鑽石舞台

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One man and his menagerie

一個人的動物園

Despite various difficulties, for 33 years, Luo Yingjiu, 82, has run a small zoo in Enshi, Hubei province, on his own.

82歲的老人羅應玖在湖北恩施獨資經營着一家小型動物園，儘管困難重重，但是他33年來始終如一。

羅應玖的動物園 圖源：澎湃

The old design of the animals' living quarters and the iron railings hint at the history of the zoo and its "obsoleteness".

動物生活區的老舊設計和鐵圍欄顯示着動物園的歷史和「衰敗」。

At the one-man Fenghuang Mountain Zoo, Luo serves as director, cleaner, breeder, vet and conductor.

羅應玖獨自運營鳳凰山動物園且身兼數職，園長、保潔員、飼養員、獸醫和售票員都是他一人。

Most of the residents of the zoo are old and infirm, many of which were saved by Luo. The zoo's lion, tiger and python passed away years ago, leaving only a bear, some peafowls, a troop of monkeys, a Tibetan mastiff, a wild boar, two raccoons and about 20 dogs.

動物園裡的動物大都老弱病殘，其中還有不少是羅應玖救回來的。園裡的獅子、老虎和蟒蛇多年前相繼去世，現在只有一隻熊、幾隻孔雀、一群猴子、一隻藏獒、一隻野豬、兩隻浣熊和大約二十隻狗。

Luo has given names to all the animals in the zoo and addresses them affectionately when he interacts with them.

羅應玖給園裡所有動物都起了名字，並在互動的時候會親切地稱呼它們。

A ticket only costs 10 yuan ($1.5) per person, and it's free for children. But the zoo's appeal to locals has long since faded. It's not profitable, and Luo has even fallen into debt to maintain the zoo.

動物園門票每人只需10元，兒童免費。但是動物園對當地人的吸引力早已消退。羅應玖不但賺不到錢，甚至為了維持動物園而負債纍纍。

In recent times, due to the pandemic, the number of visitors has dwindled to just several people a day.

最近由於新冠疫情，動物園每天只有零星幾個遊客。

While the world changes rapidly, the zoo remains much the same, and so does Luo's persistence and his love for the animals. Such an old-fashioned zoo seems incongruous, even anachronistic, in the modern age.

雖然世界瞬息萬變，但鳳凰山動物園卻一如既往，羅應玖的堅持和對動物的熱愛也是如此。儘管這樣一個老式的動物園看起來與現代社會並不協調，甚至不合時宜。

"Many people tell me to rest at this old age, but my wish is to maintain the zoo with all my heart until my last day. Since I've shouldered the responsibility, I shall never retreat from it," says the former soldier, in the local dialect.

「很多人說我老了要休息，但我的願望是全心全意地維護動物園，直到生命的最後一刻。既然承擔了責任，我將永不退縮。」曾是戰士的羅應玖用當地方言說道。

"I'm old in age, but young in mind. The zoo is my lifetime's happiness."

「我雖然年紀老了，但是心態卻很年輕。動物園是我一生的幸福。」

His long white hair has seen him mistaken for a woman, and once an elderly visitor insisted on calling him "younger sister". Once, he cut his long hair, but one of the monkeys didn't recognize him, so he has kept it long ever since.

他常常因為自己又長又白的頭髮被誤認為女人。曾經有一個年邁的遊客堅持叫他「妹妹」。有一次他剪掉了長發，但是動物園裡的一隻猴子卻認不出他來，後來就一直留着頭髮。

留着白色長髮的羅應玖 圖源：中國日報

從電影工作者到救助者

After Luo retired from the army in 1978, he took a job at Qingjiang Cinema in Enshi.

1978年羅應玖退伍後，就回到老家恩施清江電影院工作。

Covered with thick forest, the mountainous region has rich biodiversity.

山區森林茂密，有着豐富的生物多樣性。

While putting up posters advertising the cinema before dawn, Luo saw people carrying large sacks to a nearby market. They were hunters from deep mountains, hoping to sell wild animals for money.

有一天天亮前，羅應玖在張貼電影廣告的海報時，看到有人背着大袋子到附近的市場去。這些人是深山裡的獵人，想通過出售野生動物來賺錢。

"Animals are cute. They are friends to human beings and we should love them," Luo says. He started to buy the poor animals, such as masked civets and muntjac deer, and take them home, as well as telling whoever would listen about the importance of protecting wildlife.

羅應玖說：「動物很可愛，它們是人類的朋友，我們應該關愛它們。」他把被獵人販賣的果子狸和麂鹿等動物買回了家，還告訴很多人保護野生動物的重要性。

羅應玖的動物園中老舊的鐵圍欄 圖源：澎湃

Gradually, he ended up saving even more animals, which, being kept near the cinema, began to attract the attention of their own audience.

漸漸地，他拯救了越來越多的動物，並把它們養在電影院附近。這吸引了很多喜歡動物的觀眾注意。

In 1986, he opened an animal exhibition on the square of the cinema, with support of the cinema's management, drawing over 100 visitors in half a day.

