雙語閱讀：瑞士規定 只養一條金魚是違法行為

（澳洲生活網）

 Many families will have been delighted to win a goldfish as a prize at a funfair, happily putting it in a bowl and feeding it every day after school.

許多孩子在遊樂場贏得一條金魚當獎品後會很高興，開心地將它放進碗里，每天放學後去喂它。

But they could have been guilty of animal cruelty without even knowing it.

但他們可能犯了虐待動物罪而不自知。

Goldfish might get a bad reputation of being boring pets – and having rubbish memories – but they』re more clued up than we realise.

金魚或許享有「無聊寵物」的壞名聲，記憶力也糟糕，但它們比我們意識到的還要喜歡群居。

In Switzerland, it has been illegal to own one solitary goldfish since 2008, when the country introduced a whole host of animal rights』 legislation.

2008年，瑞士出台了大量有關動物權利的法規。從此，在瑞士單獨養一條金魚就是違法。

Why? Because fish are actually 『social』 creatures. In the sea they swim in shoals, so it makes perfect sense that they would need companions.

你問為啥？因為魚類實際是「社會性」 生物。在海里它們成群地遊動，因此它們需要同伴合情合理。

The Swiss government believes it is cruel to force them to live in isolation – but it doesn』t just apply to fish.

瑞士政府認為，強迫它們獨居是殘忍的——而這一點不僅僅適用於魚類。

Other social creatures like guinea pigs and budgerigars are also covered by this legislation.

其他社會性生物，比如豚鼠和虎皮鸚鵡，也在法規保護範圍內。

Switzerland even has companies which pair guinea pigs up with partners when the inevitable happens and one of the original couple dies.

甚至當不可避免的事情發生，原伴侶死去時，瑞士還有幫豚鼠重新配對的公司。

While allowing animals to keep each other company makes perfect sense, the country has other bizarre rules regarding pet ownership.

讓動物互相有個伴兒是完全可以理解的，但該國還有其他養寵物的神奇規定。

Dog lovers having to take courses before they can own one – and then have practical training, according to techly.com.

據澳大利亞科技網站techly報道，養狗愛好者在養狗狗之前必須上課，然後還要接受實際訓練。

If you want just the one cat, you must let it outside so it can see other cats. If it』s going to be kept indoors, then you』ve got to get two.

如果你只養一隻貓，那就必須讓它出門見見同類。如果想把貓關在室內，那就必須養兩隻。

Looking to purchase a solitary parrot in Switzerland? Forget about it. It』ll be considered abuse unless you can get him a friend to talk to.

指望在瑞士單獨買一隻鸚鵡？別想了。除非你給他找個能交談的伴兒，否則這就是虐待。

One thing』s for sure, this will certainly make a few Brits feel guilty about their pet-owning habits.

可以肯定的是，這一法規一定會讓一些英國人因自己養寵物的習慣而感到愧疚。