奇妙的朋友 還是莫名其妙的朋友

Wonderful Friends, a 3-month-long reality show on Hunan TV, came to an end on March 28th. But the debate it aroused is far from dying out.
湖南衛視真人秀節目《奇妙的朋友》歷時三個月，已於上月28日完結。但是，因之而起的爭論卻從未停歇。

The weekly show features interactions between animals and six celebrities working as zookeepers in Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou. The show is a programming success for Hunan TV.
這檔周播的真人秀節目聚焦動物與人類的交流，邀請了六位明星擔當廣州長隆野生動物園的（實習）飼養員。節目由湖南衛視製作，可謂大獲成功。

“People are more interested in TV shows with celebrities than in documentaries,” animal protection expert Deng Xuejian told Netease News. “The program is a good way to get people closer to animals.”
動物保護專家鄧學建在接受網易新聞採訪時表示，“較之紀錄片，人們更喜歡看有名人蔘與的電視真人秀。這檔節目有助於人與動物建立更加親密的關係。”

However, animal welfare advocates say that is exactly what should be avoided.
但是，動物保護主義者們卻認爲，這恰恰是應當避免之處。

“It is hugely misleading to the public about the needs and welfare of captive animals,” Dave Neale of Animals Asia, an advocacy group based in Hong Kong, said in a statement.
戴夫•尼爾來自總部位於香港的亞洲動物基金，他在一則聲明中表示：“這檔節目嚴重誤導大衆，讓他們對圈養動物的需求與救助產生誤解。”

In one scene, celebrities took two baby chimps out and competed to buy the best clothes for them. One of the two chimps suddenly became restless and bit Myolie Wu, one of the star zookeepers.
節目中，明星們曾帶着兩隻猩猩幼崽去（遊客區）買衣裳，比賽誰買得衣服更好。其中一隻黑猩猩突然變得焦躁不安，並咬傷了明星飼養員胡杏兒。

In another scene a baby chimp was placed near its father to demonstrate that the older animal would treat the infant as a stranger. The baby becomes distressed and the chimp’s father appears anxious and throws a rock at the TV crew.
節目的另一幕中，爲了證明成年黑猩猩會對自己的幼崽置之不理，小猩猩被放在了父親的身邊。小猩猩變得緊張不安，而大猩猩父親也變得焦躁、並向電視臺的工作人員扔石頭。

The TV company created “stressful and harmful situations” to provoke entertaining storylines, said the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
世界動物園和水族館聯合會認爲，節目方爲了製造娛樂性的故事情節，將動物置於“有巨大壓力和有害的場景”之中。

Despite the criticism, Animals Asia founder and CEO Jill Robinson has witnessed a significant rise in the number of Chinese citizens showing concern for animal welfare.
儘管遭到批評，但是正如亞洲動物基金創始人兼CEO謝•羅便臣所見，越來越多的中國人開始關心動物保護。

“When I first began working in the country from 1985 there was one welfare group in Beijing and now there are over 100 spread across every province,” Robinson said on the website of Animals Asia. “Today, we work with them to give a voice to wild and companion animals and provide a convincing argument as to why they should no longer be exploited as entertainment, ‘medicine’ or food.”
她在亞洲動物基金網站上寫道，“1985年，我剛來到中國工作時，只有北京一家動物保護組織，而現在全國的動物保護組織已經超過100個，覆蓋了全國各省。我們現在與這些組織一道努力，爲野生動物及寵物發聲，告訴人們爲何不應將其作爲娛樂的對象、‘藥材’或是食物。”

But a lack of knowledge about animals’ habits and needs may lead to some wrongs.
但是，不瞭解動物的習性與需求，也可能導致一些錯誤的做法。

“Many people may think getting cuddly is an expression of love. What they don’t realize is wild animals need space,” Xie Yan, a zoologist and China director of the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society, told The New York Times. “Putting clothes on chimps is not as adorable as you may think from the animals’ point of view.”
解焱是總部位於在紐約的國際野生生物保護學會的動物學家與中國項目主任，他在接受《紐約時報》的採訪時說：“很多人覺得愛撫是愛的表達，但他們不知道野生動物更需要空間。人們覺得給猩猩穿上衣服很可愛，但是在動物眼中卻是另一回事。”

Better leave them alone
它們會獨自生活得更好

Teaching chimps to dress could harm their health because it may raise their body temperature and also mentally confuse them.
教猩猩穿衣服可能會傷害它們的健康，因爲穿衣服會使其體溫升高，同時令其產生困惑。

In the world, it’s a common practice to use celebrities to focus public attention on wildlife protection. Yao Ming, for example, traveled to Africa last year to shoot a documentary for WildAid highlighting the problem of elephant and rhinoceros poaching.
在野生動物保護中，用名人效應吸引公衆注意並不罕見。去年，野生救援推出紀錄片《野性的終結》，記錄了姚明遠赴非洲瞭解大象和犀牛盜獵的見聞。

But in Yao’s case, human observers kept their distance, according to The New York Times.
但是，據《紐約時報》報道，在姚明的紀錄片中，人類觀察者與野生動物是保持距離的。

The debate has also gotten young people thinking. “Who doesn’t want to make friends with those cute animals who melt your heart? But after that sentiment, we should put ourselves in their shoes: Is this love what they need?” said Liu Yi, a 19-year-old animal medicine student at Qingdao Agricultural University.
這一爭論也引起了年輕人的思考。今年19歲的劉禕是青島農業大學動物醫學專業的學生，她說：“誰不想和那些萌到心都化了的動物做朋友？但是在動心之後，我們也應該站在動物的角度想想，這真的是它們需要的愛麼？”