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Source text - English Mongabay Series: Conservation in Madagascar
Thousands of radiated tortoises seized from traffickers in Madagascar
• More than 7,000 critically endangered radiated tortoises were confiscated by authorities from suspected wildlife traffickers in Madagascar on Oct. 24.
• The seizure happened in the same area where a similar bust, involving nearly 10,000 tortoises of the same species, took place in April.
• The NGO Turtle Survival Alliance is working with the Madagascar environment ministry to care for the surviving tortoises.
Authorities in Madagascar confiscated 7,347 radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) from wildlife traffickers on Oct. 24, just months after a similar bust led to the seizure of nearly 10,000 tortoises of the same species in a nearby town.
“There’s this buzz in our ears of this vacuuming sound coming from the country” as tortoises are removed from the wild to satisfy domestic and international demand for meat and the pet trade, said Jordan Gray, communications and outreach coordinator for the South Carolina-based Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), in an interview with Mongabay.
The tortoises from the April bust had been confined to an abandoned house without food or water and “living in their own filth” before they were rescued, Gray said. These animals are a bit healthier, he added, relaying information from Rakotoarisoa. The traffickers had been keeping the animals outside where they had access to shade and some food.
Still, as of Oct. 31, more than 200 of the tortoises had died, and some of the survivors were dehydrated and underweight.
“We are still in the critical phase of this relief effort,” Gray said.
Trade in radiated tortoises is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. But surging demand for the meat and pet trades, primarily from Asia, appears to be driving poaching of the critically endangered species from the dry shrubland of its native Madagascar. That has increased the pressure on a tortoise that has also lost parts of its habitat to farming and ranching in recent decades.
A 2018 investigation by the NGO TRAFFIC revealed a spike in the number of radiated tortoises, along with other species, being sold in markets in Indonesia, where they can fetch more than $7,300 apiece.
Officials in Madagascar have had success tracking down poachers at home. The Ministry of the Environment, Ecology and Forests arrested three suspected traffickers in this latest case. And three others were tried, convicted and sentenced to jail for their involvement in the April seizure, though the accused do have a short window to appeal, Gray said.
TSA’s immediate concern is how to manage the care of this new group of tortoises on top of the more than 18,000 tortoises already at its facilities. The plan is to move the surviving tortoises to TSA’s Lavavolo Tortoise Center near the town of Itampolo beginning Oct. 31, where 8,600 tortoises from the April bust currently reside, and to Village des Tortues, run by TSA’s partner organization, SOPTOM. Gray said the organization’s greatest need is funding for the transport and for food and their care once the tortoises arrive. TSA will likely hire four new keepers to care for the new arrivals, so the organization’s monthly expenses could rise by $1,000, Gray said.
Village des Tortues was the site of the previous rescue effort. For several months after the bust, seven waves of veterinarians and caretaking staff traveled from around the globe to the center to help save as many animals as possible.
This time around, TSA plans to take a step back, letting vets like Rakotoarisoa take the lead.
“We really want to empower the Malagasy,” Gray said, “so our primary focus this time is on logistical and financial support so that the people of Madagascar can better protect their wildlife.”
Over the longer term, Gray said, addressing this issue will require international collaboration to increase penalties for poaching and trafficking both in Madagascar and abroad.
Indonesian courts recently convicted two wildlife traffickers who were caught with radiated tortoises, according to TRAFFIC.
“These cases mark a new beginning for Indonesia in its fight against wildlife crime, and we commend Indonesian authorities for taking this on,” Kanitha Krishnasamy, TRAFFIC’s director for Southeast Asia, said in a statement. “We look forward to more cases being investigated and acted upon.”
However, Indonesian law doesn’t outlaw the possession of species that aren’t native to the country, so the men were charged only with violating quarantine laws. The courts handed them suspended sentences and ordered them to pay fines that topped out at just over $300.
“The sentences are very disappointing,” Krishnasamy said. “They will not serve as a deterrent for those well entrenched in the illegal and lucrative trade of this highly threatened species.”
Gray sees that effect rippling all the way back to Madagascar. Until there’s “a safer environment for the tortoises to go back into,” he said, it doesn’t make sense to return them to the wild.
