查理·罗素：与熊共舞

2013-08-20

阅读与作文（英语初中版） 2013年7期

Commotion1 in the distance catches Charlie Russells eye and he squints2 into the sun to make out the shapes of three brown bears. They are heading towards him—fast. Snow explodes around them every time their massive paws hit the ground. But Russell stays put. When they get a metre or so from him， the towering animals slow down to a stroll. The leading bear holds her face very close to Russells. She nuzzles his nose with her own and Russell breaks into a smile. “Hey， little bear，” he says.

Here the audience holds its breath. Its 2010—five years later—and were in Whitehorse， Yukon， where a whitehaired Russell stands before a crowded conference room as a documentary about his life， The Edge of Eden， flickers3 behind him. Local citizens have come to get， first-hand， the story of the “Bear Man of Kamchatka4.”

Russell， now 70， earned this title after he relocated to the easternmost part of Russia， built a cabin at the base of a lakeside volcano and spent more than ten springs and summers living with brown bears—the taller， heavier cousin of the North American grizzly5.

“No question， bears are dangerous，” says Russell， but he also argues that demonizing6 them prevents us from recognizing their intelligent， playful and peaceful nature. “They attack us because we abuse them，” he insists， and for the last two years he has travelled across Canada， lecturing in communities where bears are considered a nuisance. “What I want to do now is work on the human side of the problem，” Russell says. In a country where cities spread deep into the rural landscape and hunters kill about 450 grizzlies annually， he is determined to change the way we treat our ursine neighbours.

Russell was raised with the idea that “the only good bear is a dead bear.” His father， a hunter and outfitter7， shared stories of bloodthirsty8 grizzlies with his five children. However， when the familys hunting business faltered9 in the early 1960s， Russell and his brother joined their father on an expedition to film grizzlies in Alaska. Russell couldnt help but wonder why bears behaved aggressively towards gun-toters， but left the filmmakers alone10. “I suspected they didnt like cruelty，” he says.

In 1994 he tested out his theory in British Columbias Khutzeymateen Inlet， where he took tourists on bearviewing excursions. One afternoon， while resting on a log between guiding trips， Russell sat still as a female grizzly casually approached. “I knew if I did not move， she would keep coming，” he later wrote in his 2002 book Grizzly Heart. “I had decided to let her come as close as she wanted.” Russell spoke to the bear in gentle tones and she sat down beside him. She put her paw on his hand and Russell reciprocated11 the gesture， touching her nose， lip and teeth. These were the iron jaws featured in his fathers campfire stories， now no more threatening than the snout of a puppy. If he could repeat similar moments—and perhaps photograph the encounters—Russell believed he could prove that “just by treating bears kindly， people can live safely with them.”

The place to go was the Kamchatka Peninsula. At 1，200 kilometres long， the area has one of the densest populations of brown bears in the world—as many as 1，200 roam the government-controlled sanctuary12. In 1996 Russell settled next to the pristine13 Kambalnoye Lake with his partner， artist Maureen Enns. With the closest town more than 200 kilometres away， Russell felt the location was remote enough to study the bears without distractions—or poachers14 looking for bear gallbladders15， a hot commodity in traditional Chinese medicine. “What I wanted，” explains Russell， “was to befriend the bears， to be the only human influence on them.”

Russell and Enns began mingling with the animals immediately， without incident. “I had so many bears around，” he says， “I couldnt go to the bathroom without an encounter.” The next year， however， things took an interesting turn. He heard about three orphaned cubs at a nearby zoo. The cubs were caged and ate only the popcorn and candy that children tossed to them. Russell and Enns knew the cubs would grow big enough to swipe at people through the bars and therefore be shot. So they bought the cubs from the zoo and helicoptered them to their cabin.

At only six kilograms each， Chico， Biscuit and Rosie were too small to venture off on their own， so Russell housed them behind an electric fence—meant more to keep predators16 out than to keep the young bears in. Experts warned Russell and Enns that the cubs would quickly become aggressive. But in their seven years together， these bears never turned on17 the couple. When the shrubs exploded in berries， Russell took the cubs to forage. When the salmon moved inland， he taught the cubs to fish. It took them a while to get comfortable in the water， but soon the bears were paddling confidently behind Enns in her kayak. The couple was suddenly saddled18 with more cubs when a sow began using them as a babysitting service. “She figured it was safe to drop them off with me while she went hunting，” says Russell. “What a wonderful way to be taken advantage of.”