1986年，他在電影院的廣場上開設了動物展覽，在電影院管理層的支持下，半天就吸引了100多名參觀者。

In 1989, the local government invited Luo to open a zoo with his wild animals and promised that the operation model would be privately owned and subsidized by the authorities. They offered 20,000 yuan to build the zoo, and Luo, his children and the animals moved there.

1989年，當地政府邀請羅應玖開辦野生動物園，承諾經營模式為私人所有，由政府補貼。他們提供2萬元修建動物園，羅應玖和他的孩子們還有動物們都搬到了這裡。

"I found that locals wanted to see wild animals. Enshi was in need of a zoo, which could broaden one's horizon. I wanted to do something for my hometown," Luo says.

「我發現當地人想看野生動物，恩施市需要一個可以開闊人們視野的動物園，我可以為家鄉獻出自己的一份力。」羅應玖說。

On Jan 18, 1990, People's Daily reported the opening of Luo's zoo and his kind deeds of saving its animals.

1990年1月18日，《人民日報》報道了羅應玖的動物園和他拯救動物的善舉。

The annual supplement from the local government was about 2,000 yuan, but that hasn't been in place since 1993, Luo says. In 1994, Luo applied to the authorities to seek public help, but none was forthcoming.

羅應玖說，當地政府每年的補貼約為2千元，但是自1993年以來，這份錢就沒有了。1994年羅應玖向政府申請尋求公眾幫助，但始終無人問津。

His retirement salary is about 5,000 yuan per month, which is sufficient to lead a decent life in a small place like Enshi.

他的退休工資每月約5千元，足以在恩施市這樣的小地方過上小康生活。

However, to cover the zoo's expenses, he has spent all his savings and has even fallen into debt. "It's expensive to feed the lion, tiger and python, but I can't let the animals starve," he says.

然而，為了支付動物園的開支，他花光了所有的積蓄，甚至負債纍纍。他說：「餵獅子、老虎和蟒蛇很費錢，但我不能讓動物餓死。」

上世紀九十年代，羅應玖照顧動物園中的動物 圖源：人民日報

He lives economically, eats simple meals and never dines out at restaurants. Sometimes he picks up empty bottles to sell to support the zoo. But he's generous to the animals, whose daily cost of food is now about 400 yuan due to the rising prices in recent years.

他生活儉樸，三餐簡單，從不外出就餐，有時還撿空瓶子賣以支撐動物園的運營。但是他對動物們很慷慨，由於近年來物價上漲，動物園每天的食物費用約為400元。

Over the years, Luo has fully devoted himself to the zoo and persisted, even when, in 2006, the local government asked him to move to a more remote place during a transformation project.

多年來，羅應玖全身心投入動物園並堅持不懈，甚至在2006年，當地政府整體改造鳳凰山森林公園，要求動物園搬遷，他也一直沒有搬。

He says his selflessness is something he has carried over from his army days. He joined the army in 1964 and became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1968. When he was set to retire from the army, his senior officer told him to do good deeds for the people.

羅應玖說他的無私是從軍時代沿襲下來的。他於1964年參軍，1968年成為中共黨員。準備退伍時，上級告訴他要為人民做好事。

"My education in the army is indelible. The most important thing for a Party member is to put collective interest before their own," he says.

他說：「我在軍隊所受的教育是不可磨滅的。對於一個黨員來說，最重要的是把集體利益放在個人利益之上。」

愛的勞動

Living in the zoo himself, Luo gets up at about 5 am, checks the condition of the animals, cleans their enclosures and goes to the market to buy feed for them, before settling down at the gate to welcome visitors.

羅應玖自己住在動物園，早上5點多起床，檢查動物狀況，清理圍欄，去市場買飼料，然後在門口安頓下來迎接遊客。

At night, he observes the animals and refills their food and water, andeven gets up at around 2 am to tend to the older ones.

晚上，他觀察動物情況並把它們的食物和水填滿，甚至在凌晨 2 點左右起床照顧年長的動物。

羅應玖照顧動物園中的一匹老馬 圖源：中國日報

He calls the bear Guaiguai, which means "darling" in Chinese, a common nickname for children.

他有一隻熊叫乖乖，意思就是「寶貝」，是對孩子們常見的暱稱。

It's been about 19 years since Guaiguai came to the zoo. When Luo first saw the creature, it was missing a paw, so he purchased Guaiguai for 3,000 yuan. It's illegal to trade bear paws in China, which were once used as ingredients in rare cuisines and in traditional Chinese medicine.

乖乖在動物園生活19年了。羅應玖第一次看到這隻熊時，它缺了一隻熊掌，於是他花了3000塊錢買了乖乖。在中國，買賣熊掌是違法的，熊掌曾被用作珍稀菜餚和中藥的原料。

Luo pays particular attention to the bear due to her aging condition－now Guaiguai can only eat soft food.

由於乖乖已經很老了，所以羅應玖特別注意，現在它只能吃軟食。

He purchased an aging lion and tiger from a larger zoo in the hope of boosting visitor numbers to his own.

