John R. Platt
大銀幕上的帕丁頓熊讓很多人一見鐘情,殊不知現(xiàn)實中的帕丁頓熊已是瀕危物種,更需要我們的關愛。一起來了解一下它們吧!
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.
鑒于新電影《帕丁頓熊》已經在美國各大影院公映,讓我們一起來看看現(xiàn)實生活中的這一瀕危物種——安第斯眼鏡熊,作家邁克爾·邦德所著的那些深受喜愛的書的靈感正源自它。
物種名稱:安第斯熊或眼鏡熊(學名Tremarctos ornatus)由于其獨一無二的超短口鼻部,有時也被稱為安第斯短面熊,是其所屬種下的唯一成員,也是眼鏡熊亞科中最后幸存的物種——該亞科的所有其他物種在數(shù)千年前就已滅絕。
顯著特征:這些熊體形中等,約為灰熊的三分之一那么大,全身長滿了棕黑色的毛發(fā),唯有眼睛和口鼻周圍米白相間的“眼鏡”狀圖案破壞了這種整體性。它們雖然牙齒已經進化到可以吃肉,但還是極其偏愛仙人掌、竹子、鳳梨科植物、水果和樹皮——所有這些約占它們日常飲食的95%。(不好意思啦,《帕丁頓熊》的粉絲們,現(xiàn)實中的眼鏡熊可不吃果醬哦。也請注意,野生眼鏡熊是絕對不戴帽子也不穿雨衣的。)
發(fā)現(xiàn)地:作為南美唯一的熊科物種,眼鏡熊的分布范圍遍及安第斯山脈位于熱帶的大部分地區(qū),包括委內瑞拉、哥倫比亞、厄瓜多爾、秘魯和玻利維亞。(在有關帕丁頓熊的書中,帕丁頓熊據說是從“神秘的秘魯”搭乘救生船來到倫敦的。)
世界自然保護聯(lián)盟瀕危物種紅色名錄評級:易危級(編注:即未達到極?;蛘邽l危標準,但是在未來一段時間內,其野生種群面臨滅絕的概率較高)。最新數(shù)據估計該物種總計約有1.6~2萬只。
主要威脅:正如我們在許多其他大型食肉動物身上看到的那樣,棲息地減少、棲息地遭到分割和偷獵是眼鏡熊面臨的最大威脅。幾十年來,伐木、采礦、石油勘探、農耕和道路建設使眼鏡熊的棲息地逐漸減少,而狩獵(既是為了獲取食物,也是對眼鏡熊毀壞農作物的報復)導致每年都有幾百只眼鏡熊被殺。
重要保護項目:其實還不少。國際野生生物保護學會自1976年開始就積極地對眼鏡熊進行研究,并協(xié)助建立了幾個保護區(qū)。他們還剛剛(編注:英文原文發(fā)表于2015年6月)公布了一項新的大規(guī)模研究,在玻利維亞和秘魯確定了多處保護眼鏡熊必不可少的棲息地。眼鏡熊保護協(xié)會也在秘魯展開了工作,與土地所有者和農村社區(qū)共同合作以改善人們與眼鏡熊的關系——眼鏡熊常常吃掉玉米和甘蔗等作物。安第斯熊基金會在厄瓜多爾也有一些類似的行動。
IUCN,即International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources,指世界自然保護聯(lián)盟,于1948年在瑞士格蘭德成立,旨在影響、鼓勵及協(xié)助全球各地的組織,保護自然的完整性與多樣性,并確保在使用自然資源上的公平性以及生態(tài)上的可持續(xù)發(fā)展。世界自然保護聯(lián)盟瀕危物種紅色名錄(或稱IUCN紅色名錄)于1963年開始編制,是全球動植物物種保護現(xiàn)狀最全面的名錄,是生物多樣性狀況最具權威的指標,其劃分的瀕危等級有:滅絕、野外滅絕、極危、瀕危、易危、近危、無危、數(shù)據缺乏、未予評估。