没有买卖就没有杀害。一些昧良心的人为了钱财，大肆捕杀珍稀野生动物，这种行为十分可耻。

Rob: Hello, I'm Rob, welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm joined today by Feifei.

Feifei: Hi there, Rob.

Rob: Hello Feifei. Today we're discussing the issue of the illegal trade in wildlife. And we'll

be looking at some of the words and phrases associated with this sad and increasing

activity. I think we all know there are many rare species of animals that are being

illegally hunted to make money. And 200 governments have been meeting in

Bangkok to talk about how to tackle this problem. More on that in a moment but as

always, we like to start with a question.

Feifei: Hmm, and this question is for me isn't it?

Rob: It is Feifei. Let's see if you can answer this question correctly this time! The dodo

bird has been extinct for a very long time – that means there have been no living

members of the species for quite a long time. But when did this bird become extinct?

a) In the late 1600's

b) In the late 1700's

c) In the early 1900's

Feifei: I will go for answer a) in the 1600's.

Rob: Ok, well let's find out if you are right at the end of the programme. The expression

'dead as a dodo' refers to this bird and can be used to describe something that is

completely dead or no longer working. And there is no doubt that many other animal

species are facing extinction – or dying out.

Feifei: Yes. Some experts are predicting a global 'extinction crisis'. So it's an extremely

urgent matter – and that's what governments have been discussing at a meeting in

Bangkok.

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Rob: They want to come up with ideas on how to stop the illegal trade in wildlife. They

want to stop animals, such as elephants and rhino, being killed for their horns and

tusks. Conservation groups – the people who try to protect the animals – claim the

scale of the slaughter is accelerating.

Feifei: So they mean the killing is increasing. So Rob, why is this problem on the increase?

Rob: Well, Mary Rice from the Environmental Investigations Agency blames the way the

illegal trade is policed – or to use her words, 'enforced'. Let's hear from her now and

see if you can hear the word she uses to describe how some people organise this

illegal trade:

Mary Rice, Environmental Investigations Agency

The enforcement effort tends to end at seizure. The poachers get arrested and convicted. You might

get the odd middleman. The guys who mastermind the efforts, the guys who invest in the

operations to acquire large amounts of ivory, for example, have never been intercepted.

Rob: That's Mary Rice talking about the 'enforcement effort' – or where the authorities

spend most of their time trying to stop the trade in wildlife.

Feifei: And that effort is concentrated on stopping the poachers. Poachers are the people

who catch and kill the animals. They get caught and the tusks, horns and other body

parts they have taken are seized and confiscated – so taken away by the police.

Rob: But, of course, the animal has already died. Mary Rice says it is the people who

mastermind the trade – in other words, the people who organise the poaching and

fund the trade, who are never caught – or intercepted.

Feifei: And it's not just individual people. Thailand itself has been accused of being a

transit route – a place endangered animals pass through while they are being

shipped between Africa and China. And this highlights another issue too. If there is a

demand for buying parts of the wild animals, someone will always try to supply

them.

Rob: It's a good point. In China and Hong Kong for example, there is a huge appetite for

shark-fin soup and it's claimed 100 million sharks are killed by commercial fishing

every year to supply this demand.

Feifei: Well luckily for the Oceanic white tip shark, delegates at this year's meeting have

voted to add it to a long list of endangered species that are being protected.

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Already, 35,000 animals and plants are protected by the convention on the

international trade in endangered species – CITES for short.

Rob: This agreement was signed in 1973 and the convention works by licensing

commercial trade in species – so it allows a fixed amount of controlled trading to

take place.

Feifei: But illegal wildlife trading still continues. The BBC's David Shukman says more needs

to be done. What three things does he think needs to happen?

David Shukman, BBC correspondent:

Having an international agreement clearly isn't enough; it'll take a combination of forensic science,

police co-operation and political will to halt the killing. Conservation groups warn that if this rate

continues, some populations of elephant and rhino will face extinction.

Feifei: So he thinks having an international agreement - CITES – isn't enough. He suggests

using forensic science, police co-operation and political will – that means a desire by

politicians to do something to stop this illegal activity.

Rob: David Shukman warns that if nothing is done, some populations of elephant and

rhino will face – or will be under threat of – extinction.

Feifei: Well that's what happened to the dodo.

Rob: Ah yes, earlier I asked you: when did the dodo bird become extinct?

a) In the late 1600's

b) In the late 1700's

c) In the early 1900's

Feifei: And I said in the 1600's.

Rob: And you were absolutely right. Its last confirmed sighting was in 1662. Before we go,

Feifei, could you remind us of some of the words we learned today?

Feifei: Yes. We heard:

hunted

extinct

dead as a dodo

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conservation groups

slaughter

seizure

poachers

a transit route

endangered species

Rob: Thanks Feifei. Well, that's it for today. Please join us again soon for 6 Minute English

from bbclearningenglish.

Both: Bye.