In the spring of 2003 Russell jumped out of a Russian helicopter onto the foggy Kamchatka tundra19. Anticipating another idyllic summer， he rushed to his cabin with five months worth of supplies loaded on his back. But as he flung open the door， he was hit with a stomach-churning stench20. Peering21 into the dark room， he could just make out22 the shape of a rotten gallbladder nailed to the wall. Poachers had killed every one of his bears.

Heartbroken， Russell （who had since been joined by Enns） fled to the familial comfort of Alberta. “It was a huge shock，” says Dick， Russells elder brother. “Its like having your kids killed.” But less than a year after the massacre23， Russell felt the pull of Kamchatka. So when he got a call from Canadian filmmakers Jeff and Sue Turner asking him to participate in a film about his years studying bears in Russia， he couldnt turn them down.

But Enns did. “She said， ‘Im not going to have any part of it，” recalls Russell. “She was smart. God， it was hell going back there.” After four gruelling24 years of filming， Russell left Russia for good25 in 2007—but he wouldnt leave defeated. He had footage of the extraordinary creatures hed come to know： creatures who nuzzled noses with him after a long winter apart and who galloped beside him on his walks.

Russell knows stories like his are rarely heard. When bear attacks happen， news stories can sensationalize26 the danger. But the numbers dont match the hype27. Canada is home to about 380，000 black bears and 26，000 grizzlies， and in the past decade fewer than 15 people have been mauled to death. Poor treatment causes bears to turn violent， says Russell， who points to conservation officers dealings with bears as an example. A bear that continuously comes too close to humans will be shot at with noisemakers28， rubber bullets or tranquilizers29. Many are captured and released， which can be frightening for the bear， argues Russell. During what is called a “hard release，” the bear is bombarded with loud noises as it leaves the trap and heads into the forest. Dogs bark and snap at the fleeing animal. The message： Dont come back.

“But see it from the bears perspective，” says Russell. “You cant spend all day running from things and not be stressed. We make them dangerous.” To prevent bears from becoming nuisances， Russell says， the public needs to keep garbage in bear-proof bins， and parks staff should avoid haranguing30 the animals. “Bears can feel respect and they learn respect.”

But getting respect from ranchers is more easily said than done. When bears wake from their six-month hibernation31， theyre looking for one thing： a meal—and fast. They search for weak or dead cattle on nearby ranches and often come up against angry， armed ranchers.

After years of observing deadly runins， Russell took action. He trucked dead cattle from his Alberta ranch to a nearby area just outside the bears winter homes. If they had easy access to bounty32， he reasoned， they wouldnt need to sniff around the ranches. The plan worked and bear-rancher encounters decreased. Russell even began adding his neighbours deceased cattle to the pile. He is happy that Albertas Sustainable Resource Development Ministry has since developed its own successful feeding program using roadkill. Its not unusual to see department staff fly out to the dens each year， moose and deer carcasses swinging in the helicopters sling.

At the end of the night， copies of Grizzly Heart and the film sell out. The high sales indicate to Russell that the public is receptive to his message. If only one rancher changes his habits because of his talk， the years in Kamchatka will have been worth it. “I hope Ive helped them see these are not the horrible animals theyve been told about，” says Russell. “Bears give us what we give them. Give them violence， we get violence back. But give them kindness and we get kindness.”

远处一阵嘈杂的脚步声吸引了查理·罗素的目光，他迎着阳光，眯缝起眼睛，向前望去，看见三只棕熊的身影。这三只熊正以迅疾的速度向他奔来，巨大的熊掌拍打着地面，每一步都激得地上的积雪四处飞溅。但罗素依然一动不动。在离他一米开外的地方，棕熊高大的身躯慢了下来，缓缓向他走来。为首的棕熊将脸贴近罗素的脸，用鼻子摩挲着罗素的鼻子，罗素对着她微微一笑，说：“你好，小熊！”

观众屏住了呼吸。这时已是五年之后的2010年（编注：本文刊发于2010年），我们正身处加拿大育空地区的怀特霍斯市。在这里，满头白发的罗素正站在一间座无虚席的会议室里，身后的大屏幕上正播放着一部关于他生平的纪录片——《伊甸园的边缘》。当地居民纷纷前来，想亲眼目睹这位“堪察加半岛熊人”的传奇经历。

现年70岁的罗素在多年以前曾重返俄罗斯最东部，在临湖的一座火山脚下搭起了一间小木屋，和棕熊一起度过了十余个春秋，由此赢得了“堪察加半岛熊人”的称号。这些棕熊是北美灰熊的近亲，但它们比灰熊更高、更重。

