A Little Mermaid statue has been coated in red paint by animal rights activists protesting brutal whale hunts in Denmark. 為抵制丹麥殘忍的捕鯨活動，動物權利保護人士將小美人魚雕像塗滿了紅漆。 The 94-year-old monument, a tribute to Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, was found covered in paint on Tuesday morning.週二清晨，小美人魚雕像被發現噴滿了紅漆。這座有94年歷史的雕像是為了向丹麥童話作家漢斯•克利斯蒂安•安徒生致敬。
Vandals had then written 'Denmark defend the whales of the Faroe Islands' on a footpath nearby. 破壞者還在附近的一條小徑上寫下"丹麥應當保護法羅群島的鯨魚"。 Every year around 800 pilot whales are herded into coves on the Faroe Islands before being stabbed to death during a hunt known as grindadrap - or 'the grind'. 每年，約八百頭領航鯨被趕進法羅群島的海灣，然後在被稱為"法羅群島捕鯨行動"中被殺死。 Traditionally a bonfire was lit when a pod of whales was spotted near the islands in order to alert fishermen to ready their boats.傳統習慣是，每當在島嶼附近出現一群鯨魚，就會有人點燃篝火，提醒漁民準備船隻出航捕獵。
Today word spreads on social media before the vessels head out to drive the mammals into the shore.
而現在，在船隻驅趕鯨魚靠岸前，捕鯨的消息會通過社交媒體傳播。 Hunters armed with knives mounted on long poles then gather in a cove, where they kill the animals by severing their spinal chords and arteries. 捕鯨者們會帶上有長杆的刀，聚集在一個海灣旁。在那裡，他們會切斷鯨魚的脊椎和動脈來殺死它們。 The practice dates back at least 300 years. Locals say the whales are not under threat and the killings violate no laws. 這樣的捕鯨行動可以追溯到至少300年前。當地人說，鯨魚並沒有受到數量銳減的威脅，而且這種捕鯨行動是並不違法。
The Faroe Islands comprises 17 inhabited islands located around 260 miles north of John O'Groats, Scotland. 法羅群島位於蘇格蘭約翰奧格羅茨以北約260英里處，包含17個有人居住的島嶼。 In the 1940s the population voted to succeed from Denmark, but after the government failed to agree a deal the proposal was dropped in favour of laws allowing greater home rule.在二十世紀四十年代，法羅群島通過公投脫離丹麥，但政府未能達成協議，所以該提案被放棄了，取而代之的是更加寬鬆的群島內部法。 Today the islands are largely self-governing, though still technically part of the Kingdom of Denmark. 如今，法羅群島在很大程度上都是自治的，不過，從嚴格意義上講，該群島仍是丹麥王國的一部分。 Pilot whales are highly sociable and intelligent creatures, and researchers believe they are capable of grief and may even possess their own culture. 領航鯨是具有高級社交能力和智力的生物。研究人員認為它們有悲傷的能力，甚至可能擁有自己的文化。The Faroese hunts rely on the whales' loyalty to work, as the mammals will attempt to defend each other even while being hacked to death. 法羅群島捕鯨活動主要利用的是鯨魚對族群的忠誠。因為這種哺乳動物即便要被襲擊殺死也會試圖保護彼此。 Finished in 1913, the Little Mermaid statue spent its first 50 years virtually untouched, before becoming a target for politically-minded vandals. 小美人魚雕像於1913年完工，前五十年一直安然無恙，直到被有政治頭腦的破壞者設為目標。 The bronze sculpture was first doused with paint in 1963, with copycat vandalisms in 1972, 2006, and two in 2007. 這座青銅雕塑在1963年首次被破壞者塗上了油漆，接著在1972年和2006年各有一次類似的遭遇，2007年被塗了兩次。 The most well-known defacing occurred in 1964 when the mermaid's head was cut off and stolen by artists from the Situationist movement. 最臭名昭著的損毀雕像事件發生在1964年，雕塑的頭部被幾個情境主義運動藝術家切下並偷走。Police never recovered the head, and a new one had to be cast. 警方未能追回雕塑的頭部，不得不為小美人魚重新澆築了一個頭。 In 1984 the right arm was cut off from the wrist to the shoulder, before being returned two days later. 1984年，小美人魚的右臂被從肩膀處割斷，兩天后才被還回來。There was another failed decapitation in 1990, before someone succeeded in removing the head again in 1998. 1990年，有人蓄謀再次割下小美人魚的頭部，但是失敗了。而在1998年，小美人魚的頭部又被割走了. Again the culprit was never caught, though this time the head was returned to a local television station and reattached. 同上一次一樣，作案者一直未被抓獲。但是這一次雕塑頭部被送回了當地的一家電視臺，後來又被重新安了回去。 In 2004 explosives were used to blow the mermaid off her pedestal, and she was later found floating in the harbour with holes in her knee and waist. 2004年，有人用炸藥將小美人魚從基座上炸了下來，被發現漂浮在港口附近，膝蓋和腰部佈滿了小洞。
1. ELEPHANTS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY ARE ABUSED 旅遊業中的大象正在遭受虐待
A wild elephant doesn't naturally allow a human to climb atop its back and trek through the jungle, for hours, every day of the week. It has to be tamed into submission. In Southeast Asia, the process of taming an elephant includes torture and breaking its spirit. 野生大象並不是生來就允許人們爬上他的背每天在叢林中跋涉數小時的。大象經過馴化後才會服從。在東南亞，馴化大象的過程包括身體折磨和精神摧殘。
