驯化与被驯化

by Shelley Watson秋斯译

驯化与被驯化

by Shelley Watson秋斯译

To Tame or to Be Tamed?

据说九千多年前人类就开始驯化野生动物，将其变成家养动物，为人类所用。现代驯兽师、动物饲养员的工作听起来很有趣，有时还给人一种“萌萌哒”的感觉，但背后也有鲜为人知的艰辛；据新闻报道，在这个岗位上失去生命的人也越来越多。究其根本原因，是人类对动物生存权利的过度剥削。当人民群众受到的压迫超越底线，他们就会揭竿而起，何况是不如人类理智的野兽，压迫之下必然会有伤害人类的行为。

但是，野兽并非只有“野性”，就算是冷血动物也不都是“冷血”的，野兽也有感情，也有“社会”。经过驯化，长时间和人类相处，它们也能和人类沟通，读懂人类的心情，明白人类社会的一些规则。人类在驯化野兽，和它们相处时，会有被伤害的危险，但同样也会有各种感悟和感动，因为野兽其实比人类单纯得多，至少他们没有机关算尽的欺骗。人在驯化动物的过程中，其实也在被动物驯化——人会变得更加单纯，更加意识到人性的优点，更加懂得抑制人性的弱点，在真善美的道路上走得更远。

你愿意尝试去驯化一种野性尚存的动物，也让它驯化你吗？

——Roza

象语者

大象是记忆力超强的动物，因此受到人类残忍伤害的象会患上创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）。但是同样地，大象也会记住人类给它的关爱和恩惠。野兽比人类单纯得多，它们的世界里没有虚伪，它们受到人类怎样的对待，就会以同样的态度去对待人类。

on 2nd March, 2012, Africa lost Lawrence Anthony, an ardent conservationist who died of a heart attack. He is perhaps known best as the Elephant Whisperer, but he was also a founder of the Earth Organization in 2003. He talked to Ugandan war rebels in the Congo, to protect the white1)rhinoceroses, he also fought to save crocodiles and other species.

In the mid 1990s, he bought one of South Africa’s largest private game reserves called2)Thula Thula. Elephants were not part of the plan, but in 1999, he was offered nine elephants and told should he not take this troublesome herd, they would be shot.

Unfortunately in the round up, one of the females and her baby was shot trying to evade capture. When the herd arrived, they had to be3)sedated until they calmed down. When the side door opened the4)matriarch emerged, followed by her baby bull, three females and an 11-yearold bull. Last off was the 15-year-old son of the female who was shot. He 5)fared his ears and with a 6)trumpet of rage he 7)charged, just stopping short of the fence.

2012年3月2日，劳伦斯·安东尼因心脏病发作去世，非洲就此失去了这位自然资源保护论者。他大概是作为电影《象语者》的原型而最为人熟知，他还于2003年建立了“地球组织”。他曾为保护白犀牛，在刚果与乌干达战争的反政府武装组织对话；他也曾为拯救鳄鱼及其他物种作斗争。

1995年前后，他买下了南非最大的私人动物保护区之一，其名为图拉图拉。大象并不在其保护计划中。但在1999年，有人向他出售九头大象，并称如果他不接管这群麻烦的大象，它们就会被射杀。

不幸的是，在围捕群象的过程中，一头母象和她的小象在企图逃脱时被射杀。当象群抵达（图拉图拉保护区）时，人们要给它们服用镇静剂让它们冷静下来。当侧门打开时，母头象挣脱出来，紧跟着的是她的公象宝宝、三只母象和一只11岁的公象。最后出来的是一头15岁的小公象，他的妈妈之前已被射杀。他扑扇着耳朵，愤怒地嘶吼着冲出来，在撞到篱笆之前停住了。

1) rhinoceros [raɪ'nɒsərəs] n. 犀牛

2) Thula Thula Private Game Reserve 图拉图拉私人动物保护区，南非纳塔尔省最古老的私人动物保护区，位于该省的祖鲁兰，Thula Thula在祖鲁语里意为“平静安宁”

3) sedate [sɪ'deɪt] v. 给…服用镇静剂

4) matriarch ['metrɪɑːk] n. 女族长，女家长

Nana, the matriarch was an escape artist8)of note and had worked out how to break through electric fences. That night, the two females, worked together to fell a tree which pushed down the fence. They had somehow found the generator and trampled it like a tin can. They then headed north, luckily they managed to fnd them and bring the herd back to Thula Thula.

Lawrence Anthony fought a desperate battle for their survival and trust.

That first night back again in the Reserve, he awoke to see the elephants facing the fence, Nana ready to break it down and make another escape. At 4:45 a.m., Anthony stood in front of this violent, wild female elephant, with her calf. A more dangerous combination is hard to fnd.

She tensed her enormous9)frame and flared her ears.“Don’t do it, Nana, ” he said as calmly as possible, “Please don’t do it girl, this is your home now.” Anthony said, that as he continued talking to her, the rest of the herd froze and Nana’s eyes10)bored into him. “They’ll kill you all if you break out, this is your home now, you have no need to run. Stay here.” Anthony said that, in a flash, it came to him, he would live with the herd, be with them day and night.

She took another step forward, and Anthony could see her tense up again, ready to go through the fence, and he was directly in her path. Then there was suddenly some spark of recognition fared and Nana turned and melted into the bush, the rest of herd following.

