（来源：英语世界）
（2021年6月12日）
与外媒平时的涉华报道不同，这次“大象北迁”事件报道的画风是轻快明朗的。
美联社的一篇报道把中国四处游荡的大象比作“国际明星”（international stars）。
Major global media are chronicling the herd’s 500-kilometer (300-mile) trek from their home in a wildlife reserve in mountainous southwest Yunnan province to the outskirts of the provincial capital of Kunming.
全球主流媒体都在跟踪报道这群大象超过500公里的长途跋涉，它们一路从中国西南部云南省自然保护区逛到了省会昆明郊区。
Twitter and Youtube are full of their various antics, particularly those of two calves who slipped into an irrigation ditch and had to be helped out by older members of the group.
推特和油管被大象们滑稽逗趣的视频刷屏了，其中两只小象滑进引水渠后被成年象救出的画面尤为有趣。
《纽约时报》在报道中说：
Maybe they’re looking for better food. Maybe they’ve gotten lost. Maybe they’re just adventurous and having a good time.
也许它们在寻找更好吃的美食；也许它们迷路了；也许它们只是想冒险，玩得正开心呢。
在采访了中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园的一位研究员后，《纽约时报》写道：
The elephants’ growing proximity to humans — and their strictly protected status — has emboldened the animals, according to Dr. Campos-Arceiz. And, they’re smart: as they began breaching the boundaries of nature reserves and crossing into more populated areas, they discovered that crops were more appealing than their usual forest fare.
Campos-Arceiz博士说，大象与人类的距离越来越近，同时享受着被严格保护的地位，这让它们变得更大胆了。况且，它们很聪明。它们冲破自然保护区的界限，进入人口更加稠密的地区后，发现农作物比森林里的寻常食物好吃多了。
《南华早报》也提到这群大象的冒险精神：
Each elephant herd is different – some are more adventurous than others – and it may be that this particular group somehow reactivated their instinct to roam across the vast territories where their ancestors once lived, and where the elephants are now feeling safe again despite being surrounded by humans.
每个象群都是不同的，有些可能更富有冒险精神。这个象群可能突然激活了在祖先曾居住过的广袤土地上游荡的本能。即使被人类包围，它们现在也觉得这片土地是安全的。
BBC和《纽约时报》还转引了一些来自中国网友的幽默评论：
One post on the Weibo social media site said the animals probably wanted to attend the UN Biodiversity Conference meeting in Kunming. They are a bit early, as it isn't taking place until October.
一条微博说这些大象估计是想去昆明参加联合国《生物多样性公约》第十五次缔约方大会。它们去得有点早，因为大会十月才开幕。
The absence of clarity has not at all dampened the public’s enjoyment of the animals’ long march. Social media users have cooed over videos of an older elephant rescuing a calf that fell into a gutter. Even Xinhua, the state news agency, has jokingly referred to the herd as a “tour group.”
虽然大象离开保护区的原因尚不明确，但这丝毫没有消减大众从大象“长征”中获得的乐趣。社交媒体用户们看着成年象把象宝宝从引水渠中救出的场面直呼可爱。连官方媒体新华社都玩笑般地把象群称为“旅行团”。
卫报写道：
Authorities have marshalled extraordinary resources to monitor the herd and keep it away from residential areas. According to Chinese media, the Yunnan forest fire brigade said a team of eight people were tracking the elephants, 24 hours a day, both on the ground and by drone from the air.
政府组织并投入了超乎寻常的资源来监测象群，确保它们不接近居民区。据中国媒体报道，云南森林消防队称，一支由八人和无人机组成的团队正在从陆地和空中全天候跟踪大象的行程。
After nearly 30 years of work, the number of Asian elephants living in China has increased from around 170 in the 1990s to about 300 today. Speculation about the elephants' next stop has also been a topic of interest, with netizens wondering where the elephants will choose to settle down.
在大象们自由行动的背后，是中国在多年间对于生态和野生象保护的成就。《纽约时报》、路透社、卫报、美联社等媒体都提到了中国野生象群的种群数量从上世纪70年代的170头增长到现在的300多头。这是中国保护自然环境和野生动物的有效证明。
（编辑：吕思琦）