The ancient tradition is called Phajaan, meaning "the crush." Poachers take the wild baby elephant away from its mother, sometimes killing the protective elephants around the calf. 這種古老的馴象傳統被稱為Phajaan，意思是"徹底粉碎"。偷獵者將野生大象寶寶從媽媽身邊帶走，有時還會殺死保護在小象身邊的大象。
The handlers tie, cage, starve and beat the animal with tools like a metal bull hook until it learns to fear and obey humans. 馴化者們將大象拴起來、關在籠子裡、不給他們食物，還用金屬牛角鉤等工具打他們，直到大象學會害怕和服從人類。
There are many graphic videos to prove it, like this one. 有很多視頻可以作證，比如下面這段視頻。
2. GIVING RIDES CAN DAMAGE ELEPHANTS' SPINES. 騎大象會損害大象的脊椎
An elephant's spine is not built to support the weight of a human being. Elephants that carry tourists on their backs for hours every day experience discomfort and can suffer from permanent spinal damage. There is also the added element of the Howdah: the seat that the human sits in atop the elephant. The seat causes irritation against the elephant's skin and can lead to infection. 大象的脊椎並非天生用來承載人類的重量。大象每天將遊客背在背上數小時，會感到不適，且脊椎會受到永久性損傷。另一種傷害來自Howdah：人們坐在大象背上的座椅。這種座椅會刺痛大象皮膚，還會導致皮膚感染。
3. ELEPHANTS ARE SOCIAL, INTELLIGENT CREATURES. 大象是聰明的群居動物
Elephants are very similar to humans. They have family and friends and feel deep emotion. According to Elephant Voices, "elephants are well-known for their intelligence, close family ties and social complexity, and they remember for years other individuals and places." 大象和人類非常相似。他們有家人和朋友，非常有感情。據《大象的聲音》稱，"大象以聰明、家庭關係親密以及社會複雜性而著稱，他們對其他個體和地點的記憶可以儲存多年。"
Not only do elephants remember and feel the pain of torture deeply enough to suffer from post-traumatic stress, but when elephants are brought on trekking camps, they are often ripped away from their herd and forced to live in loneliness. 大象對折磨的痛苦有著深刻的感受和記憶，因而飽受創傷後壓力的折磨，不僅如此，當大象被帶到大象營時，人們通常將他們和象群分離，強迫他們獨自生活。
"Just as we consider solitary confinement as punishment for humans, we should also be thinking that way about elephants," said Stanford professor Caitlin O'Connell in an interview with National Geographic in 2016. "It is not healthy to house elephants by themselves." 2016年，斯坦福大學教授凱特琳•奧康奈爾接受《國家地理》採訪時表示："正如我們認為單獨禁閉是對人類的懲罰一樣，我們應該想到對於大象也是這樣。讓大象獨居對他們來說是不健康的。"
4. ASIAN ELEPHANTS ARE ENDANGERED.
亞洲大象瀕臨滅絕。
The Asian elephant is on the Red List of Threatened Species. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the population declined more than 50 percent over the last 60 to 75 years. Asian elephants that work in the tourism industry sometimes die from hunger, dehydration and exhaustion. Like captive elephant Sambo, who died in Cambodia earlier this year from a heart attack while giving tourists a ride in 104 degree Fahrenheit heat. 亞洲象被列入《瀕危物種紅色名單》。據國際自然保護聯盟稱，在過去60-75年裡，大象的數量減少了50%以上。在旅遊行業工作的亞洲象有時會死於饑餓、脫水和疲勞。例如，今年早些時候在柬埔寨，圈養大象桑博在華氏104度（40攝氏度）的高溫下背馱遊客時心臟病發作而亡。
5. THERE ARE BETTER, SAFER WAYS TO INTERACT WITH ELEPHANTS.
與大象互動的方式可以更好、更安全
You don't have to visit a camp that promotes elephant rides to interact with these beautiful creatures. There are conservations in Southeast Asia like Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary, Elephant Nature Park and Elephant Jungle Sanctuary that save elephants from captivity and allow humans to visit. You can hang out with elephants, and help bathe, feed and observe them. ENP even offers a range of volunteer opportunities for tourists. 你不需要到一個提倡騎大象的營地和這個美麗的生物互動。東南亞有大象保護區，比如，本露特大象庇護所、大象自然公園和大象叢林庇護所，這些地方可以保護大象不被圈養，而且允許人們前來參觀。你可以和大象一起閒逛，幫他們洗澡、餵食，觀察他們。大象自然公園甚至為遊客提供一系列志願服務機會。
Dustin Levick, a tourist from Texas, visited the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand, last month. While there he was able to appreciate the elephants in an ethical way. 上個月，來自德克薩斯州的遊客達斯汀•李維科參觀了泰國清邁的大象叢林庇護所。在那裡，他能夠以一種不違背道德的方式觀賞大象。
"They are so happy when they go swimming. They just roll around in the water and it's amazing to watch how happy they are," said Levick. "Standing in front of a 55-year-old elephant who weights 2 tons, massaging her trunk with mud as she stands perfectly still, you can't help but feel a connection to such an amazing animal." 李維科說："大象在游泳的時候真的很開心。他們就在水中打滾，看到他們這麼高興真的很棒。站在一頭55歲、2噸重的大象面前，給一動不動的她抹泥巴，你會不由自主地感覺到與這個神奇的動物之間的聯繫。"
