DNA测试发现大象偷猎的热点地区

DNA¹ Test Finds Elephant Poaching Hotspots DNA测试发现大象偷猎的热点地区

There’s a new weapon in the fight to stop elephant poaching: genetics. DNA testing, which is frequently used to solve crimes, has pinpointed² where most of Africa’s elephants are being slaughtered³.

The African elephant is the world’s largest land animal and is vital to the environment in which it lives. But the elephant population is shrinking fast, as demand for illegal ivory remains⁴ high, especially in Asia.

University of Washington biology professor Sam Wasser and his colleagues conducted the ivory DNA research. They tested samples seized by authorities between 1996 and 2014.

“We are currently losing an estimated 50,000 African elephants a year to poaching. And there’s only about 470,000 elephants remaining in the population. So, that’s about a tenth of the population being lost each year,” he said.

He said the best way to stop elephant poaching is to stop the demand for ivory. But that’s a long, slow process. So Wasser said efforts must also focus on preventing attacks on the animals.

“Their loss is already causing major ecological⁵ and economic damage in Africa, threatening national security. And again, if we do not curb⁶ the killing⁷, we are really going to cause serious problems throughout Africa.”

Researchers used DNA to determine the origin of large ivory seizures⁹. They used ivory from 28 seizures. Each weighed a minimum of half a metric ton and worth at least $1 million.

Wasser said, “The size and value of these seizures suggests that these are really involving large transnational organized-crime syndicates. They’re individuals that can afford to lose a million dollars in a single seizure⁸. And what is also important about these large seizures is they represent 70 percent of all ivory that is seized. So, we’re really talking about the majority of ivory being moved around the world.”

Wasser said that over the past decade, nearly all the seized ivory came from just two places in Africa, mostly poached by organized crime. Ivory DNA was compared with DNA found in 1,500 elephant dung samples.

“Virtually, all of these seizures came from just two hot spots. One is for forest elephants, which is in the Triduum area of Central Africa. And that’s northeast Gabon, northwest Republic of Congo and the adjacent Dzanga Sangha in Central African Republic. But the biggest hot spot was in southern Tanzania. Probably two-thirds of the ivory came from there, starting in the Selous Game Reserve — a major protected area in the south — and the adjacent Niassa Game Reserve in northern Mozambique.”

He said as the number of elephants dwindled¹⁰ in those areas, poaching moved toward Ruaha National Park and Rungwa Game Reserve in Tanzania.

He said that the DNA information can help authorities target poachers and “choke the flow of ivory into the complex criminal networks.”

The study said the DNA technique could be adapted to other animals as well, and its accuracy improved. In fact, it could eventually allow authorities to mount coordinated¹¹, international responses.

Researchers said the illegal wildlife trade is the world’s fourth-largest organized crime.

A worldwide ivory trade ban was approved in 1989 after Africa's elephant population plunged¹² from 1.2 million to 600,000 that decade. But illegal trade continues, with demand strong in China, some other Asian countries and in places including the United States.

Bill Clark of Interpol's environmental crime program said the researchers' DNA work helps his organization decide where to focus efforts on combating ivory trafficking.

"There have been abundant indicators¹³ of the ivory being used to finance various militant¹⁴ groups as well as organized crime," Clark said.

1 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

2 pinpointed   

准确地找出或描述( pinpoint的过去式和过去分词 )； 为…准确定位

参考例句：

• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice. 他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。
• Computers pinpointed where the shells were coming from. 计算机确定了炮弹发射的位置。

3 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

6 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

9 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

10 dwindled   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
• His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

12 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

13 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

14 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。