為什么越來(lái)越多的貓狗離開(kāi)動(dòng)物收容所

為什么越來(lái)越多的貓狗離開(kāi)動(dòng)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(dòng)畫(huà)版《窈窕淑女》中有一個(gè)可怕的場(chǎng)景。這位可愛(ài)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(kāi)玩笑，但是當(dāng)小狗開(kāi)始“長(zhǎng)途跋涉”穿過(guò)一扇沒(méi)有狗狗回來(lái)的門(mén)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(lái)，由于寵物數(shù)量過(guò)多和收容所人滿為患，安樂(lè)死成了一個(gè)不幸的解決方案，這一場(chǎng)景在全國(guó)各地的動(dòng)物收容所中經(jīng)常上演。但這種情況已經(jīng)開(kāi)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(guò)去10年，大城市的寵物安樂(lè)死率大幅下降，自2009年以來(lái)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(guó)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(méi)有以同樣的方式追蹤信息，也沒(méi)有提供現(xiàn)成的信息。盡管他們盡最大努力讓動(dòng)物活著出來(lái)——對(duì)收養(yǎng)者，救援組織，或者如果他們有動(dòng)物的話還給他們的主人——收容所經(jīng)常因?yàn)閷?duì)任何動(dòng)物實(shí)施安樂(lè)死而受到動(dòng)物愛(ài)好者的批評(píng)。

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(lè)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(chǎng)大力推動(dòng)閹割和絕育寵物的運(yùn)動(dòng)。

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(lè)死率下降的另一個(gè)原因是越來(lái)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?cè)趇nstagram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(wàn)只貓狗在動(dòng)物收容所被實(shí)施安樂(lè)死，我們離拯救它們還有很長(zhǎng)一段路要走，最好的朋友動(dòng)物協(xié)會(huì)指出。這意味著全國(guó)的儲(chǔ)蓄率約為76.6%，但該組織正在推動(dòng)到2025年在全國(guó)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(jiǎn)單。大多數(shù)救援組織用腳注來(lái)定義這個(gè)術(shù)語(yǔ)。它通常意味著拯救健康的和可治療的動(dòng)物，安樂(lè)死只保留給那些嚴(yán)重不健康或不能康復(fù)的動(dòng)物。《好朋友》對(duì)“不殺狗”的定義是:90%的狗活著離開(kāi)收容所。一些庇護(hù)所稱(chēng)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(dòng)物就不會(huì)被安樂(lè)死。