澳洲野狗成災 專家稱應做狗肉罐頭賣給中國

A researcher who is no stranger to controversy has pondered whether exporting wild dog meat to South-East Asia is a sustainable way to manage the pest.

一名飽受爭議的專家近日又有了新想法：他提出向東南亞國家出口野狗肉來作爲控制狗患的可持續之道。

Dr Benjamin Allen most recently worked on a plan to release dingoes into a Great Barrier Reef island to kill feral goats.

本傑明·艾倫博士最近正在研究一個計劃--把澳大利亞野狗放到大堡礁的一個島嶼上獵殺野山羊。

His latest research started with a throwaway comment.

他的最新研究始於一句玩笑話。

"I met someone who works a fair bit in Asia. I mentioned that I work with dingoes, and they said 'Oh, I've always wondered if tinned dingo meat would go well there'," he said.

他說道：“我遇到了一些在亞洲工作了很久的人。我提到了我在進行野狗研究，他們就說'哦，我想知道野狗肉罐頭在那邊能不能行得通。'”。

Dr Allen did not give the issue much thought until he was preparing to present a paper at a conference focusing on conservation through the sustainable use of wildlife.

艾倫博士並沒有把這個問題太放在心上，直到他準備在一個關於通過野生動物的可持續利用來實現保護的會議上發表論文。

"Around the world, the sustainable use of wildlife is used as a model for conservation," he said.

“在全世界範圍內，野生動物的可持續利用都是保護的典範。”他說。

"We have sustainable use here in Australia already. We have kangaroo and possum harvesting industries. Ecotourism is also sustainable use."

“我們已經在澳大利亞實行可持續利用了。我們有袋鼠和負鼠肉的加工業。生態旅遊也是可持續利用的一種。”

The paper Dr Allen wrote for the conference is titled Creating dingo meat products for Southeast Asia: potential market opportunities and cultural dilemmas.

艾倫博士爲會議撰寫的論文題爲《爲東南亞國家制作澳大利亞野狗肉罐頭：潛在市場機會與文化困境》。

"I think the first reaction from people when they hear the idea of selling wild dog meat to Asia is 'How could you possibly put our animals through that?'" he said. "But the dogs are already being killed through trapping and shooting."

“我覺得，人們聽到'往亞洲賣狗肉'這個主意的時候，第一反應應該是'你怎麼能這麼處理我們的動物呢！'”他說。“但是這些野狗已經用槍彈和陷阱殺死了。”

Dr Allen said the control of wild dogs on Australian pastoral land had become a major concern to local, state and federal governments.

艾倫博士表示，澳大利亞牧區對野狗的控制已經成爲當地政府、州政府和聯邦政府的心頭大患。

"We've got no idea how many wild dogs are in Australia, but there's something in the order of 10,000-15,000 scalps a year handed in to local governments for bounty payment," he said. "The dog is often hung on a tree or hung on a fence, or left to rot on the ground."

“我們不知道爲什麼澳大利亞有這麼多野狗，但是現在每年有一萬到一萬五千只野狗屍體會被上交到地方政府來換取賞金。”他說。“野狗屍體往往掛在樹上或者柵欄上，或者扔在地上腐爛。”