The booming popularity of acorn-based products is putting the squirrel population in South Korea at risk as human foragers pilfer the rodent’s staple diet.

In South 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.

Coming in to save the day for the hungry squirrels are “Acorn Rangers.”

The team of dedicated animal saviors are policing university campuses and public parks across the Asian nation and scaring off acorn-foraging humans.

The volunteers have no legal authority to punish those they find, but hope to at least deter human foragers from returning.

They spend an hour each week, warding humans off and hiding acorns under tree leaves in an effort to help out the hungry rodents.

In South Korea food which is made from acorns, including noodles, jelly and powder, has grown in popularity since being declared a healthy superfood that has the potential to fight obesity and diabetes.

As a result, foraging for these ingredients has become increasingly common at green campuses, popular hiking trails and anywhere where the oak tree is a common feature of the landscape.

It is not legal, but this does not appear to be a deterrent for the acorn-hungry humans.

The Korea Forest Service said that in the last five years the number of those illegally gathering “forest products” has gone up fivefold.

Those who are caught face up to five years in prison — or a fine of US$40,000.

“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.

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.

Researcher at the National Institute of Forest Science Park Chan-ryul said squirrels needed more than 100 acorns to survive the cold wintry season.

But if humans continue to forage for their main source of food there will be no more acorns 50 years from now in South Korea.

“We should sympathize with the squirrels’ hardship,” he said.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【采集者】cǎijízhě forager a person or animal that searches widely for food or provisions

【威慑】wēishè deterrent something that prevents or discourages (an action or behavior)

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。

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。

来拯救饥饿松鼠的是“橡果保护队”。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。

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。

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。

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。

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。

这是不合法的。但这似乎并没有吓退渴望得到橡果的人们。

韩国林业局说，过去五年，非法采集这类“森林产品”的人数是原来的五倍。

被抓的现行人将面临最高5年的监禁或4万美元的罚款。

韩国政府森林环境保护部门的工作人员金宋吉说：“随着橡果被宣传为超级食品，人们是不会止步的。”

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。

韩国国家森林科学研究所的研究员朴灿录说，松鼠需要超过100颗橡果才能度过寒冷的冬季。

但是，如果人类继续捡拾橡果，50年后，韩国将不会再有橡果。他说：“我们应该同情松鼠的苦难。”

(chinadaily.com.cn)