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目前非洲刚果境内仅剩887只河马
http://www.sina.com.cn 2005/09/14 20:36  国际在线

  Only 887 hippos are left in Congo, once home to the world's largest population of the water-loving mammal, and they will be extinct in the African country, an international environmental group warned Monday.

  Hippos are being killed by government soldiers, local militia and poachers, the World Wildlife Fund said. The meat is sold as food while teeth end up as part of the illegal ivory trade. Hippos fetch around $50 per animal.

  The latest aerial survey puts the hippopotamus population in northeastern Congo's Virunga National Park down to under 1,000 animals, compared to some 29,000 in 1974. The last survey in 2003 counted 1,307.

  The continued presence of soldiers and armed groups in the park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a 400-mile-long boundary — has made it difficult to protect the animals, the WWF said.

  "Soldiers are left in the park without being fed nor paid and that's a recipe for disaster," said Marc Languy, who heads WWF's regional program.

  Following a five-year war in this central African country, the postwar transitional government has had little success in calming the east, where killings, looting and rapes continue almost unabated.

  Conducted last month, the hippopotamus survey was carried out by the Congolese Institute for Conservation of Nature, the European Union and WWF.

  The disappearance of hippos also triggers serious secondary effects for the population, the WWF said. Because hippo dung provides vital nutrients for the fish in Lake Edward, its absence has led to a rapid decline of the lake's fish stocks.

  "If the government does not take the hippo situation in Virunga seriously, this will not only lead to an environmental disaster, but also to an economic crisis for local communities," said Languy.

目前非洲刚果境内仅剩887只河马

  世界野生动物基金会9月12日发出警告说,目前在非洲刚果境内仅剩下887只河马,它们处境危险,濒临灭绝。

  据美联社9月12日报道,该基金会表示,在刚果境内,河马的命运危在旦夕。这里曾经是世界上最大的河马种群生活的地方,而现在它们却受到了士兵、民兵和偷猎者的捕杀。在这里,河马肉被作为食品出售,河马牙则被拔下来成为非法象牙贸易的一部分。

  今年8月份,由刚果自然保护协会、欧盟和世界野生动物基金会共同实施的一次飞机调查显示,在位于刚果东北部的维龙加国家公园里,河马的数量已经从1974年的大约2.9万只下降到目前的不到1000只。而2003年的一次调查结果则显示河马的数量为1307只。

  世界野生动物基金会警告说,河马数量的减少影响到该地区的其他生物的生存环境。因为河马粪是当地爱德华湖内的鱼类的重要养料,因此在河马消失的同时也导致湖中鱼类数量的急剧减少。对此,该基金会地区计划负责人马克-兰盖表示,“如果当地政府不能认真对待维龙加国家公园内河马的生存问题,那么将不仅仅导致生态灾难,同时也会在当地社会引发一场经济危机”。(文/王高山)


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