The booming popularity of acorn-based products is putting the squirrel population in South Korea at risk as human foragers steal the rodent's staple diet.
以橡果为原料的产品越来越受欢迎，这使得韩国的松鼠陷入危机，因为人类觅食者要把它们的食物都偷走。
In the Republic of Korea, where human foraging is said to be at an all-time high, there are fewer acorns on the ground and as a result fewer squirrels.
在韩国，人们对橡果的搜寻热情空前高涨，地上的橡果越来越少，因此松鼠也越来越少。
Coming in to save the day for the hungry squirrels are 'Acorn Rangers'.
来拯救饥饿松鼠的是“橡果保护队”。
The team of dedicated animal saviours are policing university campuses and public parks across the Asian nation and scaring off acorn-foraging humans.
这支动物救助队伍正在韩国的大学校园和公园里执行警戒任务，驱赶捡拾橡果的人们。
The volunteers have no legal authority to punish those they find, but hope to at least deter human foragers from returning.
志愿者们没有法律权力来惩罚他们发现的橡果捡拾人群，但他们希望至少能阻止一些人再回来。
They spend an hour each week, warning humans away and hiding acorns under tree leaves in an effort to help out the hungry rodents.
他们每周花一个小时，驱赶人们，并把橡果藏在树叶下，努力帮助饥饿的松鼠。
In South Korea food which is made from acorns, including noodles, jelly and powder, has grown in popularity after it was declared a healthy superfood that had the potential to fight obesity and diabetes.
有人宣称橡果是对抗肥胖和糖尿病的超级食物之后，橡果制成的面条、果冻和橡果粉等食品在韩国越来越受欢迎。
As a result foraging for these ingredients has becoming increasingly common at green campuses, popular hiking trails and anywhere where the oak tree is a common feature of the landscape.
因此，在绿色校园、热门徒步旅行路线和任何遍布橡树之地，越来越多的人开始捡拾橡果。
It is not however, legal.
然而，这是不合法的。
But this does not appear to be a deterrent for the acorn-hungry humans.
但这似乎并没有吓退渴望得到橡果的人们。
The Korea Forest Service told?The Wall Street Journal?that in the last five years the number of those illegally gathering 'forest products' has gone up five-fold.
韩国林业局对《华尔街日报》说，过去五年，非法采集这类“森林产品”的人数是原来的五倍。
Those who are caught face up to five years in prison - or a fine of $40,000.
被抓的现行人将面临最高5年的监禁，或4万美元（约合人民币28万元）的罚款。
'With acorns being advertised as a superfood, people won't stop,' said Kim Soo-ji, a worker at the South Korean government's forest environment conservation division.
韩国政府森林环境保护部门的工作人员金宋吉（音）说：“随着橡果被宣传为超级食品，人们是不会止步的。”
It is a fad that is also spreading into Western Europe and the United States with a number of acorn-derived food, drink and skin products hitting their shelves.
这一时尚也正在西欧和美国蔓延，有许多含有橡果成分的食品、饮料和护肤产品问世。
But it is a fad that is putting squirrels and other animals who rely on the nut, and the oak trees they come from, for sustenance.
但是，这一时尚也使得松鼠和其他依靠坚果和橡树生存的动物失去了食物来源。
A researcher at the National Institute of Forest Science Park Chan-ryul said squirrels needed more than 100 acorns in order to survive the cold wintry season.
韩国国家森林科学研究所的研究员朴灿录（音）说，松鼠需要超过100颗橡果才能度过寒冷的冬季。
But if humans continue to forage for their main source of food there will be no more acorns fifty years from now in South Korea.
但是，如果人类继续捡拾橡果，50年后，韩国将不会再有橡果。
'We should sympathise with the squirrels' hardship,' he told the?WSJ.
他对《华尔街日报》说：“我们应该同情松鼠的苦难。”
本文来源：中国日报网
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