Экология сегодня. Макеева М.Н - 54 стр.

UptoLike

ВУЗ: 

ТГТУ | Тамбов

Составители: 

Рубрика: 

LESSON 10
Grammar:
1. Пассивный залог группы Indefinite (Simple).
2. Словообразование.
3. Интернациональные слова.
Text:
THE FATE OF THE BLACK RHINO
The spring rains came on time and in abundance to the South African landscape this year and from the air
the veld looks as lush and green as ever I have known it as we fly into Johannesburg. Good rains, never certain
anywhere in Africa, are always a cause for gratitude, even celebration. They are good for the country, good for
the farmers – and particularly good for the wildlife. And wildlife is the whole purpose of our visit.
We, Ecology Communications, spent the first half of November in South Africa, principally at the
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi game park, a three-hour drive north of the port city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. It is the
home of the greatest concentration of rhino, black and white anywhere in the world and we had come looking
for answers to the question that haunts wildlife conservationists: "Can the black rhino, now on the brink of ex-
tinction, be saved?"
What we found were some very encouraging signs but, as yet, no guarantee that the species will be saved.
There is however, a sense of optimism among game rangers and conservationists that were almost nonexistent a
few years back. It would seem that the tide of wanton slaughter has begun to turn.
It is hard to believe that an entire species could all but vanish in just three decades, wiped out because their
horns are so highly prized in the marketplaces of Hong Kong and the Yemen.
As recently as the late 1960s, some 70,000 black rhino roamed the plains of Africa. Today, the most recent
count puts the number at 2,700. The rhino horn is no more than tightly matted hair and cartilage, but in the Far
East it is thought to have remarkable curative powers and to a Yemeni, there is no finer material from which to
craft a dagger handle.
With such a high value placed on the horns, the rewards of illegal poaching are almost irresistible on a con-
tinent of widespread poverty and civil unrest. Moreover, liberation wars and cold war confrontations saw AK47s,
the weapon of choice for poachers, strewn all over the plains of Africa.
The Russian weapon is remarkable for the abuse it can take and still keep firing. A conservation officer
says he has unearthed several, remnants of the struggle against apartheid, buried on the Hluhluwe reserve for
who knows how many months or years. "But, brush away the soil and its ready to fire," – he says in some admi-
ration.
Wildlife conservation is largely a concern of the West and therefore, in African eyes, of the white man. But
Dr. Ian Player, who led the program that saved the white rhino from the fate now faced by the black, is filled
with praise for the many Africans who helped him. He also notes that encouraging headway is being made
elsewhere in Africa in educating local populations.
When people recognize that rhino are major tourist attractions and that tourist dollars create local jobs they
are more ready to become eyes and ears in the war on poaching. Why should a few men become rich from kill-
ing rhino when live rhino will help raise living standards for many more is the rationale behind this approach?
South Africa, struggling with a poor economy and soaring crime rates fuelled by widespread poverty, has
seen tourist numbers decline markedly over the years. But the game parks remain popular. Lions, leopards, ele-
phants, rhino and buffalo, the "big five" as they are called, hold an almost irresistible attraction to overseas visi-
tors. So do stately giraffe, playful zebra and the ever-so-graceful antelope. Even cavorting baboons bring cars
to a stop at the roadside.
During our week at Hluhlue’s Hill Top Camp, South African accents are principally those of the staff and
tour operators. French and Dutch accents are plentiful, but on this occasion, German tones predominate in the
dining room each evening. In contrast, the only American accents are those of my colleagues until our last day
when we take breakfast alongside two couples from Chicago.
One man, a businessman temporarily stationed in Durban has brought out his wife and two good friends
and they have come to the park for a few days. Republicans all, they had cheered wildly in the African bush for
a George W. Bush victory in the presidential elections, only to find their celebration premature.

Страницы