第2246期:Wild Cat Is Back from Near Extinction

A species of wild cat in Europe that was almost extinct, or about to disappear, over 20 years ago has returned.  
二十多年前，欧洲的一种几近灭绝或即将消失的野猫物种已经回归。

Last week, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared that the Iberian lynx is no longer an endangered species. Native to Spain and Portugal, the wild cats are medium-sized with different shades of brown. They have pointed ears and facial hair that looks like a beard.  
上周，国际自然保护联盟（IUCN）宣布，伊比利亚猞猁不再是濒危物种。这种原产于西班牙和葡萄牙的野猫体型中等，毛色有不同的棕色调。它们有尖尖的耳朵和看起来像胡须的面部毛发。

In 2001, there were only 62 adult Iberian lynx. The low numbers led to emergency efforts to save the animals. Experts then helped bring males and females together for reproduction and started protection projects. Other efforts included restoring their natural environments, including dense forests and grasslands.  
2001年，成年伊比利亚猞猁仅有62只。这一低数量引发了拯救这些动物的紧急努力。专家们帮助将雄性和雌性猞猁聚集在一起进行繁殖，并启动了保护项目。其他努力还包括恢复它们的自然环境，包括密林和草原。

By 2023, the IUCN said its latest count shows more than 2,000 wild cats, including adults and younger ones.  
到2023年，IUCN表示，其最新统计显示有超过2000只野猫，包括成年的和幼小的。

“It’s really (a) huge success, an exponential increase in the population size,” Craig Hilton-Taylor told The Associated Press. He is head of the IUCN Red List. The Red List maintains information on animals and plants that face the risk of extinction.  
克雷格·希尔顿-泰勒对美联社说：“这真的是一个巨大的成功，种群数量呈指数级增长。” 他是IUCN红色名录的负责人。红色名录收录了面临灭绝风险的动植物信息。

The Iberian lynx’s disappearance was closely linked to that of its main food source -- the European rabbit. Other reasons are damage to its habitats and human activity.  
伊比利亚猞猁的消失与其主要食物来源——欧洲兔密切相关。其他原因还包括栖息地的破坏和人类活动。

One of the keys to their recovery has been the attention given to the rabbit population. The rabbits had been affected by changes in agricultural production. And their recovery has led to a continuous increase in the lynx population, Hilton-Taylor said.  
它们恢复的关键之一是对兔子种群的关注。农业生产的变化影响了兔子种群。而兔子的恢复带来了猞猁种群的持续增长，希尔顿-泰勒说。

Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz is with the European Union’s LIFE Lynx-Connect project.  
弗朗西斯科·哈维尔·萨尔塞多·奥尔蒂斯隶属于欧盟的LIFE Lynx-Connect项目。

He called it “the greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation.” Ortiz said it was the result of partnerships among public bodies, scientific communities, non-profit organizations, businesses, and people, like local landowners, farmers, gamekeepers and hunters.  
他称其为“通过保护实现的猫科动物最大恢复”。奥尔蒂斯说，这是公共机构、科学界、非营利组织、企业和人们（如当地土地所有者、农民、护林员和猎人）之间合作的结果。

IUCN has also worked with local communities to teach people about the importance of the Iberian lynx in nature. This has helped to reduce animal deaths due to accidents or illegal hunting. In addition, Hilton-Taylor said, farmers receive money if a lynx kills any of their animals.  
IUCN还与当地社区合作，教育人们了解伊比利亚猞猁在自然界的重要性。这有助于减少因事故或非法狩猎造成的动物死亡。此外，希尔顿-泰勒说，如果猞猁杀死了农民的任何动物，农民会得到赔偿。

Since 2010, more than 400 Iberian lynx have been reintroduced to parts of Portugal and Spain. Now, their habitat includes at least 3,320 square kilometers. This is an increase from 449 square kilometers in 2005.  
自2010年以来，已有超过400只伊比利亚猞猁被重新引入葡萄牙和西班牙的部分地区。现在，它们的栖息地至少包括3320平方公里。这比2005年的449平方公里有所增加。

“We have to consider every single thing before releasing a lynx, and every four years or so we revise the protocols,” said Ramón Pérez de Ayala. He is the World Wildlife Fund’s Spain species project manager. WWF is one of the organizations involved in the project.  
“在释放猞猁之前，我们必须考虑每一个细节，并且每四年左右我们会修订协议，”拉蒙·佩雷斯·德·阿亚拉说。他是世界野生动物基金会西班牙物种项目经理。WWF是参与该项目的组织之一。

While the latest Red List update offers hope for other species in the same situation, Hilton-Taylor warns that the lynx is not out of danger just yet. The biggest uncertainty is what will happen to rabbits. They are often affected by viruses and other diseases.  
尽管最新的红色名录更新为处于同样境地的其他物种带来了希望，希尔顿-泰勒警告说，猞猁尚未完全脱离危险。最大的未知是兔子的未来。它们常常受到病毒和其他疾病的影响。

Hilton-Taylor said, “We also worried about issues with climate change, how the habitat will respond to climate change, especially the increasing impact of fires, as we’ve seen in the Mediterranean in the last year or two.”  
希尔顿-泰勒说：“我们还担心气候变化问题，栖息地将如何应对气候变化，特别是火灾影响的增加，正如我们在过去一两年在地中海地区所见。”