南非當局，沒收珍貴獅子去拍賣！

The South African Government has sparked outrage around the world after it was reported that it plans to auction off a confiscated white lion to raise funds for the country’s nation conservation department. Animal activists claim that the buyers will likely be wealthy hunters looking for easy trophies or businessmen involved in the lion bone trade.

據(jù)報道，當局從私人手中沒收掉一頭白獅子之后，居然準備拿去拍賣以為國家自然保護部籌集資金。動物活動家對此聲稱，買家很有可能是尋找易得戰(zhàn)利品的富有獵人，或是參與獅骨貿(mào)易的商人。

Mufasa the white lion was confiscated as a cub from a private owner three years ago, and placed in the care of WildForLife, an animal rehabilitation charity in northern South Africa. Despite numerous requests to have Mufasa relocated to a wildlife conservation sanctuary which offered to care for Mufasa and his companion, Suraya, free of charge for the rest of their lives, government officials refused. To make matters worse, a few months ago WildForLife was notified by the South African Government that the rare white lion was going to be auctioned off to private buyers in order to raise funds for the nature conservation department. The charity has been involved in a legal battle to save Mufasa ever since.

這頭白獅子名叫Mufasa，3年前還是幼崽時被當局從私人手中沒收，并一直安置在位于南非北部的動物康復慈善機構WildForLife。盡管多次有人要求將Mufasa遷居到野生動物保護區(qū)，那里可以為Mufasa及其同類Suraya提供終身免費照顧，但政府官員們拒絕了此事。

更糟糕的是，幾個月前，WildForLife接到了南非當局為了給自然保護部門籌集資金而準備將這頭罕見白獅子拍賣給私人買家的通知。從那時起，該慈善組織為了拯救Mufasa而展開了法律之戰(zhàn)。

Schouwstra added that, most likely, the buyers will be either trophy hunters participating in canned hunting (a common hunting method where the animal is kept in a confined area to make shooting it easier) or lion bone traders.

負責照顧Mufasa的獸醫(yī)Tjitske Schouwstra表示，最有可能的買家要么是參與罐頭狩獵的戰(zhàn)利品狩獵者(一種將動物束縛在一片狹窄區(qū)域以方便射擊的狩獵方法)或獅骨貿(mào)易商。

“A lot of overseas hunters come to South Africa to shoot lions and obviously a canned hunt is an insurance that you can get a trophy,” Schouwstra said. “The other possibility is the lion bone trade, which is very prominent at the moment.”

他對此解釋道：「很多海外獵人前來南非射殺獅子，而罐頭狩獵顯然是一個確保獲得戰(zhàn)利品的保險方式」「此外，這頭獅子也有可能用于獅骨貿(mào)易，該產(chǎn)業(yè)目前極為興盛」。

Canned hunting and lion bone trading have become big businesses in South Africa, and the South African reports that there are around 12,000 lions currently being bred in captivity for commercial purposes. Females are constantly bred to maintain a steady supply of lion cubs, which are either sold when they become old enough, or used in the breeding cycle.

據(jù)悉，罐頭狩獵與獅骨買賣在南非已成為大買賣，目前在南非正有大約12000頭獅子被圈養(yǎng)以作為商業(yè)用途。其中雌獅負責不斷繁殖，以保持幼獅的穩(wěn)定供應，幼獅長得足夠大時要么被出售掉，要么就被留下來負責再次育種。

Mufasa is sterile, so he is of no use to lion breeders. Selling him to the highest bidder is the only way the Government can profit off of him, and the fact that he is a rare white lion means that he will most likely fetch a very good price. Experts estimate that there are only 300 white lions in the world, and just 13 living in the wild.

由于Mufasa不育，所以它對獅子育種商沒有任何用處。把它賣給出價最高的人，是當局唯一可行的獲利方式。而事實上，它是一頭罕見的白色獅子，這意味著它將最有可能賣個好價錢。據(jù)專家估計，世界上只有300頭白獅，其中只有13頭生活在野外。

Knowing the grim fate that awaits Mufasa if he ends up being auctioned off by the Government, WildForLife, the charity that operates the Rustenburg Rehabilitation Center where the lion currently lives, started a legal battle against South Africa’s conservation department, and also launched an online petition to raise awareness about the situation.

WildForLife很清楚，如果Mufasa最終被政府拍賣成功，等待著它的只有悲慘命運。因此這家慈善機構與自然保護部打起了法律戰(zhàn)，并發(fā)布了在線請愿書以喚起人們對于該獅子處境的認識。

Support for Mufasa has been pouring in from all over the world, and while the petition has yet to reach its goal of 290,000 signatures, the public outcry has prompted the South African to step in and launch an investigation into this case as well as the plight of captive lions in general.

Mufasa的支持者已經(jīng)從世界各地涌入，雖然請愿尚未達到29萬個簽名的目標，但輿論已經(jīng)一片嘩然，促使南非當局介入并開始調(diào)查此次事件以及處于類似境況下的圈養(yǎng)獅子。

Authorities have declined the media’s requests for comments, claiming that the matter is in litigation, and Mufasa’s fate is still uncertain.

據(jù)悉，預期舉行的拍賣會已經(jīng)推遲。當局拒絕對媒體發(fā)表評論，并聲稱該案件還在訴訟中，Mufasa的命運仍然無法確定。