Jordan Gray of TSA said the addition of the recently seized tortoises could require four additional keepers to handle the thousands of tortoises the organization now has under its care. Image courtesy of Turtle Survival Alliance.
“The poaching is so rampant,” he added.
Part of the issue is the widespread poverty in a country like Madagascar, where 86 percent of the population gets by on less than $3.10 a day, according to the United Nations Development Programme. Collecting tortoises from the wild represents a way to make quick money. Addressing that issue involves helping people find alternative sources of income and changing attitudes toward poaching.
Gray also said TSA planned to redouble its efforts to pressure governments where the illegal wildlife trade is a problem.
“It really needs to happen at much higher levels to get to the root of the problem,” he said.
Translation - French Série Mongabay : Conservation à Madagascar
Saisie de milliers de tortues radiées des mains de trafiquants à Madagascar
• Le 24 octobre à Madagascar, plus de 7 000 tortues radiées en danger critique d’extinction ont été confisquées par les autorités à de présumés trafiquants de faune sauvage.
• Cette saisie est survenue dans une région où un semblable coup de filet avait été mené en avril, impliquant près de 10 000 tortues de la même espèce.
• L’ONG Turtle Survival Alliance travaille avec le ministère de l’Environnement de Madagascar pour soigner les tortues survivantes.
Le 24 octobre, les autorités malgaches ont confisqué 7 347 tortues radiées (astrochelys radiata) des mains de trafiquants de faune sauvage, quelques mois seulement après la saisie de près de 10 000 tortues de la même espèce dans une ville voisine, lors d’un semblable coup de filet.
« Le pays se vide de ses tortues » a déclaré lors d’une interview accordée à Mongabay Jordan Gray, coordinateur de communication et de proximité pour l’organisation Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) basée en Caroline du Sud. Celles-ci sont en effet retirées de leur environnement naturel pour satisfaire la demande nationale et internationale de viande ainsi que le marché des animaux de compagnie.
Les tortues saisies en avril avaient été enfermées dans une maison abandonnée sans eau ni nourriture ; avant l’arrivée des secours, elles vivaient dans leurs excréments, a expliqué Jordan Gray. Les animaux secourus cette fois-ci sont en meilleure santé, a-t-il ajouté, relayant des informations de Ny Aina Tiana Rakotoariso. Les trafiquants les avaient gardés à l’extérieur où ils avaient accès à de l’ombre et de la nourriture.
Pourtant, au 31 octobre, plus de 200 tortues avaient péri et certaines des survivantes étaient déshydratées et en sous-poids.
« Nous sommes encore en phase critique de cet effort de secours » a souligné Jordan Gray.
Le commerce de tortues radiées est interdit en vertu de la Convention sur le commerce international des espèces de faune et de flore sauvages menacées d’extinction, ou CITES. Mais la demande croissante de viande et d’animaux de compagnie, principalement en provenance d’Asie, semble conduire au braconnage d’espèces en danger critique d’extinction originaires des formations arbustives sèches de Madagascar. Ceci exerce une pression accrue sur cette tortue qui a d’ailleurs perdu une partie de son habitat au cours des dernières décennies, en raison de l’agriculture et des ranchs.
Une enquête de 2018 menée par l’ONG TRAFFIC a révélé une recrudescence du nombre de tortues radiées et d’autres espèces vendues sur des marchés indonésiens, où elles peuvent atteindre plus de 7 300 $ pièce.
Des officiels de Madagascar ont réussi à suivre la piste de braconniers jusqu’à chez eux. Dans ce tout récent cas, le ministère de l’Environnement, de l’Écologie et des Forêts a appréhendé trois trafiquants présumés. Trois autres ont été jugés et condamnés à une peine d’emprisonnement pour leur implication dans la saisie du mois d’avril, bien que les accusés aient un court laps de temps pour faire appel, a déclaré Jordan Gray.
La préoccupation immédiate de TSA est de savoir comment prendre en charge les soins de ce nouvel arrivage de tortues, qui vient s’ajouter aux plus de 18 000 tortues déjà présentes. Dès le 31 octobre, l’organisation prévoit de déplacer les survivantes vers le centre pour tortues Lavavolo de TSA, près de la ville d’Itampolo, qui abrite actuellement 8 600 tortues saisies en avril, et vers le village des tortues, géré par SOPTOM, organisation partenaire de TSA. Jordan Gray a fait remarquer que le besoin le plus criant de l’organisation était le financement du transport, de la nourriture et des soins une fois que ces tortues seront arrivées. TSA embauchera probablement quatre nouveaux soignants qui s’occuperont des nouvelles arrivantes. Par conséquent, les dépenses mensuelles de l’organisation pourraient augmenter de 1 000 $, nous a confié Jordan Gray.
