绝、野外灭绝、极危、濒危、易危、近危、无危、数据缺乏、未予评估。
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