野马成患,新墨西哥州重开屠宰场

 　　美国西南部野马数量过多导致资源紧张，威胁家畜养殖难等问题，新墨西哥州政府同意重新开启已关闭6年的野马屠宰场。

　　GWEN IFILL: There is renewed controversy¹ in New Mexico over a plan to reopen horse slaughterhouses, which have been banned in this country for six years.

　　Hari Sreenivasan has our report about what's triggered this debate.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Several times a week this summer, residents of the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico mapped out a game plan. They set up a temporary pen and then headed out by horseback and ATVs to round up groups of wild horses that have become a threat to the livelihood³ of farmers and ranchers here.

　　ERNY ZAH, Navajo Nation: These horses are bouncing between ranches⁴, in between homesteads. They're, again, eating the forage⁵, drinking the water. Each horse, feral horse, we estimate, eats anywhere between five and 18 pounds of forage a day. They drink five between five and 15 gallons of water a day.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Erny Zah, a spokesman for the tribe, estimates that feral horses — that is, horses that run wild but at one time were domesticated⁶ — cost the Navajos $200,000 a year in damages. There are approximately 70,000 of them in Northwestern New Mexico alone, and Zah says they are putting a tremendous strain on the land and resources, land that is already struggling from a catastrophic drought.

　　ERNY ZAH: You have cattle who are coming in under weight who are not as healthy. They're not getting as much money at these auctions⁸ for their cattle. So our ranchers that own cattle are losing out.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: To try to ease the problem, tribal⁹ leaders have authorized¹⁰ these roundups, in which horses are chased across open land into makeshift corrals, and then loaded into trailers to head to auction⁷.

　　Many of the horses end up in slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, their meat exported to China or Europe, where, unlike the U.S., horse meat is regularly consumed. The United States shut down horse slaughterhouses in this country six years ago, when it prohibited federal funding for inspectors¹¹.

　　But, recently, Congress removed that prohibition¹², and this summer, the USDA awarded the first permit that would allow horse slaughter² to resume in the U.S. It was a decision that ignited a nationwide debate about the practice of killing¹³ horses for meat.

　　The permit was granted to Rick de los Santos, who, for more than 20 years, slaughtered¹⁴ cattle at his Valley Meat Company in Roswell, N.M. But his business had declined with the economic downturn. So he wanted to tap into a new market, knowing that more than 150,000 horses are shipped out annually¹⁵ for slaughter in Mexico and Canada.

　　RICK DE LOS SANTOS, slaughterhouse Oowner: The real problem here is the overabundance of horses that are going to slaughter anyway. We thought we would provide a service and do it humanely¹⁷ here in this country and be able to provide jobs for people that need jobs.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: De los Santos was set to begin operations in August, but the U.S. Humane¹⁶ Society, which has long been an opponent of horse slaughter, filed a lawsuit¹⁸, and a judge issued a temporary restraining order.

　　Phil Carter is with Animal Protection New Mexico. He says animal rights groups like his are pushing for a permanent ban, saying any kind of horse slaughter is cruel.

　　PHIL CARTER, Animal Protection New Mexico: You cannot slaughter horses humanely, no matter where you do it. Horses just do not adapt well to industrialized-scale slaughter.

　　They panic easily. They are very large, very large skulls¹⁹ on them, so it's extremely hard in an industrial capacity to kill them cleanly. And so we have to be able to provide more humane solutions than just regressing to this slaughter that 80 percent of Americans do not support.

　　RICK DE LOS SANTOS: Here, we would have one employee on the outside the plant here of this wall would open that shoot, and in would come in the livestock²⁰.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: De los Santos disagrees. He gave the NewsHour a tour of the shut-down facility, which he says uses the most humane techniques available.

　　RICK DE LOS SANTOS: As the livestock come into the knocking chute, they can't see out. There's no noise going on. So they don't get spooked while they're in the knocking chute.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: And he blames animal rights groups for distorting the facts about slaughter.

　　RICK DE LOS SANTOS: A lot of people that call in, if I sit there and talk to them and explain to them and educate them, then they calm down and they say, well, I didn't know that. I didn't know that.