“毫无疑问，熊是危险的动物。”罗素说，但他同时也认为不能将熊妖魔化，那样会使我们看不到熊的另一面：聪明、顽皮、平和。“它们攻击我们，是因为我们冒犯了它们。”罗素强调说。在过去两年多时间里，罗素走遍了加拿大，在社区给讨厌熊的人们做演讲。他说：“我现在想要做的，是从人类这方面入手解决人与熊的紧张关系。”在加拿大，城市的扩展占据了大片的农村地带，猎人们每年猎杀的灰熊都在450头左右，罗素决心要改变人们对待自己的近邻——熊——的方式。

罗素从小就被灌输“只有死熊才是好熊”的观念。他的父亲是一位猎人和野营用品供应商，经常给五个子女讲述灰熊吃人的故事。然而，20世纪60年代初期，他们家的打猎营生开始走下坡路，罗素便和他的哥哥一起随父亲长途跋涉，深入阿拉斯加，拍摄灰熊活动的影片。令罗素困惑不解的是，为什么灰熊只攻击扛枪的人，却放过摄影者。“我想它们也许不喜欢残暴吧。”他说。

1994年，在加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省的库西姆阿丁灰熊保护区峡湾，他经常带领游客参观熊，从而有机会验证了他的这一猜想。一天下午，在导游的间隙，他坐在一根圆木上休息。这时，一头母熊漫不经心地向他走来，罗素仍然坐着一动不动。“我知道如果我不动，她会继续向我这里走，”他后来在他2002年出版的《灰熊的心》一书中写道，“我决定让她尽可能地靠近我。”罗素语气轻柔地和那头灰熊说着话，她竟在他身边坐了下来。灰熊将一只熊掌放在罗素的手上，罗素也报之以相同的举动，轻轻触摸她的鼻子、嘴唇和牙齿。在他父亲围坐在篝火旁讲述的故事中，这样的熊掌可都是钢铁利爪啊，可现在却和小狗的鼻子一样没有任何威胁。如果再次发生类似的经历——也许再加上拍照佐证——罗素认为他可以证实“只要善待熊，人们就可以与它们安全共处”。

研究熊的理想去处是堪察加半岛。这个半岛长达1200公里，是世界上棕熊数量最为密集的地区之一——多达1200头棕熊徜徉在政府控制的保护区里。1996年，罗素和他身为艺术家的伴侣莫琳·安思一起，在依然保持着原生状态的卡姆巴尔诺耶湖畔定居下来。离他们最近的城镇也在两百公里开外，罗素觉得在这样偏远的地方应该可以心无旁骛地研究熊了，应该也不会有偷猎者来偷取熊胆了（熊胆是传统中药中的一味热门药材）。罗素解释说：“我想要做的，就是与熊做朋友，成为这个地方唯一能够对他们产生影响的人类成员。”

罗素和安思很快就深入到动物中间，而且与它们相处和谐。“我身边到处都是熊，”他说，“甚至每次去卫生间时都能遇到熊。”然而第二年，情况发生了有趣的变化。罗素听说附近一个动物园里有三只失去父母的小熊，它们被关在笼子里，只能吃小孩子扔给它们的爆米花和糖果。罗素和安思知道，这些小熊总有一天会长大，会隔着笼子袭击游客，还会因此被射杀。于是他们把这三只小熊从动物园里买了出来，用直升机将它们接到自己的小木屋。

这三头小熊名叫奇可、饼干和罗茜，都只有六公斤重。它们都太小了，还不敢独自出去冒险，于是罗素就在它们周围树起了一道电篱笆——与其说是为了把小熊关在里面，倒不如说是为了把凶猛的野兽挡在外面。有专家警告罗素和安思说，这些小熊很快就会具有攻击性。但是在他们与小熊相处的七年里，这三头熊从来没有攻击过他们。当灌木丛结满浆果的时候，罗素就带着小熊们采食浆果。当鲑鱼向内陆游动时，他就教小熊们捕鱼。虽说在水中它们要过好一阵才能适应，但它们很快就能尾随乘坐小划艇的安思自如地划水了。有一天，罗素和安思的任务突然加重了，要照顾更多的小熊，因为有一头母熊把他们当做免费的保姆了。“她盘算的是，在她外出猎取食物时，把小熊交给我们照看一定很安全，”罗素说，“这样被占便宜，感觉真的很美妙！”

2003年春天，罗素从俄罗斯的一架直升机上跳下来，回到雾霭沉沉的堪察加半岛冻原上。他背着足以支撑五个月的给养，迫不及待地赶回小木屋，憧憬着在这里再度过一个田园诗般的夏天。可是，当他急切地推开门，一股恶臭迎面袭来，让他胃里一阵翻腾。他凝神向光线暗淡的屋内望去，看到一团东西钉在墙上，形状像是腐烂的胆囊。偷猎者一个不剩地把他所有的熊都杀死了。

