Video footage from Canada’s Arctic has offered a devastating look at the impact climate change is having on polar bears in the region, showing an emaciated bear clinging to life as it scrounged for food on iceless land.
The scene was recorded by the conservation group Sea Legacy during a late summer expedition in Baffin Island. “My entire Sea Legacy team was pushing through their tears and emotions while documenting this dying polar bear,” photographer Paul Nicklen wrote on social media after publishing the footage last month.
The video shows the bear struggling to walk as it searches for food. The bear eventually comes across a trashcan used by Inuit fishermen, rummaging through it with little luck. The bear, which was not old, probably died within hours of being captured on video, said Nicklen. “This is what starvation looks like. The muscles atrophy. No energy. It’s a slow, painful death.”
Photo: screen grab from Youtube
照片：截圖自Youtube
Since posting the footage, Nicklen has been asked why he and his team did not help the bear. “Of course, that crossed my mind,” he said. “But it’s not like I walk around with a tranquilizer gun or 400 pounds of seal meat.” Feeding polar bears is also illegal in Canada.
The film-makers drew a direct line between the bear’s state and climate change. “As temperatures rise and sea ice melts, polar bears lose access to the main staple of their diets – seals,” the video noted. “Starving, and running out of energy, they are forced to wander into human settlements for any source of food.” (The Guardian)
一段在加拿大北極圈內的地區拍攝的影片中，一隻瘦骨嶙峋的北極熊在無冰的地面上覓食，苟延殘喘。這段影片揭露了氣候變遷對該地北極熊的毀滅性衝擊。
這一幕是保育組織「海洋遺產」今年夏末在巴芬島進行探勘時所攝。攝影師保羅‧尼克倫上月發布這些影片後，在社群媒體上寫道：「在拍攝這隻垂死的北極熊時，我們整個團隊都強忍著眼淚及悲傷的情緒。」
影片中只見這隻熊拖著疲弱的身軀，勉強走著尋找食物。最後看到當地因紐特人漁民使用的垃圾桶，就往裡頭翻找，卻沒什麼收獲。尼克倫說，這隻熊年紀並不大，他很可能在被拍下來後幾個小時候就死了。「這就是餓死的樣子。肌肉萎縮、沒有力氣。這是緩慢而痛苦的死亡。」
這段影片貼出來後，很多人問尼克倫為什麼他們當時沒有幫助那隻熊。他說：「當然我也想過，但我當時並沒帶麻醉槍或四百磅的海豹肉可以餵。」況且在加拿大，餵養北極熊也是非法的。
他也指出這隻熊的慘況和氣候變遷有直接關係：「隨著氣溫的上升和海冰的融化，北極熊失去了主食──海豹。」「飢餓、筋疲力竭的北極熊不得不到人類的聚落尋找食物。」
（台北時報林俐凱譯）
A: Wow, singer Bruno Mars will be visiting Kaohsiung for the first time. B: Really? Where will he be performing? A: He’s going to hold a concert at the National Stadium on Sunday. B: Why do the Taiwanese like to call him the “Martian” in Chinese? A: Because his last name “Mars” is the same word as the planet Mars. A: 哇！火星人布魯諾將首度唱進高雄。 B: 真的嗎？在哪裡？ A: 他將於本週日，在國家體育場開唱唷。 B: 但是為什麼台灣人喜歡叫他火星人呢？ A: 因為他的姓氏「Mars」這個字剛好是「火星」的意思啊。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: Bruno Mars is definitely one of today’s most popular singers. B: He has even won 14 Grammy Awards. A: I love all his megahits, like “Just the Way You Are.” B: And his new song with Lady Gaga “Die with a Smile” has a caused worldwide sensation. A: I wonder if we’ll hear the new song at his Kaohsiung concert? A: 火星人布魯諾是近年來最受歡迎的流行歌手。 B: 對啊他還曾榮獲14座葛萊美獎。 A: 他所有的金曲我都愛，像《Just the Way You Are》。 B: 最近他和女神卡卡合唱《Die with a Smile》更造成大轟動！ A: 不知道在高雄有沒有機會聽他演唱這首新歌呢？ (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
The Lord returned home after a long day of hunting, a deer on his horse and a bow on his back. His apprentice had stayed behind, feeling unwell. He rode slowly through the forest, closed his eyes, and felt the warm sunlight on his face. He opened his eyes to a full moon rising. Time to make offerings and pray for peace, good weather, a bountiful harvest. And a child with his beloved wife. He smiled. As he approached, the house was quiet. Too quiet. He dismounted in the empty courtyard. “Feng Meng?” he called. Silence. He went to his apprentice’s
You can’t help but notice the woman’s blonde hair, blue eyes, and bizarre outfit. She’s in a white dress that reaches below the knee and a Prussian blue jacket highlighted by a brooch on a ribbon at the collar. Together with her leather boots and the brown suitcase in hand, her overall look gives her an air of mystery. This distinctive appearance isn’t merely for style; it’s her way of embracing cosplay. Combining the words “costume” and “play,” cosplay is an art form in which participants dress up as specific characters, usually at anime conventions. It not only involves
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