C’est au village des tortues que s’est déroulé le précédent effort de sauvetage. Pendant de nombreux mois après le coup de filet, sept vagues de vétérinaires et de soignants venus des quatre coins du monde se sont rendus au centre pour aider à sauver autant d’animaux que possible.
Cette fois-ci, TSA a l’intention de prendre du recul et de laisser des vétérinaires tels que Ny Aina Tiana Rakotoarisoa prendre les choses en main.
« Nous voulons vraiment responsabiliser les Malgaches », a affirmé Jordan Gray. « Notre principal objectif cette fois est le soutien logistique et financier de sorte que le peuple de Madagascar puisse mieux protéger sa faune sauvage. »
À long terme, a poursuivi Jordan Gray, pour résoudre cette question, une collaboration internationale sera nécessaire en vue d’accroître les peines pour le braconnage et le trafic tant à Madagascar qu’à l’étranger.
Selon TRAFFIC, les tribunaux indonésiens ont récemment reconnu coupables deux trafiquants de faune sauvage qui avaient été pris la main dans le sac avec des tortues radiées.
« Ces cas marquent un nouveau départ pour l’Indonésie et sa lutte contre les atteintes à la faune sauvage ; nous félicitons les autorités indonésiennes de se charger de cette tâche » a déclaré Kanitha Krishnasamy, directrice de TRAFFIC pour l’Asie du Sud-Est. « Nous nous réjouissons qu’un plus grand nombre de cas fasse l’objet d’enquêtes et de suivi. »
Toutefois, la loi indonésienne n’interdit pas la possession d’espèces non natives du pays ; par conséquent, ces hommes ont uniquement été accusés d’enfreindre les lois en matière de quarantaine. Les tribunaux les ont condamnés à des peines avec sursis et les ont astreints à régler des amendes d’un peu plus de 300 dollars seulement.
« Ces peines sont très décevantes. » s’est indignée Kanitha Krishnasamy. « Elles ne dissuaderont pas les individus activement impliqués dans le commerce illégal et lucratif de ces espèces extrêmement menacées. »
Jordan Gray voit cet effet se répercuter jusqu’à Madagascar. Selon lui, avant qu’un « environnement plus sûr ne soit en place pour les tortues », il ne sert à rien de les relâcher dans la nature.
D’après Jordan Gray de TSA, avec l’arrivage des tortues récemment saisies, il faudra sans doute compter avec quatre soigneurs supplémentaires pour prendre en charge les milliers de tortues dont s’occupe l’organisation. Image de Turtle Survival Alliance.
« Le braconnage est un phénomène endémique », a-t-il ajouté.
Ce problème s’explique en partie par la pauvreté généralisée qui sévit à Madagascar, où 86 % de la population vit avec moins de 3,10 dollars par jour, selon le programme des Nations unies pour le développement. Le fait de recueillir des tortues dans la nature permet de gagner de l’argent rapidement. Pour régler cette question, il faudra aider les gens à trouver d’autres sources de revenus et changer les attitudes envers le braconnage.
En outre, Jordan Gray a avancé que la TSA prévoyait de redoubler ses efforts pour faire pression sur les gouvernements des pays confrontés au problème du commerce illégal de faune sauvage.
Selon lui, « Cette lutte doit vraiment intervenir à des niveaux bien plus élevés afin de s’attaquer aux racines du problème ».
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Translation education
Master's degree - Chartered Institute of Linguists
Experience
Years of experience: 11. Registered at ProZ.com: Nov 2012. Became a member: Nov 2012.
A creative translator specialising in business and marketing
A native French speaker living in the UK, I set up my translation business in 2013, after successfully completed the Chartered Institute of Linguists' Diploma in translation. I previously worked for 10 years in the marketing field, predominantly in an international context.
