為什么西方的野馬正在消失

為什么西方的野馬正在消失

Mustangs have been a part of the landscape of the United States for centuries. Ever since the first horses escaped from Spanish conquistadors, feral horses have returned to their wild roots, roaming in small family bands lead by stallions, mixing with various breeds of other escapees — including the Appaloosas and paints of Native Americans, ranchers' quarter horses and cow ponies, thoroughbreds and draft horses that ditched their farms.

幾個世紀(jì)以來，野馬一直是美國風(fēng)景的一部分。自從第一批馬從西班牙征服者手中逃出來后，野馬又回到了它們的野地，四處游蕩。在以馬為首的小家族樂隊(duì)中，與其他逃亡者的不同品種混為一談，包括美洲土著人的阿普洛索斯和油漆、牧場主的四分之一的馬和母馬、純種馬。還有趕馬離開他們的農(nóng)場。

The issue of protecting wild mustangs is complex and has many competing interests. (Photo: Jaymi Heimbuch)

The mustang has become an exceptionally hardy breed of horse, adapting easily to rough and arid conditions in the west, with isolated bands still showing their centuries-old ancestry though particular conformation and markings. And importantly, the mustang is a breed we equate with freedom, an untamed spirit and the history of our country.

野馬已經(jīng)成為一種非常耐寒的馬，很容易適應(yīng)西部的艱苦和干旱的環(huán)境，盡管獨(dú)特的構(gòu)造和標(biāo)記，獨(dú)立的馬群仍然顯示著他們幾個世紀(jì)前的祖先。重要的是，野馬是一種我們認(rèn)為是自由的品種，一種野性的精神和我們國家的歷史。

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is tasked to uphold the 1971 legislation written to protect these free-roaming horses, the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Unfortunately, the BLM's strategies are far from effective and are considered by many to be inhumane. The issue is complex and has many conflicting interests, from those who want to see wild horses stay free, to those who object to the strategies used for limiting herd growth, to ranchers who graze their livestock on public land and view the mustangs as competition.

美國土地管理局(BLM)的任務(wù)是維護(hù)1971年制定的保護(hù)這些自由漫游的馬的法律，即《野生自由漫游馬和驢法案》。不幸的是，BLM的策略遠(yuǎn)非有效，而且被許多人認(rèn)為是不人道的。這個問題很復(fù)雜，有許多相互沖突的利益，從那些希望看到野馬保持自由的人，到那些反對限制牧群增長的人，到在公共土地上放牧的牧場主，以及把野馬視為競爭對手的人。

Wild horses protected by the BLM are found primarily in Western states. (Photo: Jaymi Heimbuch)

Most recently, wild horses and the BLM made headlines in December over a new Trump administration proposal that would accelerate the roundup and removal of 130,000 federally protected wild horses and burros from public lands.

去年12月，特朗普政府提出了一項(xiàng)新的提案，將加速對13萬頭受聯(lián)邦政府保護(hù)的野馬和美洲驢進(jìn)行圍捕，并將它們趕出公共土地。

Two national horse protection groups and a bipartisan group of lawmakers spoke out against the decision, which is part of an Interior Department spending bill.

兩個國家馬保護(hù)組織和一個兩黨議員小組公開反對這一決定，這是內(nèi)政部開支法案的一部分。

“Congress just unleashed a catastrophic assault on America’s cherished wild horses and burros, turning back the clock 50 years to a time when these iconic animals were almost extinct and Congress acted unanimously to protect them,” Suzanne Roy, executive director of the American Wild Horse Campaign, said in a statement.

美國野馬運(yùn)動的執(zhí)行理事蘇珊娜·羅伊在一份聲明中說:“國會剛剛對美國珍愛的野馬和美洲驢發(fā)動了一場災(zāi)難性的襲擊，讓時間倒退了50年，回到了這些標(biāo)志性動物瀕臨滅絕的年代，國會一致采取行動保護(hù)它們。”

Roy also spoke out in late July 2017 when a Congressional committee voted to reverse a ban on euthanizing healthy wild horses and burros.

羅伊還在2017年7月下旬發(fā)表了講話，當(dāng)時一個國會委員會投票推翻了禁止對健康的野馬和美洲驢實(shí)施安樂死的禁令。

If the amendment had become law, the BLM would have been permitted to kill animals deemed unadoptable that are being kept in holding pens or that are still roaming public lands.

如果修正案成為法律，BLM將被允許殺死那些被認(rèn)為不能被收養(yǎng)的動物，這些動物被關(guān)在圍欄里，或者仍然在公共土地上游蕩。

After nearly two years of back and forth, the euthanasia option was taken off the table, the Associated Press reports.

據(jù)美聯(lián)社報道，經(jīng)過近兩年的反復(fù)，安樂死的選擇被取消了。