中国范儿 72 大熊猫：“最熟悉”的“陌生熊”

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大熊猫：“最熟悉”的“陌生熊”

More than a cute appearance: Demystifying giant pandas

中国众多古籍中都记载过一种神奇的动物，“（它）似熊，小头，黑白驳，能舐食铜铁及竹骨”。根据这样的描述做一份侧写，会得到一种我们完全意想不到的生物——大熊猫。今天看来大熊猫“食铁”是个天大的误会，但也能看出人们对大熊猫实际上是“既熟悉又陌生”。

A mysterious animal is recorded in many ancient Chinese books. "(It) is like a bear, with a small head, black and white stripes over its body, and can eat copper and iron, as well as bamboos." It might be surprising to many people that the strange creature depicted is the giant panda. Of course, it’s a total misunderstanding to believe that giant pandas eat iron, while this subjective idea sheds light on our limited knowledge of the popular animal.

中国大熊猫保护研究中心都江堰基地拍摄的大熊猫“华豹”。新华社记者薛玉斌摄

“大熊猫”最早其实被称作“猫熊”。它们扬名于二十世纪之期，当时正是中国新旧文化激荡的时代，旧的阅读习惯与新的书写方式交杂使用，由右而左书写的“猫熊”被由左而右地读作了“熊猫”。虽然熊猫确实和棕熊、北极熊一样属于熊类，但“熊猫”的说法被习惯成自然地流传下来。

The “(Da Xiong Mao) giant panda” was originally called “Mao Xiong (panda bear)". They made their mark in the twentieth century, an era of conflicting convergence of the new and old Chinese cultures. With the mixing of the old reading habits and the new writing methods, “Mao Xiong”, which is written from right to left, was read from left to right, thus “Xiong Mao” coming into being.While pandas are indeed bears like brown bears and polar bears, the term "panda" is habitually passed down though “Mao” literally means cats.

别看大熊猫如今混到了濒危动物的行列，然而在进化史上它是名副其实的“强者”。它们在地球上生活了800多万年，作为一种食肉动物，为了适应环境的变化，竟然进化出了以竹子为食的习性，为了吃好竹子甚至在熊掌上长出了“大拇指”。想想看，强壮如猛犸象，凶猛如剑齿虎，而今安在哉？呆萌的大熊猫却悠然地活了下来。

Despite that they are now endangered,giant pandas are strong animals in terms of evolutionary adaptability. They were carnivores over eight million years ago, but they evolved into eating bamboos, and even a thumb in their paw to this end. The chubby giant pandas have survived with a laid-back lifestyle while fierce animals like mammoth and Smilodon have perished.

36只2017年新生大熊猫宝宝集体亮相

大熊猫怎么看都是个人畜无害的“宝宝”，然而它的战斗力和呼啸山林的虎豹是一个级别的，咬合力堪比狮子、超过美洲豹，能轻松上到10多米高的树上，在野外山林奔跑时速能到40公里，是个灵活的胖子。

However, don’t be fooled by its innocent and harmless appearance, giant pandas can be as fierce as tigers and leopards. Outperforming the jaguar, their bite force is comparable to that of a lion. It can easily climb up a tree more than 10 meters high and race in the wild forests at 40 kilometers per hour. Fat as they are, giant pandas are flexible and fast too.

随着人工繁育的难题被陆续攻克，中国人工圈养的大熊猫种群从2002年的161只增加到现在的500多只。然而人工繁育只是开始，让大熊猫回归野外，实现大熊猫野外种群的可持续发展才是终极目标。

The number of captive giant pandas in China has increased from 161 in 2002 to more than 500 now thanks to the development of artificial breeding. However, artificial breeding is only the beginning of a long journey that leads to a natural breeding in the wild, ensuring the sustainable development of the precious animal.

2003年起，大熊猫开始在野化基地内学习辨认天敌、捕食等野外生存技能。经过科研人员的努力，目前已初见成效。2009年放归野外的大熊猫“泸欣”，不仅融入当地野生种群，拥有了自己的领地，还成功在野外自然配种、顺利产仔。从2010年开始，科研人员采用“母兽带仔”方式野化训练，共放归大熊猫8只，其中7只在野外存活。

Since 2003, giant pandas have begun to learn survival skills such as identifying natural enemies and predation in wild training bases. Efforts paid off. In 2009, the giant panda “Lu Xin” was released into the wild. It has not only become member of the local wild population, but also has its own territory, mating and giving birth there. Researcher started in 2010 to prepare pandas for life in the wild by training baby pandas on survival skill via their mothers. Eight giant pandas have been released into the wild, with seven of them alive now.

全球第二次同时放归两只大熊猫“映雪”

虽然大熊猫是中国的特有物种，但它们几乎是被全世界人民一起疼爱。无论是日本、美国，还是世界上其他国家，熊猫所到之处都能引起万人空巷的场景。今年，四川省政府发起“熊猫与少年”活动，面向全球招募青少年“大熊猫饲养员”。27名青少年志愿者在十几天时间内与大熊猫亲密接触，体验大熊猫饲养、科研等，这些都让全球的“熊猫粉”们羡慕不已。

Although giant pandas are endemic to China, they are almost loved by people all over the world. Panda is a hit wherever it goes, be it Japan, the United States, or other countries. Local government in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, a major habitat of pandas, launched a global campaign called “Panda and Me” this year. The project will enroll 27 young volunteers across the world to interact with pandas via activities like breeding and scientific research, a much-envied short-term job for many panda fans.

人们用“看它一眼，就想把全世界都给它”来表达对大熊猫的喜爱。这种可爱的生灵在地球上已经繁衍生息了数百万年，相信在人类的精心呵护下，大熊猫终将摆脱濒危的境地，永续繁衍下去。

People would say they are willing to offer everything to giant pandas out of their love for the cute animal. The lovely creature has been thriving on the earth for millions of years, and is expected to continue to sustain its presence, as mankind’s care will eventually make giant pandas no longer endangered.

来源：中国网

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