為什么越來越多的貓狗離開動物收容所

為什么越來越多的貓狗離開動物收容所

There's a scary scene in the original animated version of Disney's "Lady and the Tramp." Sweet Lady has just been nabbed by a dog catcher and is in the pound. The canine residents joke about that no-good Tramp, but they all grow silent as a pup begins "takin' the long walk" through a door from which no dog returns.

迪士尼動畫版《窈窕淑女》中有一個(gè)可怕的場景。這位可愛的女士剛被一個(gè)捕狗人抓住，現(xiàn)在被關(guān)在狗欄里。住在這里的狗狗們拿這個(gè)不怎么樣的流浪漢開玩笑，但是當(dāng)小狗開始“長途跋涉”穿過一扇沒有狗狗回來的門時(shí)，他們都沉默了。

It's a scene that has played out in real life all too often in animal shelters around the country in recent decades as pet overpopulation and shelter overcrowding have made euthanasia an unfortunate solution. But that scene has begun to change.

近幾十年來，由于寵物數(shù)量過多和收容所人滿為患，安樂死成了一個(gè)不幸的解決方案，這一場景在全國各地的動物收容所中經(jīng)常上演。但這種情況已經(jīng)開始改變。

The majority of animals at shelters are now rescued or returned to their owners. (Photo: Janyaruk Pongpom/Shutterstock)

According to a New York Times investigation, pet euthanasia rates have fallen dramatically in big cities over the past decade, dropping more than 75% since 2009.

據(jù)《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》的一項(xiàng)調(diào)查顯示，過去10年，大城市的寵物安樂死率大幅下降，自2009年以來下降了75%以上。

For its research, the Times collected data from municipal shelters in the country's 20 largest cities, pointing out that most don't track information in the same way or make it readily available. Although they do their best to get animals out alive — to adopters, rescue groups or back to their owners if they have them — shelters often are criticized by animal lovers for euthanizing any animals at all.

為了進(jìn)行這項(xiàng)研究，《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》從美國20個(gè)最大的城市的城市避難所收集了數(shù)據(jù)，指出其中大多數(shù)城市并沒有以同樣的方式追蹤信息，也沒有提供現(xiàn)成的信息。盡管他們盡最大努力讓動物活著出來——對收養(yǎng)者，救援組織，或者如果他們有動物的話還給他們的主人——收容所經(jīng)常因?yàn)閷θ魏蝿游飳?shí)施安樂死而受到動物愛好者的批評。

Why numbers are falling

為什么數(shù)字在下降

One of the factors that has changed the tide is increased awareness of the importance of spay and neuter programs. (Photo: Carl Dupont/Shutterstock)

One reason euthanasia rates have dropped is that fewer dogs are entering shelters in the first place, thanks in part to a huge push to spay and neuter pets that started in the 1970s.

安樂死率下降的一個(gè)原因是，首先進(jìn)入收容所的狗更少了，這在一定程度上要?dú)w功于始于上世紀(jì)70年代的一場大力推動閹割和絕育寵物的運(yùn)動。

Another reason euthanasia rates are dropping is that more shelter dogs are being adopted — and it doesn't matter if a dog is purebred. Instead, with celebrities showing off their Instagram-friendly rescue dogs, normal people are also jumping on the mixed-breed bandwagon.

安樂死率下降的另一個(gè)原因是越來越多的收容所里的狗被收養(yǎng)了，而且狗是否是純種并不重要。相反，隨著明星們在instagram上炫耀他們的搜救犬，普通人也加入了混種狗的行列。

Working toward 'no-kill'

致力于“別殺”

'No-kill' shelters only euthanize animals that are extremely sick or that can't be rehabilitated. (Photo: Pongsatorn Singnoy/Shutterstock)

With an estimated 733,000 dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters every year, we're still a long way from saving them all, points out Best Friends Animal Society. That's a national save rate of about 76.6%, but the group is pushing to achieve no-kill for dogs and cats at shelters nationwide by 2025.

據(jù)估計(jì)，每年有73.3萬只貓狗在動物收容所被實(shí)施安樂死，我們離拯救它們還有很長一段路要走，最好的朋友動物協(xié)會指出。這意味著全國的儲蓄率約為76.6%，但該組織正在推動到2025年在全國范圍內(nèi)實(shí)現(xiàn)貓狗不被捕殺的目標(biāo)。

But "no kill" isn't as simple as it seems. Most rescue groups define the term with footnotes. It usually means saving healthy and treatable animals, with euthanasia reserved for only those animals who are severely unhealthy or who can't be rehabilitated. Best Friends defines "no kill" as when nine out of 10 dogs leave a shelter alive. Some shelters call this a "live release" rate instead of a "no kill" rate.

但“不殺”并不像看上去那么簡單。大多數(shù)救援組織用腳注來定義這個(gè)術(shù)語。它通常意味著拯救健康的和可治療的動物，安樂死只保留給那些嚴(yán)重不健康或不能康復(fù)的動物?！逗门笥选穼?ldquo;不殺狗”的定義是:90%的狗活著離開收容所。一些庇護(hù)所稱這是“實(shí)時(shí)釋放”的速度，而不是“不殺”的速度。

And the key is to find the perfect compromise where no unhealthy or dangerous dogs are released into the community and shelters aren't overcrowded so illnesses can be spread and healthy animals won't have to be euthanized.

關(guān)鍵是找到一個(gè)完美的妥協(xié)方案，不讓不健康或危險(xiǎn)的狗進(jìn)入社區(qū)，不讓收容所人滿為患，這樣疾病就能傳播，健康的動物就不會被安樂死。