Later he was offered another troubled elephant named ET, who was alone, as her herd had been either sold or shot. The inimitable Nana saved Lawrence’s life, when ET charged him. Lawrence said he had no idea how Nana moved to so quickly stepped in front of Lawrence, and place herself broadside to the charging ET. ET stopped, looked at Nana, then turned and walked away. Nana 11)nonchalantly carried on eating, quite unaware of how shaken and grateful Lawrence was to her.

母头象娜娜是有名的逃脱大师，她已经想好冲出电围栏的方法。那晚，两头母象合力弄倒一棵树把围栏推倒。不知怎么地，她们还找到了发电机，像踏易拉罐一样踏扁了它。然后她们向北行进，所幸人们成功找到了她们并把她们带回了图拉图拉保护区。

为保证象群的生存，取得象群的信任，劳伦斯·安东尼曾殊死一搏。

事情要从象群到保护区的第一夜说起。安东尼醒来发现大象们在围栏跟前，娜娜准备把围栏推翻，再一次逃出去。那是凌晨4:45，安东尼正站在这只暴力、狂野的母象和她的小象面前，没有比这更危险的了。

娜娜绷紧身躯，扇动耳朵。“别这样做，娜娜，”他尽可能冷静地说，“请不要这样做，姑娘，现在这是你的家了。”据安东尼回忆，他继续和她说话，其余的大象都定住了，娜娜的眼睛紧盯着他。“如果你逃出去，人们会把你们全都杀掉，这里如今是你的家了，你不需要逃走。留在这儿。”安东尼这样说着，那一瞬间，他想，他要和象群共存亡，日夜守护它们。

娜娜又向前踏了一步，安东尼能看到她又绷紧了身体，准备冲出围栏，而安东尼正挡着她的路。然后，娜娜突然有了一丝认同，掉头走进了灌木丛中，其余大象也跟着她回去了。

后来又有人给他带来一只不安分的落单大象，名叫ET，她的象群同伴不是被卖了就是被射杀了。当ET攻击劳伦斯时，独特的娜娜救了他一命。劳伦斯说，他也不知道娜娜怎么能够跑那么快，在他面前侧身挡住了发起攻击的ET。ET停住了，看着娜娜，然后转身走开了。娜娜若无其事地继续进食，没有察觉到劳伦斯有多震撼，对她有多感激。

5) fare [fleə(r)] v. 张开；爆发感情或行动的突然爆发

6) trumpet ['trʌmpɪt] n. 大象的吼声

7) charge [tʃɑːdʒ] v. 攻击，冲锋，突然猛攻而向前冲

8) of note 著名的，重要的

9) frame [freɪm] n. （人或动物的）骨骼，身躯，体格

10) bore [bɔː(r)] v. 盯住看

11) nonchalantly ['nɒnʃələntlɪ] adv. 若无其事地，满不在乎地，漠不关心地

12) traumatised ['trɔːmətaɪzd] adv. 受精神创伤的，受外伤的

13) Zululand ['zuːluːlænd] n. 祖鲁兰，南非境内班图语系祖鲁人集中居住区，在纳塔尔省东北部，旧时为祖鲁王国

14) compound ['kɒmpaʊnd] n. 有围栏隔开或包围的建筑物或建筑群，尤指住宅

All the severely12)traumatised elephants settled down, and two separate herds grew and stayed happily within 5000 acres of Thula Thula.

The remarkable part of this story, is that on Lawrence Anthony’s death, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the13)Zululand bush, a journey which must have taken them at least 12 hours, until they reached the house of the late Anthony, the man who had saved their lives. The former violent, traumatised elephants who were once destined to be shot as pests, rehabilitated by Anthony, arrived and stayed at his rural14)compound, on the vast game reserve to say goodbye to the man they loved.

No one knows how they knew Lawrence had died in Johannesburg, over 600 kilometers away.

Both herds arrived at the family home, which they had not visited for a year and a half. They all hung around for a couple of days before making their way back to the bush. Extraordinary proof of animal sensitivity and awareness that only a few humans can perceive, Lawrence being one of them.

If there were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous interconnectedness of all beings, it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart stops, and elephants’ hearts are grieving. This man’s loving heart offered to heal these elephants, and now they came to pay loving homage to their beloved human friend.

这些遭受过严重精神创伤的大象们全都安顿下来了，两个独立的象群都适应了环境并快乐地留在了图拉图拉5000英亩的土地上。

这个故事最引人瞩目的部分，就是在劳伦斯·安东尼去世的时候，两群南非野象缓缓地穿过祖鲁兰灌木林，到达救过自己性命的已故安东尼的住所，这至少要花掉它们12个小时。从前暴力、受过精神创伤的大象本来注定会被当成害兽射杀，但安东尼帮助它们重获生存的权利，它们抵达并停留在安东尼农舍所在的野生动物保护区，来跟它们爱的人告别。

没人知道象群是怎样得知劳伦斯在600公里之外的约翰内斯堡去世的。

两个象群都抵达了它们一年半没回来过的栖息地。它们回去灌木林之前在这逗留了几天。这是动物的敏感和知觉的惊人证明，极少数人类有这种感知能力，而劳伦斯是其中的一个。

当我们回想起图拉图拉这些大象的时候，我们就会真正感受到所有不同物种之间奇妙的互联性。一个人的心脏停止跳动，两群大象的心也随之哀伤。安东尼献出爱心去治愈大象，大象现在也来向它们这位挚爱的人类朋友致以深切的敬意。