VOA常速英语:Meat for Mecca: Somaliland Exports Livestock for the Hajj(翻译)

From the hinterlands to the capital, Hargeisa,millions of sheep and goats are on the move in the small self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland.
从内陆到首都哈尔格萨，数百万的绵羊和山羊现在正在索马里兰——这个自封的小共和国活动。

The animals are enroute to Saudi Arabia for use as sacrificial offerings for Muslims making the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca calls the Hajj.
这些牲畜正在被运往沙特阿拉伯，用来奉献贡品，供穆斯林前往麦加朝圣，也叫作朝觐。

The livestock trade to the Middle East accounts for 60 percent of Somaliland’s gross domestic product and 70 percent of its jobs.
与中东地区的牲畜买卖占索马里兰国民生产总值的60%，并为索马里兰提供了70%的工作岗位。

Some Muslims consider the black-headed sheep to have religious significance relating to the prophet Abraham.
一些穆斯林认为，黑头的绵羊具有宗教意义，与先知亚伯拉罕有关。

Mowlid Hassan Jama has worked at Hargeisa’s livestock market for ten years.
Mowlid Hassan Jama在哈尔格萨牲畜交易市场已经工作了10年了。

“I earn my livelihood from this livestock, and secondly,I feel I’m supporting the Islamic community in having a good Hajj festival,”
“我要靠这些牲畜来维持生计，其次，我觉得自己是在支持伊斯兰团体，让他们过好朝觐节，”Jama如是说道。

Once sold in the markets, the animals are trucked to the Red Sea port of Berbera,where they wait in quarantine for weeks receiving blood tests and vaccinations.
一旦被售出，这些牲畜便会被用卡车运送到柏培拉的红海港，进行为期几周的检疫，包括验血和接种疫苗。

Past accusations of disease among Somaliland livestock led Saudi Arabia to temporarily ban imports of Somaliland animals.
之前，索马里兰的牲畜多次被指患有疾病，于是沙特阿拉伯临时禁止从索马里兰进口牲畜。

Government veterinarian Ali Mahamud Gulled says the Berbera quarantine holds over a million animals at the height of the Hajj.
政府兽医Ali Mahamud Gulled表示，柏培拉在检疫期间，可以容纳100多万头牲口，在朝觐高峰时期使用。

“It’s very, very important we guarantee that no disease is carried and infected to the imported country ...because then that will affect us economically, drastically.It could result in a ban of our livestock,so we make sure that each and every animal leaving here is free of diseases,”
“这点真的是非常非常重要，我们必须要保证这些牲畜不携带任何疾病，也不会传染到进口国家…因为如果无法保证的话，我们将会在经济上受到巨大的影响。并且会导致别的国家禁止进口我们的牲畜，所以，我们必须确保从这里输出的每一头牲口都是健康的。”

After quarantine, the sheep and goats load onto ships holding between 20,000 and 120,000 animals.The animals are often loaded at night when the air is cooler.
检疫期一过，绵羊和山羊就会被装到船上，这些船只可以容纳2万到12万头牲口。一般装载牲畜的工作都会在晚上进行，因为晚上空气比较凉爽。

Somaliland now faces competition from Sudan, Australia,and other countries who also export livestock to the Hajj.
索马里兰如今面临来自一些国家的竞争，包括苏丹、澳大利亚以及其他国家，他们也为朝觐出口牲畜。

Abdi Osman Haji, a researcher with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization,which supports the livestock sector,says Somaliland must modernize its industry to stay ahead.
Abdi Osman Haji是一名研究员，目前就职于联合国粮食及农业组织（FAO），该组织支持着畜牧业，他表示，索马里兰必须实现畜牧业现代化，以保持领先地位。

“I am sure Somaliland cannot maintain its current position if we don’t improve the whole export value chain,the market facilities are very dilapidated and they are not up to date ... ”
“我相信，如果以下情况继续存在，索马里兰将无法保持现在的地位，即我们不完善整个出口价值链，以及市场设施陈旧不堪，却不进行更新…”

Haji says Somaliland lags behind in terms of treatment of the animals too.
Haji表示，索马里兰在善待动物方面同样十分滞后。

“Animal welfare is not on the agenda here and that has to be introduced.Also, Animals, when they are deported via ships and via trucks,they are not according to international standards.They should comply with animal welfare conditions,”
“在这里，动物福利并没有提上日程，而这原本是应该被采用的。牲畜运输都是通过船只或者卡车，这并不符合国际标准。他们应该遵守动物福利条例。”

Even so, the annual export of animals from Somaliland to Saudi Arabia remains vital for both countries.
尽管如此，索马里兰向沙特阿拉伯每年的牲畜输出，对两个国家依然至关重要。