 | A zoo keeper strokes Marjan, a 50 years-old African male lion, sitting in his cage in Kabul's destroyed zoo November 15, 2001. Marjan has lived in the zoo for the last 47 years and a few years ago he killed a man who entered his cage, the brother of the killed man, to revenge Marjan, lobed a hand grenade in the cage, the lion survived the blast but lost both his eyes. | A wild cat which limps, a blind lion, a bear with a bloody nose and an aged eagle: life is as tough for the animals in Kabul zoo as it is for the people of this war-ravaged Afghan capital.
Mardjon the lion is the only big cat in this zoo in the middle of the city. No longer young, he lounged in the drought-hit garden of his small enclosure. "Seven years ago he was hit by a grenade which exploded right in front of his head. The shrapnel pierced his eyes. Since then he has been blind," said zookeeper Sher Aqa Omar.Mardjon's breakfast on Sunday was 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of camel meat, the cheapest lion food on the market. "I have enough for two days. After that I will have to find more," said Omar. Enclosed near Mardjon is a collared bear with a bloody snout. One of the rare visitors to the zoo injured the animal with a stick. "The veterinary surgeon is not able to cure it, but is trying to ensure that at least it does not get any worse," the zookeeper said. A number of bears were killed, the birds of prey escaped and the sole Indian elephant owned by the zoo died. "When the fighting was at its worst, the owner of the zoo locked Mardjon up in a basement each night and fed him directly in his mouth," Sher Aqa said. Only 17 species of animal remain in Kabul's zoo, the inter-fighting from 1992 to 1996 followed by the five-year rule of the Taliban movement having taken its toll on the animals. That the zoo has been in the front line of the warfare is evidenced by the bullet-riddled walls and the state of the small animal museum in the middle of the park, which was bombed and then destroyed by fire. Omar added that many of the animals had been psychologically disturbed by the fighting in the city and, more recently, by the US bombing campaign. "Two weeks ago, those two did not want to leave their little hideaway at the bottom of their cage," Sher Aqa said, pointing to two monkeys. "I hope that the future government will unblock funds that will allow this place to regain its previous state," he added. A visit to the zoo is, however, a better bet than an outing to the city's other main attraction, the cultural museum, which has been bombed, mined, and finally plundered. (Agencies) | 跛脚野猫,瞎眼狮子,年迈的老鹰和一只受了伤的熊,这就是喀布尔动物园里的真实情景。在这个饱受战争蹂躏的国家的首都动物园里,珍稀动物和阿富汗的人们一样,过着"牛马"不如的生活。 一只名为Mardjion的狮子是这个位于喀布尔市中心的动物园里唯一的大型猫科动物。已经上了年纪的Mardjion懒懒地躺在它那狭小而燥热的笼子里。 动物管理员Sher Aqa Omar说:"七年前,一颗手榴弹正巧在Mardjion的脑袋前爆炸,碎片深深地刺入Mardjion的眼睛,从此它就成了一只瞎眼的狮子。" Mardjion只有在每个星期日才能吃到肉。今天是星期日,Mardjion的早餐是10公斤的骆驼肉,这是市场上最便宜的狮粮了,即使如此,管理员Omar说:"我们的食物只够Mardjion再吃两天了,两天后我们必须去寻找其它的食物。" 关在Mardjion旁边的笼子里是一只鼻子受伤,鲜血淋淋的熊,据说这只脖子上套着锁链的熊是被仅有的几个参观者中的一个用棍棒给弄伤的。 管理员说:"我们的兽医没有条件治愈这只受伤的熊,但他已经尽力让这只熊的病情不再而恶化。" 动物园里其余的熊都被杀了,食肉鸟儿飞走了,园子里唯一的印度象也死了。Omar说:"在战争最激烈的时候,动物园的老板每晚把Mardjion锁在地下室,亲自喂它食物才救下了这只狮子的性命。" 1992年至1996年的阿富汗内战和接下来的塔利班运动夺取了大部分动物的生命,如今喀布尔动物园中仅存17种动物。从动物园里满是枪眼的围墙和被轰炸焚烧的小型动物展览馆的残垣可以清晰的看出喀布尔动物园曾是战争的前沿阵地。 据Omar说,由于城里的激战和近来美国对这个城市的轰炸,这些幸存下来的动物大多也已经心理失常了。Omar指着两只猴子说:"两周前,我把它们俩放出笼子的时候,它们居然都不愿意出来。" "我希望未来的政府能拨出一些款项,让我们的动物园恢复从前的生气。" 然而,这样一个几乎被废弃的动物园比起喀布尔市内的其它景观,还算是一个比较安宁,能看到一丝生命迹象的地方。像喀布尔文化博物馆,就曾被空袭、被炸毁,最后还被洗劫一空。 (中国日报网站译) |