印度派民兵保護南部野生老虎

In the sprawling wildlife sanctuaries of southern India, a team of commandos has been deployed to protect tigers from poaching in the first ever initiative by India driven by a dramatic decline in the big cat's population recent decades.

在印度南部的野生動物保護區，一隊民兵被派遣保護老虎免遭偷獵。印度首次採取這樣的行動，該國正在加強努力以扭轉最近數十年這種大型貓科動物數量大幅減少的局面。

After three months of training in jungle survival and weapons use, a 54-member “Special Tiger Protection Force” has begun patrolling two major tiger reserves, Bandipur and Nagarhole, which straddle the border of southern Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states.

一個由54名民兵組成的“老虎保護特別行動隊”在經過三個月的叢林生存和武器使用訓練後，已經開始在班蒂普和那格河裏這兩個主要的老虎保護區開始巡邏。這兩個保護區跨越南部的泰米爾納德邦和卡納塔卡邦邊界。

The force will counter hunters and poachers, says Karnataka’s top conservation officer, B.K. Singh.

卡納塔卡邦的野生動植物保護部門負責官員B.K辛格說，這個民兵隊將對抗捕獵者和偷獵者。

“[A] special course was designed for them to have combat training so that they can raise arms and fight the armed gangs, etc., who we generally come across every now and then in our tiger reserves… they will be equipped with proper arms," says Singh. "Hitherto our performance in capturing the armed guys has not been up to date, not been to our satisfaction.”

辛格說：“他們接受了一個特別的戰鬥培訓課程，使他們能夠拿起武器與武裝團伙戰鬥。我們總會不時地在老虎保護區裏遇到武裝團伙。這些民兵將配備適當的武器。到目前爲止我們在抓捕武裝分子方面的表現不太理想，還沒有令我們滿意。”

Wildlife experts have long contended that the lack of properly trained frontline staff to protect the tiger is one of the critical problems facing conservation efforts in Indian sanctuaries.

野生動物專家長期以來一直認爲，缺乏受到正確訓練的前線人員來保護老虎，是印度野生動物保護區面臨的主要問題。

Many of the forest guards are older and do not have the necessary skills take on the highly sophisticated gangs which poach wildlife such as elephants and tigers, says Tito Joseph from the Wildlife Protection Society of India.

印度野生動物保護協會的蒂託·約瑟夫說，許多森林保衛人員年齡較大，而且沒有必要的技能來對付那些高度老練的偷獵老虎和大象等野生動物的團伙。

“Most of the forest guards are over 45 years old, those people cannot do better patrolling," Joseph says. "Also there is a need for young blood in patrolling areas. So the Special Task Force is constituted with young people.”

約瑟夫說：“大多數森林保衛者都超過45歲，那些人無法進行更好的巡邏...巡邏地區需要注入新鮮血液。這個特別行動隊是由年輕人組成。”Forest officer Singh in Karnataka state says that unlike some of the northern states where the tiger is poached for its parts, the big cat itself is often not the primary target in southern India.

卡納塔卡邦的森林官員B.K辛格說，不像印度北部的一些邦，偷獵者爲了老虎身體的某個部位而偷獵老虎，在印度南部，這種大型貓科動物並不經常是主要的偷獵目標。

Instead, the hunting of animals like deer reduces possible prey for the tiger. As a result, he says, some tigers come to the edges of the forest in search of food and fall victim to hunters.

獵捕鹿等動物使得獵捕老虎的可能性減小。他說，因此，一些老虎跑到森林邊緣來尋找食物，從而成了獵人的囊中之物。

“The weaker ones once they get pushed out of the reserve, they come into human conflict, they are targeted for killing by the people living on the fringes," he says. "Or sometimes a snare is put for a wild boar, a snare is put for hunting a deer and a tiger gets into it and gets killed.”

辛格說：“一旦這些處於弱勢的動物來到保護區外，它們就捲入了與人類的衝突，它們成爲住在森林邊緣的人的捕殺目標。或者有時候，獵人設置陷阱來獵捕野豬或鹿，但是如果老虎落入陷阱就會被捕殺。”

Karnataka, with about 300 tigers in six forest reserves, has the highest tiger population in the country. But about 25 tigers have been killed in the last five years.

卡納塔卡邦的6個森林保護區共有大約300只老虎，它是印度各邦中老虎數量最多的一個邦。但是在過去五年，約有25只老虎被捕殺。

The state plans to double the commando force from 54 to 108 in the coming years. Similar forces will also be trained to patrol 13 other tiger reserves across the country.

卡納塔卡邦計劃在未來幾年裏將這個民兵隊的人數從現在的54人增加一倍至108人。類似的民兵隊也將接受訓練，然後到該國的其它13個老虎保護區巡邏。

India, with about 1,700 tigers, accounts for nearly half the world’s tiger population. Experts say the animal's survival here will determine the future of the species.

印度有大約1700只野生老虎，佔全世界野生老虎總數的將近一半。專家說，印度老虎的生存狀態將決定這種動物的未來。