它是世界新七大奇迹之一，缘何成了上千动物的受难之地？

2018-01-17 动物保护

在约旦佩特拉古城，一位行者曾这样描述他的感受：“我只记得热风吹过耳边，石头变幻着色彩。这两样，已让人终生难忘。”

很多前往佩特拉古城的游客都会惊叹于那里的石雕与色彩，然而这座堪称世界新七大奇迹之一的“失落之城”却有着黑暗而丑陋的一面。

如果你是视频里的动物，你会愿意被那样对待吗?

在这里，超过1300头马、驴子、骡子、骆驼被迫每天驮着游客行走或拖拉载具。当这些动物载着游客行走在10公里的路途中时，他们经常被人殴打，在高温炙烤下，既没有饮水也没有遮蔽。驴子还被迫走上危险陡峭的侵蚀台阶(900级)，将游客驮到古城标志性的庙宇中。如果驴子抗拒或蹒跚，殴打力度就会加重。这些虐待行为并不会被惩罚，也没有法律来制止这些行为：佩特拉发展与旅游区管理局迫于公众压力在景区竖起一个牌子，建议游客将虐待动物的投诉发送到一个电子邮箱中，然而该邮箱根本没用。

Sameh Nabil博士是一名兽医，他表示：“很多人都说驴子笨，但事实远非如此。驴子懂得自我保护，如果他们累了，或认为眼前的处境太危险时，他们就会变得固执。因为他们珍惜自己的生命...所有驴子渴望得到的是我们的善意，以及出于善意、慈悲和尊重的对待。”

这些疲惫的动物会被人用手头各种工具反复殴打，包括硬的塑料管、绳子、链子、鞭子，目的就是迫使这些动物不要停下。

即便当动物已经累到不能走动，他们仍然会被无情地殴打。一头驴子在完成一趟行程后，因为要运送更多游客而畏缩不前，进而被人重重踢踹肚子，一名旁观者目睹此状后决定退出。虽然驴子试图躲避攻击，但被栓着绳子无处可逃。

尽管这些动物在沙漠的酷热中被迫劳碌，但他们只有在忙完一天回到棚圈中才能喝到水，那里也是佩特拉遗址公园的唯一水源。

在每一趟行程之间，这些动物会被拴住，没有遮蔽来减少酷热。一些动物被栓得太紧以致不能趴下，只能一直站着苦等下一位游客。

很多动物因为身上过紧的绳索而出现伤口。一名PETA目击者看到一些骆驼的开放性伤口沾满了苍蝇，而伤口正是由缰绳所致。一些驴子颈部的绳索还沾着伤口流出的血。

虽然佩特拉的一些区域只有身体健全者才有能力进入，但约旦能够且必须将佩特拉古城的役用动物替换为现代化的机动载具，让这些动物摆脱苦难的一生。请致信约旦旅游与古迹部：tourism@mota.gov.jo，呼吁佩特拉古城禁止将动物作为交通工具!

邮件标题

Please End the Suffering of Petra's Horses, Donkeys, Mules, and Camels

邮件正文

Dear Minister,

If cruelty at Petra can't be addressed, what hope does the rest of the country have?

Visitors come to Petra to marvel at its ancient monuments and temples, yet the "Lost City" has a dark and ugly side. More than 1,300 horses, donkeys, mules, and camels are forced to carry tourists or pull carriages in the city every day, and they're suffering terribly.

Handlers viciously beat animals who are simply too spent to go on. When a donkey balked at carrying more tourists after just having finished a tour, the handler kicked him in the stomach so hard that even a bystander recoiled. Although the donkey attempted to escape the onslaught, he was held by a rope and unable to run away. Hundreds of flies swarm around open wounds caused by animals' bridles being pulled too hard. Observers have seen donkeys with metal chains around their neck that were stained with blood from their injuries. Despite working all day in the scorching heat, animals are deprived of water until they return to the stables – the only source of water in the Petra Archaeological Park.

You don't have to be a mathematician to calculate the danger that these animals face every day, but even when they aren't being forced to perform hard labour, they receive little respite, even when weak or injured.

Jordan is among the Middle East's most liberal countries. Tourists spent $652 million in just January and February of 2017 alone – a 16 per cent increase from the same period last year – putting the kingdom in the company of the world's tourism leaders.

But all you need to do is go to travel sites such as TripAdvisor.com to see how potential visitors are showing their indignation at this animal abuse by taking their money elsewhere. Clearly, Jordan can afford to ban the use of working horses, donkeys, mules, and camels in Petra and replace them with modern motorized vehicles – and stop driving away compassionate travellers. It's time that these animals have a better life, one that's free of suffering. Cruelty to animals shouldn't be tolerated in any society, especially a modern one grounded in the holiest of teachings.