VOA科学技术2024--South Sudan: Home to World's Largest Land Mammal Migration

South Sudan is home to what some wildlife experts say is the world's largest land animal migration¹, or seasonal² movement of animals. But government officials fear illegal hunting threatens the animals and may hurt the development of a sustainable tourism industry.

Migration

An estimated 6 million antelope³ participated in a migration last year, the country's first major aerial wildlife study says.

The estimate from the nonprofit African Parks, which did the work along with the government, is far greater than estimates of other large animal movements around the world.

The recently released study used data collected over a two-week period in two national parks and nearby areas, covering a continuous area of 122,774 square kilometers.

But the group warned that the animals face a rising threat from illegal hunting. The country is filled with weapons but does not have strong law enforcement.

Mike Fay is a scientist who led the study.

Fay said, "Saving the last great migration of wildlife on the planet is an incredibly important thing." He added, "There's so much evidence that the world's ecosystems⁵ are collapsing⁶..."

Conflict and problems

The east African nation is still emerging from five years of fighting that started in 2013 and killed nearly 400,000 people. Elections scheduled for last year were delayed to this December, but few preparations are in place for those.

Violence continues in some areas, with some 2 million people displaced and 9 million - 75 percent of the population - depending on humanitarian⁷ aid, the United Nations says.

The migration is already being talked about as a point of national pride by a country trying to move beyond its past. Large advertisements of the migration recently went up in the capital city of Juba. And the government hopes the animals will bring many visitors to the country.

South Sudan has six national parks and over ten game reserves covering more than 13 percent of the land.

The migration stretches from east of the Nile River in Badingilo and Boma parks into neighboring Ethiopia. It includes four main antelope, the white-eared kob - of which there are some 5 million - the tiang, the Mongalla gazelle and the bohor reedbuck.

The study said some numbers of animals have increased since a more limited one in 2010. But it described a "catastrophic" decline of most non-migratory species in the last 40 years, such as the hippo, elephant and warthog.

Associated Press reporters flying over the migration of antelope in early June saw few giraffes and no elephants, lions or cheetahs⁸.

Trying to protect the animals over such a large area is difficult.

In recent years, new roads have increased people's access to markets, leading to more illegal hunting. Years of flooding have meant crop failures that have left some people with little choice but to hunt for food. African Parks estimated some 30,000 animals were being killed each month between March and May this year.

Villagers near the parks told AP they mostly hunted to feed their families or to exchange the animals for goods.

The government has not made protecting wildlife a main concern. Less than 1 percent of its budget is spent on the wildlife ministry⁹, which said it has few cars to move rangers¹¹ around to protect animals. Those rangers say they have not been paid since October. In addition, the rangers say that illegal hunters have more weapons than they do.

But South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit said the country is committed to turning its wealth of wildlife into sustainable tourism. He said he wanted the Ministry of Wildlife to increase training and equip rangers to fight illegal hunting.

Words in This Story

sustainable - adj. involving methods that do not completely use up natural resources

tourism - n. the activity of traveling to a place for fun or pleasure

antelope - n. an animal that looks like a deer and runs very fast

ecosystem⁴ - n. everything that exists in an environment or area

pride - n. a feeling of self-respect or happiness

catastrophic - adj. of or relating to disaster; describes great damage or a disaster

species - n. a group of animals or plants that can produce young animals or plants

access - n. a way of getting at, near, or to something

ranger¹⁰ - n. a person who protects part of a public forest

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

3 antelope   

n.羚羊；羚羊皮

参考例句：

• Choosing the antelope shows that China wants a Green Olympics.选择藏羚羊表示中国需要绿色奥运。
• The tiger was dragging the antelope across the field.老虎拖着羚羊穿过原野。

4 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

5 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

6 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 cheetahs   

n.（奔跑极快的）非洲猎豹( cheetah的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Unlike lions or cheetahs, leopards are secretive, solitary cats. 花豹不像狮子或印度豹，是属于较神秘而隐居的大猫。 来自互联网
• Among this lot are cheetahs, lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, spotted hyenas and elephants. 印度豹、狮子、花豹、犀牛、斑点土狼、大象等，都是此地的居民。 来自互联网

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

11 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册