他從一家較大的動物園購買了一隻年邁的獅子和老虎，希望能增加自己的遊客數量。

However, since 2016, when the pair finally succumbeds to age, footfall to the zoo has waned, he says, because people want to see "the kings of the jungle".

然而，自從 2016 年獅子和老虎相繼去世後，動物園的人流量就減少了。他說，因為人們想看到「叢林之王」。

He recalls that, in the 1990s, when the zoo was in its heyday, he would welcome about 100 people a day.

他回憶道，在90年代，動物園正處於鼎盛時期，每天大約要接待100人。

"It's not that easy to feed animals. You have to know about their different habits and characteristics. I used to observe their feces to learn about what they ate in the wildness," he says.

他說：「餵養動物沒那麼容易。你必須了解它們不同的習性和特徵。我過去常常觀察它們的糞便，以了解它們在野外吃了什麼。」

羅應玖為動物們購買食物圖源：中國日報

He recently saved two sand badgers from a grocery market, and after one month, the duo, which used to stay away from him, seemed to be moved by his persistence, and came to greet him when he brought them food.

羅應玖前段日子從雜貨市場救了兩隻沙獾，一個月後，這兩隻沙獾似乎被他的堅持餵養所感動。過去，它們總是躲得遠遠的，而現在，每當羅應玖帶來食物，它們便會上前迎接。

"You have to be patient and gentle, and you can never yell at them," he says.

「你必須要耐心溫柔，不能對他們大喊大叫」，他說。

Asked which animal is his favorite, he says he treats all of his animals with equal affection, without preference for anyone.

當被問及最喜歡哪種動物時，羅應玖說自己對所有動物都一視同仁，不偏愛任何一隻。

"Animals have a kind nature. They never hurt me. If they are treated well, they will also be nice in return."

「動物是善良的，它們從不傷害我。如果被善待，它們也會善良待人。」

網絡支持

Starting from January, Luo Wei, 22, the old man's granddaughter, began to post short videos of him looking after these animals online, hoping to raise awareness of the zoo and give people a better understanding about her grandfather's work.

今年1月起，羅應玖22歲的孫女羅巍開始在網上發布他照顧這些動物的短視頻，希望提高動物園的知名度，讓人們更好地了解爺爺的工作。

Some kindhearted people arranged the delivery of animal feed to the zoo via express courier after watching these touching videos. Luo Yingjiu is very grateful to those who're concerned about the zoo and has expressed his gratitude in the short videos.

一些好心人看了這些感人的視頻後，通過快遞把動物飼料送到了動物園。羅應玖非常感謝關心動物園的人們，並在短視頻中表達了自己的感激之情。

His son and daughter have also devoted themselves to the zoo, especially as it's the place where they lived and grew up. They have helped their father in caring for the animals since childhood.

羅應玖的兒子和女兒從小就幫助父親照料動物，這裡是他們生活和成長的地方。

羅應玖和他的女兒 圖源：澎湃

His daughter used to help him at the zoo until she died in 2008 of a congenital heart illness at the age of 33. He still remembers her last words: "I can't accompany you anymore. Please don't let the zoo close down."

他的女兒一直幫助他打理動物園，直到2008年，33歲的她因先天性心臟病去世。他還記得女兒臨走時說：「我不能陪你了，爸爸你不要把動物園搞垮了。」

Luo Wei says, "All my family members love animals. My grandpa always tells me to be upstanding and to contribute to society, and he's been practicing what he preaches over the years."

羅巍說：「我的家人都喜歡動物。爺爺總是告訴我為人要正直，要為社會做貢獻，這些年來他一直以身作則。」

She will graduate from university this summer. She used to sit at the gate and sell tickets to the zoo when she was a kid.

今年夏天她將大學畢業，小時候的她還經常坐在門口賣動物園門票。

"His original intention remains unchanged and he labors at the zoo all year round. My family and I hope he can enjoy a happy life in his old age, but we can't persuade him (to give up the zoo), so we can only support him."

「他的初衷沒有改變，常年在動物園勞作。我和我的家人都希望他晚年能過上幸福的生活，但我們無法說服他（放棄動物園），所以我們能做的就是支持。」

Like her father, she helps her grandfather when she's available, for example, when she returns to her hometown from school.

和她的父親一樣，羅巍會在有空的時候去幫助爺爺，比如從學校回到家鄉的日子。

The cleaning is filthy and strenuous work. She recalls that her grandfather once hired someone to help, but the man was scratched by an animal. So her grandfather has continued to work on his own.

動物園的清潔工作又髒又費力。她回憶說，爺爺曾僱人幫忙，但那個人被動物抓傷了，所以爺爺只能繼續獨自工作。

羅應玖在清理動物的圍欄 圖源：中國日報

"Some animals, like the bear and the monkey, look very aggressive, but never behave like that with grandpa."

「有些動物，比如熊和猴子，看起來很有攻擊性，但對爺爺從來都很溫和。」

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編輯：朱迪齊

記者：許琳

實習生：孟禮 房曉玥