澳大利亞的野生動(dòng)物資源極其豐富，這也為該國(guó)民眾挑選寵物提供了更多選擇。一些人不再聚焦于貓、狗、兔子之類的普通動(dòng)物，而是選擇喂養(yǎng)奇異動(dòng)物作為生活伴侶。

在悉尼一家寵物店里，一名年輕人正在逗弄一只竹節(jié)蟲。（圖片來(lái)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?伯恩斯坦為擁有一條名為“金巴”的澳洲野狗感到自豪。如今澳大利亞興起了飼養(yǎng)奇異動(dòng)物作為寵物的新風(fēng)潮，而像伯恩斯坦這樣的飼養(yǎng)者們所鐘愛(ài)的奇異寵物也越來(lái)越受到歡迎。

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.
澳大利亞以與眾不同的野生動(dòng)植物著稱。伯恩斯坦稱，他在悉尼家中喂養(yǎng)“金巴”作為寵物，可以借機(jī)改變?nèi)藗儗?duì)于澳洲野狗這種頂端肉食動(dòng)物的負(fù)面印象。澳洲野狗屬于灰狼的一個(gè)亞種。

"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.
他告訴法新社說(shuō)：“澳洲野狗非常聰明，我們想讓大家來(lái)看看它，讓大家意識(shí)到這不是邪惡的動(dòng)物，就跟普通的狗一樣?！?/p>

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周大的嬰兒阿扎利亞-張伯倫在澳中部一次露營(yíng)旅行中被澳洲野狗叼走并吃掉，該物種由此變得聲名狼藉。這起事件還被拍進(jìn)了電影。

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夠使人們更支持保護(hù)澳洲野狗。近年來(lái)由于棲息地的減少以及與家狗的雜交，澳洲野狗的數(shù)量不斷減少。

His views are echoed by Ben Dessen, reptile manager at Kellyville Pets store in Sydney, who owned his first snake at just six.
本?德森與伯恩斯坦觀點(diǎn)相同，他是悉尼凱利維爾寵物店的經(jīng)理，主要負(fù)責(zé)爬行動(dòng)物的售賣業(yè)務(wù)。德森6歲時(shí)擁有了人生中第一條寵物蛇。

一名澳大利亞年輕人和她的寵物蜥蜴。（圖片來(lái)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.
他說(shuō)：“現(xiàn)在看到每個(gè)我們出售給他們?nèi)松械谝恢慌佬袆?dòng)物的六歲孩子，希望他們能夠堅(jiān)持下去，保護(hù)動(dòng)物，能夠欣賞這些美妙的生物”。

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.
澳大利亞獸醫(yī)協(xié)會(huì)表示，喂養(yǎng)奇異寵物正變得“越來(lái)越流行”。居民擁有數(shù)百萬(wàn)只鳥、魚、小型哺乳動(dòng)物和爬行動(dòng)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?陳喂養(yǎng)的爬行動(dòng)物數(shù)量多達(dá)130只。他說(shuō)住房面積的減少和城鎮(zhèn)化的推進(jìn)，使得更多人傾向于選擇喂養(yǎng)限制更少的小型寵物。

"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."
他說(shuō)：“你不需要帶一條蛇出去散步，很多年以來(lái)，人們都是養(yǎng)貓養(yǎng)狗，現(xiàn)在是讓爬行動(dòng)物大放異彩的時(shí)候了?！?/p>

Despite their growing popularity, there are strict laws across Australia governing what exotic creatures can be kept as pets.
盡管越來(lái)越流行，澳大利亞國(guó)內(nèi)對(duì)于何種奇異動(dòng)物能夠被當(dāng)作寵物喂養(yǎng)有著嚴(yán)格的法律規(guī)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，動(dòng)物保護(hù)官員還對(duì)在后院喂養(yǎng)野生動(dòng)物或者購(gòu)買了捕獲自荒野的動(dòng)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.
“這些動(dòng)物即使是圈養(yǎng)的，也有特殊的需求，它們畢竟是野生動(dòng)物，長(zhǎng)期生活在特定的自然環(huán)境中”，澳大利亞皇家防止虐待動(dòng)物協(xié)會(huì)的簡(jiǎn)-斯皮奇利補(bǔ)充說(shuō)。

"They don't necessarily adapt very well to being kept as companion animals."
“當(dāng)作伴侶動(dòng)物豢養(yǎng)，它們不一定能適應(yīng)得很好。”

英文來(lái)源：雅虎新聞
翻譯&編審：yaning