Elephants are among the most tolerant of animals.
大象是耐受力最强的动物之一。
They are very long-lived, and knowledge passed between generations enables them to find food and little-used sources of water in times of great environmental stress.
它们十分长寿,代代相传的知识,使大象在极端环境下能够找到食物和隐蔽的水源。
But even among elephants, survival strategies are now beginning to fail.
但即使如此,大象的生存策略如今也面临挫折。
In Amboseli, Kenya, years of extreme weather, combined with overgrazing by domestic cattle, are turning these grasslands to dust.
在肯尼亚的安博塞利,多年的极端天气加上家畜的过度放牧,使这片草原失去了原有的绿色。
This matriarch is over 40 years old, and she's already survived some of East Africa's worst droughts.
年逾40岁的首领雌象,曾经历过非洲东部最严重的干旱。
But this year, food is in extremely short supply, and her family are struggling to find enough.
但今年,食物极度短缺,很难满足整个家族的需要。
Her youngest son is malnourished and weak, and is lagging behind his mother and brother.
雌象最小的孩子营养不良,身体虚弱,落在家族的最后。
She leads them to a pocket of acacia forest that she knows well.
雌象带领家族来到一片熟悉的金合欢树林。
But broken branches and fallen trees show that other elephants have already been here.
然而折断的树枝与倒下的树木表明其他大象已经来过此处。
There is very little left worth eating.
几乎没剩下什么食物。
Without food, his mother cannot produce enough milk.
饥肠辘辘的雌象无法分泌足够的乳汁。
She has no choice, but to leave her weakening calf and try to find food elsewhere.
雌象别无选择,只能留下虚弱的小象,前往别处寻找食物。
So, she and her elder son head off without him.
因此,小象只能眼睁睁看着母亲与兄长离自己而去。
He can only hope for their return. But for him, time has run out.
小象只能寄希望于母亲会回来。然而时间已经来不及了。
There is nothing his mother, or anybody, could have done to save him.
面对如此惨剧,母亲也无力回天。
With her elder son still alive, there is hope for her family. But only if they can adapt quickly.
大儿子的生命还在继续,大象家族希望尚存。前提是它们能迅速适应如此极端的环境。
Some families are proving to be resilient.
一些大象家族展现出了非凡的适应力。
They're travelling long distances, away from Amboseli, and finding new sources of food and water.
它们长途跋涉,离开安博塞利,寻找新的食物和水源。
And despite the drought, calves are being born.
尽管在如此干旱的环境下,新生命的诞生从未止步。
But given the pace of change and the challenges they face, how many of Africa's elephants will be able to adapt? And can they do so fast enough?
但考虑到环境变化的速度以及象群面临的严峻挑战,究竟有多少非洲大象能够适应如此极端环境?而适应的速度又能来得及吗?