罗素伤心欲绝，逃离了这个地方，回到了艾伯塔省——这里有家的温暖（安思后来又和他相聚了）。“这对他是个沉重的打击，”罗素的哥哥迪克说，“就好像自己的孩子被杀害一样。”但就在惨剧发生后不到一年，罗素又感受到堪察加半岛对他的吸引。于是，当加拿大电影制片人杰夫和休·特纳夫妇邀请他拍摄一部关于他多年待在俄罗斯研究熊的影片时，他根本无法拒绝他们。

但安思拒绝了。“她说：‘我再也不想经历那一切了，”罗素回忆说，“她很明智。是的，回到那里简直像是回到地狱。”在经历了四年艰难的电影拍摄后，罗素于2007年永远地告别了俄罗斯——但他的离开并不意味着失败。他收获的是一连串珍贵的镜头，记录着他所熟知的极不寻常的生灵：在和他分别了一个漫长冬季之后，这些生灵又可以和他亲密地摩挲着对方的鼻子，可以在他散步时蹦蹦跳跳地陪在他身边了。

罗素知道，人们很少听到过像他这样的故事。当熊袭击人的事件发生时，新闻报道可能会添油加醋地夸大危险。但真实的数据并不像报道渲染得那样耸人听闻。加拿大大约有38万只黑熊和2.6万只灰熊，在过去的十年里，被熊伤害致死的不到15人。罗素说，人们的不友好举动导致了熊的凶猛行为，他举出保护区官员对待熊的态度作为例证。一头熊如果持续走得离人太近，就会遭到噪音发生器的“轰炸”或者橡胶子弹的射击，或者被注射镇静剂。许多熊被抓住后又被释放，这可能会让熊受到惊吓，罗素说。在这被称为“恐怖的释放”中，熊离开人类设的陷阱逃往森林时，往往会受到各种噪音的“轰炸”。狗总是对着仓皇而逃的熊又咬又叫。这里传给熊的信息就是：别再回来！

“但请试着从熊的角度来看这个问题，”罗素说，“你如果整天都在逃亡中，你也会感到紧张。是我们把它们变成了危险动物。”罗素认为，要防止熊侵扰人类，公众需要把垃圾放到熊无法打开的垃圾箱里。公园里的工作人员也应该避免呵斥动物。“熊能够感受到你对他们的尊重，他们也能学会尊重你。”

但要赢得农场主的尊重，那真是说起来容易做起来难。当熊从六个月的冬眠中苏醒过来，它们寻找的只有一样东西——一顿美餐，而且要尽快吃到。它们在附近农场寻找孱弱或者死亡的牲畜，此时往往会遭遇农场主愤怒的枪口。

对这种生死攸关的遭遇观察了若干年之后，罗素开始采取行动。他用卡车将死掉的牲畜从他在艾伯塔的农场运到附近地区，那地方就在灰熊冬日家园的外面。罗素想，如果熊很容易获取这些馈赠之物，它们就不需要在农场周围四处寻找食物了。他的这个办法果然奏效，农场主和熊遭遇的事件减少了。罗素甚至还把邻居家死掉的牲畜也运了过去。使他欣慰的是，艾伯塔省可持续资源发展部后来利用路毙的动物开展了一个成功的饲养熊的计划。每年人们都可以看到该部门职员乘直升机飞往熊窝，直升机的吊索上常常晃晃悠悠地挂着驼鹿和野鹿的尸体。

一夜之间，罗素的著作《灰熊的心》和纪录片（编注：指《伊甸园的边缘》）影碟都销售一空。在罗素看来，如此高的销售量表明公众乐于接受他传达的讯息。哪怕只有一位农场主因为听了他的演讲而改变了自己的习惯，那么他在堪察加半岛度过的艰难岁月也就值了。“我希望我能够使他们明白，熊并不是人们口中所说的那种凶残可怕的动物，”罗素说，“它们只不过是以彼之道还施彼身。向它们施以暴力，它们就会还我们以暴力。给它们以善意，我们就会得到善意的回报。”

注释

1. commotion n. 混乱，喧闹

2. squint vi. 半眯着眼睛看

3. flicker vi. 闪烁，闪动

4. Kamchatka：堪察加半岛。

5. grizzly n. 灰熊

6. demonize vt. 描述成魔鬼

7. outfitter n. （尤指为旅行、野营等）提供装备者

8. bloodthirsty adj. 嗜杀的，残忍的

9. falter vi. 衰退，衰落

10. leave alone：不打扰，不干预

11. reciprocate vt. 回报，报以