A dog trained in Russia to sniff for tiger droppings has begun searching for the big cats in an area in Cambodia, conservationists said.
The German wirehaired pointer named Maggie recently began to search for signs of tigers in Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area.
“Normally, a dog can smell very far. So we are using the dog to find the tigers in the area,” said Men Soriyun, a project manager for the area.
Conservationists are uncertain how many of the big cats remain in Cambodia’s jungles.
A second dog will be brought from Russia to the protected area later this year, according to conservationists at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Tigers originally ranged over much of Asia, but are now scattered across parts of south and southeast Asia, with a few populations in the Russian far east and China, according to the group.
There are around 5,000 tigers left in Asia, which is a far cry from the 500,000 that roamed the area 200 years ago. Hunting and habitat destruction were the main causes of the decline.
In 2006 the group and conservation outfit Panthera, also based in New York, launched a 10-million-dollar initiative called “Tigers Forever.”
The use of sniffer dogs is part of the program, which aims to increase tiger populations by 50 percent in key sites across Asia over ten years.
(STAFF WRITER WITH AFP)
自然保育學者表示，一隻在俄國受訓、專門嗅聞老虎糞便的獵犬，已開始在柬埔寨境內某地區搜尋老虎行蹤。
這隻名叫「梅姬」的德國剛毛指示犬日前開始在聖瑪生物多樣性自然保育區中，尋找老虎出沒的線索。
該區計劃負責人曼•梭里雲說：「狗通常能聞到很遠距離外的氣味。所以我們打算利用這隻狗找出藏身此區的老虎。」
自然保育人員無法確定柬埔寨叢林中還有多少老虎。
據野生動物保育協會的自然保育學者表示，第二隻獵犬今年稍晚將從俄國送往該保育區。
該協會表示，老虎原本遍佈亞洲各地，但目前僅零星分佈於南亞和東南亞的部份地區，在俄國遠東地區和中國境內也有少數老虎出沒。
亞洲目前約有五千隻老虎，數量和兩百年前在此漫遊的五十萬隻不可同日而語。狩獵和棲息地被破壞是牠們數量銳減的主因。
二ＯＯ六年時，該協會和總部同樣設在紐約的自然保育團體「豹屬」，發起了一項千萬美元的「老虎永存」活動。
利用受過嗅聞訓練的狗只是這項計畫的一部分，該計畫旨在未來十年內讓亞洲重點地區的老虎數量增加五成。（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
A: Apart from the musical Sunset Boulevard, Japanese pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki is also touring Taiwan after a 17-year wait. She’s holding two concerts starting tonight. B: Ayu has the most No. 1 hits of any Japanese solo artist, with 33 total. A: “Time” magazine even crowned her as “The Empress of Pop.” B: She staged shows in Taipei back in 2007 and 2008, causing an “Ayu fever” across Taiwan. A: Unfortunately, the singer has been deaf in her left ear since 2008, and is gradually losing hearing in her right ear. I’m so excited to see her singing in Taipei again. A: 除了音樂劇《日落大道》，日本歌后濱崎步睽違17年，今晚起在台北熱唱兩場。
Thailand and Cambodia are engaged in their worst fighting in over a decade, exchanging heavy artillery fire across their disputed border, with at least 30 people killed and tens of thousands displaced. Tensions began rising between the Southeast Asian neighbors in May, following the killing of a Cambodian soldier during a brief exchange of gunfire, and have steadily escalated since, triggering diplomatic spats and now, armed clashes. WHERE DOES THE DISPUTE ORIGINATE? Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817km land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was
Alan Turing, celebrated as the “father of computer science,” was a brilliant mathematician and scientist. Born in London in 1912, Turing showed exceptional talent in mathematics and science from a young age. At 16, he understood Albert Einstein’s work without difficulty. This intelligence carried him through studies at Cambridge University and later at Princeton University in the US, where he further explored complex mathematical theories. In 1936, Turing introduced the concept of the Turing machine, a theoretical device for solving mathematical problems. He described it as having an infinite tape on which symbols could be read, interpreted, and modified. With simple
A: After touring Taipei, the play Life of Pi is now heading to Taichung. You wanna go? B: Did you forget? We’re going to Taipei this weekend to see the musical Sunset Boulevard and go to Japanese pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki’s concert. A: Oh yeah, that’s right. The classic composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber is touring Taiwan for the first time. B: I heard that it’s adapted from a 1950 film with the same title. A: And the show will feature legendary soprano Sarah Brightman, who is finally returning to the musical stage after 30 years. We can’t miss it. A: 在台北巡演後，戲劇《少年Pi的奇幻漂流》本週起將移師台中。要去嗎？
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