印度的老虎数量正在上升

印度的老虎数量正在上升

Good news in the world of endangered species is generally a rare thing, so it's worth taking a moment to celebrate the results from India's latest tiger census.

在濒危物种的世界里，好消息通常是很少见的，所以我们有必要花点时间来庆祝印度最新的老虎普查结果。

Conservation officials for the country announced this week a 30 percent increase in its tiger population, a trend that has continued since the last census. The numbers were 1,706 in 2011; 2,226 in 2015 and now 2,967 in 2019.

该国的保护官员本周宣布老虎数量增加30%，这一趋势自上次人口普查以来一直在持续。2011年这一数字为1706;2015年为2226，2019年为2967。

India is home to 70 percent of the world's tigers, and progress there is raising optimism about the future of the species. (Photo: Lensalot/Shutterstock)

Unfortunately, like many other countries that harbor endangered species, India's conservation efforts are being rocked by mass-scale organized poaching and increased demand from the black market for animal parts. A census in 2008 in India found its tiger population at a dangerously low number of 1,411 tigers. To counter further drops, officials moved to protect sensitive tiger breeding grounds and increase the country's wildlife reserves. Despite stricter laws governing tourism in tiger reserves, more than 3 million people visit them each year, boosting local economies and creating jobs.

不幸的是，像许多其他国家一样，印度的保护工作受到大规模有组织的偷猎和黑市对动物器官需求增加的冲击。2008年印度的一次普查发现，该国老虎的数量只有1411只，很危险。为了应对老虎数量的进一步下降，官员们采取措施保护敏感的老虎繁殖地，并增加该国的野生动物保护区。尽管有更严格的法律管理老虎保护区的旅游业，但每年仍有300多万人参观老虎保护区，促进了当地经济发展，创造了就业机会。

International cooperation and funding from groups like WildAid, the World Wildlife Fund and deep-pocketed advocates like Richard Branson, Larry Ellison and Leonardo DiCaprio have made an impact, as have on-the-ground efforts from local communities and individuals.

来自野生救援组织、世界野生动物基金会等组织的国际合作和资助，以及理查德•布兰森、拉里•埃里森和莱昂纳多•迪卡普里奥等财力雄厚的倡导人士，以及当地社区和个人的实地努力，都产生了影响。

Technology is also aiding the comeback, with officials monitoring tiger populations using drones and other technology. For 2019, 26,000 camera traps took almost 350,000 images across known tiger habitats using artificial intelligence to identify individual tigers.

科技也在帮助老虎的回归，官员们使用无人机和其他技术来监控老虎的数量。2019年，26000个相机陷阱使用人工智能识别老虎个体，在已知老虎栖息地拍摄了近35万张照片。

While the population increases are encouraging, conservationists say the fight to save tigers and other endangered species is far from over.

尽管老虎数量的增长令人鼓舞，但环保人士表示，保护老虎和其他濒危物种的斗争远未结束。

"While this is good news from India, I don't think anyone is sitting back and saying 'we've won'," Debbie Banks, head of the Tiger Campaign at the Environmental Investigation Agency, told CNN. "The demand within China for skins to decorate homes and bones for tiger bone wine all continue. And so it's a constant battle."

“虽然这是来自印度的好消息，但我不认为有人会坐视不管，说‘我们赢了’，”环境调查署老虎保护运动负责人黛比·班克斯告诉CNN。“中国国内装饰房屋的兽皮和虎骨酒的骨头需求都在继续。所以这是一场持续不断的战斗。”