帮失业的大象回家

More than 100 elephants kept at commercial camps and sanctuaries in Thailand are newly “unemployed” because of the coronavirus crisis.

由于冠状病毒危机，泰国商业场所和庇护所饲养的100多头大象新近“失业”。

As the number of foreign visitors dwindle during the pandemic, the facilities — which count on tourists to feed the animals — sent scores of them trudging up to 95 miles back to their native stomping grounds.

随着疫情流行期间外国游客数量的减少，依靠游客喂养的这些动物，不得不跋涉95多英里回到了自己的故土。

The Save Elephant Foundation in the northern province of Chiang Mai supports fundraising appeals to feed animals still housed at tourist parks, but has also been promoting the elephants’ return home, where they can be more self-sufficient.

位于泰国北部清迈省的“拯救大象基金会”支持筹集资金的呼吁，为仍被关在旅游公园里的大象提供食物，但该基金会也一直在推动大象返回家园，在那里它们可以更加自给自足。

Since last month, the animals have marched from all over Chiang Mai to their homeland of Mae Chaem, where members of the Karen ethnic minority traditionally keep elephants in their villages.

从上个月开始，这些动物从清迈各地游行到他们的家乡梅查姆，在湄查姆，卡伦少数民族传统上在他们的村庄里饲养大象。

Sadudee Serichevee, who owns four elephants in Chiang Mai’s Mae Wang district, set up his own small Karen Elephant Experience park, bringing the animals from Mae Chaem’s Ban Huay Bong, his wife’s village.

Sadudee Serichevee在清迈的Mae Wang区拥有四头大象，他建立了自己的小克伦大象体验公园，从他妻子的村庄Mae Chaem的Ban Huay Bong带来了这些大象。

But when the coronavirus crisis happened, he and his wife could no longer afford the expenses to keep them. Elephants eat as much as 660 pounds a day of grass and vegetables.

但当疫情危机发生时，他和妻子再也负担不起养活他们的费用。大象每天要吃掉多达660磅的草和蔬菜。

“At first I thought the situation would be back to normal within a month or two,” Sadudee told the Associated Press. “At the end of April, I lost all hope.”

Sadudee对美联社说：“起初，我以为一两个月内情况会恢复正常。到四月底，我彻底失去了希望。”

So the couple decided to bring their caravan of 11 elephants back to their home turf — convincing other owners to do the same.

所以这对夫妇决定，把他们11头大象的队伍带回他们的家乡——说服其他主人也这么做。

“These elephants have not had a chance to return home for 20 years,” Sadudee said. “They seem to be very happy when arriving home, they make their happy noises, they run to the creek near the village and have fun along with our children.”

Sadudee说：“这些大象已经20年没有机会回家了。他们到家时很高兴，发出快乐的声音，跑到村子附近的小溪边，和我们的孩子们一起玩。”

The project is also active in Thailand’s northeastern province of Surin, known for its annual elephant festival. About 40 elephants returned last month to the province’s Tha Tum district, home to hundreds of the animals.

这个项目在泰国东北部的素林省也很活跃，那里以一年一度的大象节而闻名。上个月，大约40头大象回到了该省的塔图姆区，那里是数百头大象的家园。

“We don’t know when COVID-19 will go away,” said Save Elephant’s founder, Saengduean Chailert. “So this is our task, to help feed the elephants that were laid off because of the outbreak.”

“我们不知道COVID-19什么时候会消失，”拯救大象基金会的创始人Saengduean Chailert说。“所以这是我们的任务，帮助喂养因疫情而失业的大象。”