奇异动物成澳大利亚民众新萌宠

澳大利亚的野生动物资源极其丰富，这也为该国民众挑选宠物提供了更多选择。一些人不再聚焦于猫、狗、兔子之类的普通动物，而是选择喂养奇异动物作为生活伴侣。

在悉尼一家宠物店里，一名年轻人正在逗弄一只竹节虫。（图片来源：法新社）

The proud owner of dingo 'Kimba', James Bornstein, is part of the new wave of Australian exotic pet lovers whose unconventional companions are growing in popularity.
詹姆斯•伯恩斯坦为拥有一条名为“金巴”的澳洲野狗感到自豪。如今澳大利亚兴起了饲养奇异动物作为宠物的新风潮，而像伯恩斯坦这样的饲养者们所钟爱的奇异宠物也越来越受到欢迎。

In a country known for its unusual wildlife, Bornstein says having a sub-species of the grey wolf in his Sydney home is an opportunity to change people's negative perceptions about the native wild dog and apex predator.
澳大利亚以与众不同的野生动植物著称。伯恩斯坦称，他在悉尼家中喂养“金巴”作为宠物，可以借机改变人们对于澳洲野狗这种顶端肉食动物的负面印象。澳洲野狗属于灰狼的一个亚种。

"Dingoes are so intelligent. We want people to see her (Kimba) and realise they are not vicious animals, they are just like normal dogs," he told AFP.
他告诉法新社说：“澳洲野狗非常聪明，我们想让大家来看看它，让大家意识到这不是邪恶的动物，就跟普通的狗一样。”

Dingoes are infamous thanks to the dramatic case of Azaria Chamberlain -- a nine-week-old baby snatched by one of the animals during a camping trip in central Australia in 1980, which was made into a movie.
1980年，一名9周大的婴儿阿扎利亚-张伯伦在澳中部一次露营旅行中被澳洲野狗叼走并吃掉，该物种由此变得声名狼藉。这起事件还被拍进了电影。

Bornstein hopes his efforts will increase support for conservation, as dingo numbers decline amid habitat loss and cross-breeding with domestic dogs.
伯恩斯坦希望他所作出的努力能够使人们更支持保护澳洲野狗。近年来由于栖息地的减少以及与家狗的杂交，澳洲野狗的数量不断减少。

His views are echoed by Ben Dessen, reptile manager at Kellyville Pets store in Sydney, who owned his first snake at just six.
本•德森与伯恩斯坦观点相同，他是悉尼凯利维尔宠物店的经理，主要负责爬行动物的售卖业务。德森6岁时拥有了人生中第一条宠物蛇。

一名澳大利亚年轻人和她的宠物蜥蜴。（图片来源：法新社）

"Now we see every six-year-old that we set up with their first reptile -- hopefully they want to go on and protect animals and have an appreciation for how amazing these creatures are," he says.
他说：“现在看到每个我们出售给他们人生中第一只爬行动物的六岁孩子，希望他们能够坚持下去，保护动物，能够欣赏这些美妙的生物”。

According to the Australian Veterinary Association, exotic pets are becoming "more and more popular", with residents owning millions of birds, fish, small mammals and reptiles.
澳大利亚兽医协会表示，喂养奇异宠物正变得“越来越流行”。居民拥有数百万只鸟、鱼、小型哺乳动物和爬行动物。

Ernie Chan, a breeder who has kept up to 130 reptiles, says shrinking homes and urbanisation has seen potential owners turn to smaller pets that require less maintenance.
厄尼•陈喂养的爬行动物数量多达130只。他说住房面积的减少和城镇化的推进，使得更多人倾向于选择喂养限制更少的小型宠物。

"You don't need to take a snake for a walk," Chan says. "Everybody's had dogs and cats for so many years and it's kind of reptiles' time to shine."
他说：“你不需要带一条蛇出去散步，很多年以来，人们都是养猫养狗，现在是让爬行动物大放异彩的时候了。”

Despite their growing popularity, there are strict laws across Australia governing what exotic creatures can be kept as pets.
尽管越来越流行，澳大利亚国内对于何种奇异动物能够被当作宠物喂养有着严格的法律规定。

Even so, welfare officials warn of backyard breeders or buying an animal that may have been grabbed from the wild.
即便如此，动物保护官员还对在后院喂养野生动物或者购买了捕获自荒野的动物的人士提出了警告。

"Those animals can have really special needs and even if they have been bred in captivity, they are generally wild animals with long histories of living in particular environments," RSPCA Australia's Jane Speechley adds.
“这些动物即使是圈养的，也有特殊的需求，它们毕竟是野生动物，长期生活在特定的自然环境中”，澳大利亚皇家防止虐待动物协会的简-斯皮奇利补充说。

"They don't necessarily adapt very well to being kept as companion animals."
“当作伴侣动物豢养，它们不一定能适应得很好。”

英文来源：雅虎新闻
翻译&编审：yaning