新冠病毒的爆发让人们开始关注穿山甲这种鲜为人知的生物。
In a recent report, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says the animal is "among the leading suspects" that imported COVID-19 from wild bats to people. The agency follows illegal wildlife activity.
联合国毒品与犯罪问题办公室在最近一份报告中表示，这种动物是将新冠肺炎从野生蝙蝠传染至人类的主要嫌犯之一。该机构负责跟踪调查非法野生动物活动。
Pangolins are the size of a small cat to a large dog. Conservation organizations say they are the most heavily illegally traded wild animal in the world. The animals are hunted in Asia and countries near the Sahara Desert in Africa. They are bought and sold illegally, mainly to East Asia for their scales and meat. The scales are made of keratin, which is also found in human hair and nails.
穿山甲大小相当于一只小猫到一只大狗。保护组织表示，它们是全球非法贸易最多的野生动物。这种动物主要捕获于亚洲和非洲撒哈拉沙漠附近的国家。它们的鳞片和肉类主要面向东亚地区非法交易。鳞片的主要成分是角蛋白质，这种物质也存在于人类的头发和指甲之中。
"One operation last April seized 25 tons of African pangolin scales — representing an estimated 50,000 dead pangolins — with a market value of some $7 million," UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly said. "Between 2014 and 2018, the equivalent of 370,000 pangolins were seized globally."
联合国毒品与犯罪行为办公室执行主任加达·瓦利表示：“去年4月的一次行动查获了25吨非洲穿山甲鳞片，这代表大概有5万只穿山甲死亡，这批鳞片的市值约为7百万美元。2014年到2018年期间，全球缉获的（鳞片）相当于37万只穿山甲。”
There are eight species of pangolins. Their tongues can be longer than their bodies. Four species are native to Asia and the other four to Africa. All were placed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora's protected list in 2016. It is not known how many African pangolins are left in the wild.
穿山甲分为8种。它们的舌头可能比身体还要长。有4种穿山甲原产于亚洲，还有4种原产于非洲。所有种类的穿山甲都被列入了2016年《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》的保护名单。目前不知道非洲穿山甲在野生环境中还剩多少。
The U.N. found that as Asian supplies of pangolins decreased from overhunting, illegal traders have turned to Africa to fill demand. Starting in 2013, West and Central African nations including Nigeria and Cameroon, were major suppliers of pangolin scales and meat. More recently, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Liberia have become involved in the illegal trade.
联合国发现，随着亚洲穿山甲的供应因为过度捕捞而减少，非法交易者已经转向非洲以填补需求。从2013年开始，包括尼日利亚和喀麦隆在内的西非和中非国家成为了穿山甲鳞片和肉类的主要供应商。最近，象牙海岸、几内亚和利比里亚也卷入了非法贸易。
The UNODC reported that hunters can earn from $8 to $13 for a small live pangolin and $25 to $30 for a large one. In Uganda, hunters reported catching as many as 20 per day.
联合国毒品与犯罪问题办公室报告称，捕猎者从一只小型活体穿山甲身上可以赚到8到13美元，而从一只大型活体穿山甲身上可以赚到25到30美元。据报道在乌干达，捕猎者每天捕猎多达20只穿山甲。
Once caught, pangolins are placed in hot water or fire to remove their valuable scales. Depending on their size, a pangolin can have up to 1,000 scales. They are dried in the sun and later ground into a powder. That powder is used in Chinese medicine to make a paste believed to help a woman produce breast milk and help with blood flow, among other cures. Pangolin meat is also valued and used in some Asian cooking.
穿山甲一旦被捕获，就会被置于热水或火中，以去除其宝贵的鳞片。根据穿山甲的大小，一只穿山甲最多可以获得1000片鳞片。它们被晒干后磨成粉。这种粉末被用于中药，制成一种据信可以帮助孕妇产奶和活血，以及具有其它疗效的糊状物。穿山甲肉类也很值钱，被用于一些亚洲饮食当中。
Previous outbreaks like the severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in 2002 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome, MERS, in 2012 started in animals and later spread to humans.
之前的疫情爆发，例如2002年的非典以及2012年的中东呼吸系统综合征都始于动物，然后蔓延至人类。
Scientists are still looking for the exact source of the current coronavirus outbreak. But conservationists hope that the association with the coronavirus will help to end demand for the endangered pangolin.
科学家仍在寻找当前冠状病毒爆发的确切来源。但是环保主义者希望与冠状病毒的关联会有助于终止人类对濒临灭绝的穿山甲的需求。
I'm Jonathan Evans.
我是乔纳森·埃文斯。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)