Services offered:
Translating, transcreating, proofreading, editing and LSO services from English to French
Other specialisms: Fashion, tourism, cosmetics and not for profit
Some of my recent experience:
Transcreation:
Regular contributor for an online lifestyle magazine (creative translation of tourism and fashion content)
Proofreading:
French proofreader for a language learning application and website. This involves proofreading and editing award winning language courses, ranging from grammar content and marketing emails to website and mobile app interface content.
Recent E-commerce/marketing assignments:
- Translation of circa 18,000 words for an American cosmetics brand (marketing content)
- Translation of circa 30,000 words for a D2C e-commerce service (entertainment)
- Translation of circa 13,000 words for an online bidding site (e-commerce/IT)
- Transcreation of circa 5,000 words for an application (tourism/marketing sphere)
- Translation of 2,000 words for a prominent social search engine (e-commerce/IT)
- Translation of 3,000 words for a large charity (marketing content)
- Translation of merchandising products for a large car manufacturer (circa 7,900 words)
- Marketing presentation for an industrial Internet Cloud offering (5,000 words)
- Marketing material for a technology company specialising in digital dictation products (4,000 words) Business:
- Translation of 40,000 words for an online training company (course on procurement strategy)
- Translation of 30,000 words for a leading bank (meeting minutes)
- Proofreading of circa 25,000 words (tender by a Consortium to support OHADA in Africa)
- Translation of an accreditation letter for Heartland Alliance International
- Translation of a press release (LBB Asia)
- Proofreading of circa 1,500 words for a transport company
- Proofreading of 6,900 words for a hotel management firm (employee engagement survey)
- Proofreading of the website of a translation and localisation agency (circa 5,900 words)
- Proofreading of 1,200 words (PowerPoint presentation of an accounting software)
- Proofreading of circa 300 words for Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (business document) Environment:
- Translation of circa 10,000 words for the United Nations (document on climate change)
- Translation of 7,000 words for Plant-for-the-Planet (PowerPoint presentation)
- Report on the end-market for textile rags and fibres and on technologies for sorting end of life textiles for a charity (10,000 words)
- Translation of circa 4,000 words for a conference on pre-salt development
- Ongoing translations for Mongabay (volunteer) Education/sport:
- Translation of 5,200 words for a Strategic adviser (recommendations to an international school)
- Translation of 2,000 words for the Young Athletes Programme (educational sport programme for children with intellectual disabilities)
- Proofreading of circa 6,000 words for the Young Athletes and Special Olympics Programme Culture/history:
- Translation of circa 6,000 words for At Cardiff Museum
- Translation of 1,250 words for Norman Connections
- Proofreading of circa 1,300 for a Norman castle (leaflet) Food/nutrition:
- Translation of 2,900 words for Stop Hunger Now (Partner orientation pack) Technical/medical:
- Translation of 16,000 words for a manufacturer of scalp cooling equipment (user manual)
- Translation of 1,500 words for a manufacturer of e-cigarettes (user’s manual)
- Translation of 2,800 words for a flue liner manufacturer (brochure)
- Translation of 1,900 words for a ladder manufacturer (instruction manual) Politics/humanitarian:
- Translation of circa 6,500 words for a world-leading source of independent analysis (report on a G8 initiative)
- Translation of 990 words for the International Citizen Audit Network
- Proofreading of circa 640 words for the International Citizen Audit Network
- Fundraising strategy for a leading children’s charity
- Guidelines, public sector strengthening strategy, dfid attribution policy, qualitative discussions and close out plans for the world’s largest providers of quality, affordable contraception and safe abortion services
Accreditation:
- Diploma in Translation (Chartered Institute of Linguists), English to French, Science, Business and General modules
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists
- Qualified member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting
- Member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting’s Western Regional Group
Professional background:
I worked in the field of marketing and Public Relations for over ten years, during which time I acquired in-depth knowledge of marketing and business terminology in both English and French. I worked on various multilingual projects and translated many documents in the course of my work, including press releases, business correspondence, invoices, brochures etc.
My offer:
I am hardworking and reliable; you will find that I reply promptly and am easy to work with. I also offer transcreation services including the adaptation of slogans taglines, in-store displays etc. I always pride myself on not just conveying the meaning of the original message but also on finding the right mood, nuances and tones. My rates:
Rates vary according to the nature of the text and its length.
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Member since Nov '12