　　WOMAN: They love people.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Even animal rights groups acknowledge that something must be done about the overpopulation of wild horses in the American Southwest. But they argue for the creation of more horse sanctuaries²¹, like this one called The Horse Shelter just south of Santa Fe. The shelter accepts horses that have been mistreated or abandoned by owners and some that are rescued from the wild.

　　Here, the horses are fed and trained and most end up being adopted.

　　Still, shelter owner Jennifer Rios says organizations like hers will never be able to solve the problem alone.

　　JENNIFER RIOS, The Horse Shelter: The 75 horses we're able to help out at the time is really the tip of the iceberg²². It is a Band-Aid to a much bigger problem. We do what we can. And for these horses, it makes all the difference. But for the overall problem, much more needs to be done.

　　Without funding, real funding and organized programs being put towards humane euthanasia and population control, this is all we will ever be able to do, and the problem is going to continue to spiral out of control.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Rios concedes that humane euthanasia and population control are very expensive remedies. Euthanasia costs roughly $300 per horse, and that's not including the cost to round it up. Right now, contraception for wild horses is difficult to administer.

　　It involves shooting darts²³ from helicopters with a treatment that must be re-injected every two years. Rios is opposed to slaughter, but she says its not a simple issue. She says horses are dying every day in trucks as they're shipped out of the country and on the rangeland when they run out of food. She thinks the government has been delinquent²⁴ by not spending enough money to deal with the problem.

　　JENNIFER RIOS: It's inhumane to let animals starve to death, dehydrate²⁵ to death, procreate at a level that the environment is unable to support. So that's why, at the shelter, we wouldn't just say we were against slaughter. We are for humane alternatives.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: The issue has also divided Native Americans.

　　Just this month, the Navajo Nation switched its position from supporting slaughterhouses to opposing them. It also ordered a halt to horse roundups on its land.

　　ERNY ZAH: For the Navajo people, this is a hard decision for us personally for each one of us individually, as leaders, as collective — as a collective clan²⁶, as a collective family, as a people. Rounding up horses is not something any of us want to do. These horses are sacred to us. We love our horses. But we love our land too.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: For all the debate that has raged over this issue as of late, it's unlikely that Congress will allocate²⁷ money for inspectors in the upcoming budget. And, so for another year at least, horse slaughterhouses in this country will remain closed.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

3 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

4 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。

5 forage   

n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻

参考例句：

• They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
• Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。

6 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

8 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

9 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

10 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

11 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

13 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。

14 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》

15 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

16 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

17 humanely   

adv.仁慈地；人道地；富人情地；慈悲地

参考例句：

• Is the primary persona being treated humanely by the product? 该产品对待首要人物角色时是否有人情味？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In any event, China's interest in treating criminals more humanely has limits. 无论如何，中国对更人道地对待罪犯的兴趣有限。 来自互联网

18 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

19 skulls   

颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜

参考例句：

• One of the women's skulls found exceeds in capacity that of the average man of today. 现已发现的女性颅骨中，其中有一个的脑容量超过了今天的普通男子。
• We could make a whole plain white with skulls in the moonlight! 我们便能令月光下的平原变白，遍布白色的骷髅！

20 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

21 sanctuaries   

n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所

参考例句：

• The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定，须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后，他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句

22 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

23 darts   

n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• His darts trophy takes pride of place on the mantelpiece. 他将掷镖奖杯放在壁炉顶上最显著的地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I never saw so many darts in a bodice! 我从没见过紧身胸衣上纳了这么多的缝褶！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 delinquent   

adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者

参考例句：

• Most delinquent children have deprived backgrounds.多数少年犯都有未受教育的背景。
• He is delinquent in paying his rent.他拖欠房租。

25 dehydrate   

vt.使脱水

参考例句：

• People can very quickly dehydrate in the desert.人在沙漠里很快就会脱水。
• Without these structures, many warm-blooded animals would quickly dehydrate,especially in dry climates.没有这样的结构，许多温血动物将很快脱水，特别是在干燥的气候条件下。

26 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

27 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。