Famous faces help boost animal rights in China 有名人助陣 中國動物權提升

Famous faces help boost animal rights in China 
有名人助陣 中國動物權提升
2012-02-28◎陳維真

Celebrities like basketball star Yao Ming have helped energize China’s animal rights movement by speaking out against shark fin soup and bear bile tonics, an animal welfare group said Tuesday.
動物福利團體週二表示，籃球球星姚明等明星公然反對魚翅湯與熊掌補藥，有助於振興中國動物權運動。

Jill Robinson, who established the Animals Asia Foundation in 1998, said she’s seen interest in animal rights snowball in China over the last few years, spurred by support from celebrities and shifting attitudes among ordinary people.
1998年創辦亞洲動物協會的吉爾‧羅賓森表示，有名人的支持激勵，加上民眾態度轉變，她發現過去數年來，對中國動物權的關注大為增加。

Robinson spoke at an event in Beijing calling for an end to bear bile farming. The animals are caged and milked of bile through catheters, which animal rights groups contend is cruel.
羅賓森在北京的一場活動中發表演說，呼籲終止人工養殖熊來取熊膽汁。這些動物被關在籠裡，用導管榨取膽汁，動物權益團體主張這是殘忍的行為。

On Saturday, Yao visited one of Robinson’s bear sanctuaries in Sichuan province. The 7-foot-6 former NBA center clipped the nails of an anesthetized bear and shook its paw, then strolled around the facility with his wife, looking at the bear enclosures and a bear graveyard.
姚明週六到羅賓森位於四川的黑熊保護中心參觀。這位身高7呎6吋的前NBA中鋒為一隻麻醉過的黑熊剪指甲，還和熊爪握手。接著他和妻子一起參觀中心設施，看看黑熊的圈養地與黑熊墓園。

Yao has also campaigned against the weekly slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million sharks to make shark fin soup. The practice is taking some of the species close to extinction.
姚明同時反對獵殺鯊魚做成魚翅湯，每週約有150萬鯊魚因此遭到殺害。這種做法讓部分鯊魚種類幾近滅絕。

新聞辭典

energize：動詞，激勵、使…活躍。例句：People were energized by his ideas.（大家受到他的想法激勵。）

snowball：原為雪球之意，作動詞用時，可形容如滾雪球般增大。例句：Their woes have snowballed since last year.（他們的悲痛自去年開始如滾雪球般增加。）

contend：動詞，堅決主張、聲稱。例句：He contends that the judge was wrong.（他堅稱法官是錯的。）