Saving the Mexican salamander 墨西哥蠑螈瀕臨滅絕

本集內容

學習要點

有關“animal conservation 動物保護”的詞匯

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What’s remarkable about the axololotl?

文字稿

Lake Pátzcuaro, Central Mexico. The only place in the world where you just might find a critically endangered axolotl, known locally as the achoque.

帕慈庫羅湖，位於墨西哥中部，這裡是世界上唯一可能見到極度瀕危物種蠑螈的地方，在當地被稱為“安氏鈍口螈”。

Scientists are here on a mission to prevent these strange amphibians from being wiped out completely.

科學傢在這裡的重要任務是想辦法不讓這些奇怪的兩棲動物徹底消失。

Gerado Garcia, Chester Zoo
Deforestation which is dragging down sediments to the lake. We have, as well, pollution; we are probably talking now to make it official that this species is close to extinction. So we really arrived right at the last minute.

赫拉多·加爾西亞切斯特動物園
“森林砍伐將沉積物拖入湖中。同時我們還面臨環境污染。我們現在差不多可以正式宣佈這個物種瀕臨滅絕。所以我們真是在最後一刻趕到瞭這裡。”

This emergency effort involves rearing the axolotls in captivity, and that’s where some unexpected experts come in: the Sisters of the Immaculate Health, who run a true sanctuary for this species.

這個緊急行動任務包括人工圈養蠑螈，這正是一些意想不到的專傢派上用場的地方：無暇健康聖女會為這個物種提供瞭真正的避難所。

But while conservationists and their devout collaborators work together to save a species that is disappearing from the wild, axolotls are breed in their thousands in laboratories around the world, like this one, in Nottingham.

在自然資源保護主義者和他們虔誠的合作者們共同努力拯救一個正從野外消失的物種的同時，蠑螈在世界各地成千上萬的實驗室裡被培育繁殖，就像這個在諾丁漢的實驗室一樣。

Andrew Johnson, University of Nottingham
Most people who use axolotls study them because of their ability to regenerate. And it’s remarkable. Let’s say a limb gets bit off here above the elbow: what will happen is the limb will just regenerate a perfect mirror image of the limb on the other side. And so, many people hope that we can identify some latent ability to regenerate in human tissues…

安德魯·約翰遜諾丁漢大學
“多數學者選擇用蠑螈做科研是因為它們有強大的可再生能力。這個能力非常瞭不起。假設蠑螈的一個上肢在肘部以上的地方被咬掉瞭，接下來會發生的是，受傷的肢體會重新生成與另一側肢體一模一樣的新肢體。所以，很多人希望我們能找出人體組織中潛在的再生能力……”

Its regenerative abilities are the reason that people here have consumed Lake Pátzcuaro’s axolotls for centuries, as a folk remedy, for everything from anaemia to asthma.

其再生能力是當地人幾個世紀以來一直食用帕慈庫羅湖蠑螈的原因，作為一種民間療法，治療從貧血到哮喘等各種疑難病癥。

And the original recipe for this remarkable medicine? Developed at the convent by the sisters themselves. The nuns actually started breeding the animals thirty years ago, to sustain a supply of their ancient remedy’s key ingredient.

這種神奇藥物的原始配方是怎麼得來的？是由修女們自己在修道院裡研發的。這些修女三十年前就開始飼養這些動物，以確保供給他們古老療法中的關鍵成分。