|
- 帖子
- 7
- 积分
- 5
- 原创译作
- 4 篇
- {zh1}登录
- 2010-2-20
|
本帖{zh1}由 lilywizardry 于 2010-2-20 11:54 编辑
Keeping snakes
养蛇
Constricting the pet supply
限制“宠物”供应
Snake-owners may soon find their pets regulated by the government
不久以后，政府将会对宠物蛇进行管制
Feb 11th 2010 | NEW YORK | From The Economist print edition
BOA CONSTRICTORS, pythons and corn snakes decorated sellers’ tables at the Reptile Show in White Plains, New York, last month. Awestricken visitors peered at them with delight. Experts examined them under the light and scrutinised their colouration. The breeding of snakes is serious business in America. Revenue from the sale of boas and pythons amounts to around $1.6 billion-1.8 billion each year.
上个月，在纽约怀特普莱恩斯的一场爬虫类展览上，王蛇（又称大蟒蛇），蟒蛇和玉米蛇让卖家们的桌子增添了光彩。参观者兴奋但又畏惧地看着这些蛇。专家们仔细地观察着它们的颜色。在美国，蛇类繁殖是一项重要的交易。 每年出售王蛇和蟒蛇的收益可以达到1.6到1.8亿美元。
Americans own more than 2.5m snakes, according to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a trade association. The snake industry has grown dramatically over the past decade because of frenzied competition to create new “morphs”, the industry term for new colours of snakes. Rare morphs can fetch astonishingly high prices, sometimes more than $20,000.
根据宠物工业联合顾问委员会贸易协会的统计，美国人拥有超过2.5百万条蛇。上个世纪，因为大家都疯狂沉迷于创造新的蛇皮颜色， 蛇工业得到了迅速的发展。 稀有的蛇皮颜色可以卖到有时高于2万的价格。
The recession, however, has hurt what used to be a lucrative hobby. Fewer people want to splurge on snakes that cost thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars. According to Brian Barczyk, a snake-breeder, demand for “pet-grade” snakes, which cost under $50, has sunk even more than demand for “investment-grade” ones, because the average person is hesitant to buy a new pet.
经济危机扼制了这种可以用来赚钱的嗜好。越来越少的人愿意把钱挥霍在这些上千或上万的蛇身上。因为人们都开始犹豫是否要把它们买来当宠物饲养， 一名英国的蛇饲养者，Barczyk, 就提出了把一条“宠物蛇”的价钱降低到50美元以下的要求，这大大的低于用来投资的蛇的价格。
The snake industry’s most dangerous predator, however, is not the economy but the government. Ken Salazar, the secretary of the interior, wants to add nine types of large constrictor, including the Burmese python (pictured), to a list of “injurious” species regulated by the federal government. This would make it illegal to import or transport these types of snakes across state lines. Congress may also consider a bill that would do the same.
然而，蛇工业{zd0}的敌人，不是经济危机，而是政府。 美国的内部秘书长，Ken Salazar,，想要把9种大蟒蛇(其中包括缅甸的巨蟒)(如上图)，列入“有害“的种类。 这样的话，进口和运输这些蛇类就会变成非法的。国会也正在考虑一个类似的法案来达到相同的目的。
The spread of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades is responsible for sparking this wave of herpetophobia. Burmese pythons are thought to have found their way into the wild because pet-owners released them, and now thousands are slithering around there. They are eating some endangered species, like the Key Largo woodrat.
引起对这类爬行动物的恐慌是来自佛罗里达沼泽的缅甸蟒蛇。导致现在成千上百缅甸蟒蛇在这一带游走的原因，被认为是它们的主人将它们放生野外。而它们主要的食物是一些频临灭绝的动物，比如说奇拉哥岛的黑腿林鼠。
Breeders are up in arms at the prospect of the ban. Some opponents speculate that if snake-owners are unable to transport or sell some of their snakes beyond state lines, they may just release them into the wild. The federal government may have to consider offering “amnesty days”, as Florida does, when snake owners can turn in their foreign pets. Florida has also started giving people permits to kill Burmese pythons. Some may say this is cruel. But that depends on whether you side with the pythons or the woodrats.
饲养者竭力反对这条禁令。支持者猜测，如果养蛇者无法把蛇售卖或运输出州界线，他们可能会把蛇直接放回野外。 xx政府不得不考虑佛罗里达州所采取的方法-给饲养者“特赦期“，让他们有回报地上交即将出口的“宠物”。佛罗里达州已经开始允许人们杀害缅甸蟒蛇。有人说这样太残酷了。但你是站在蟒蛇还是黑腿林鼠那边呢？ |
|
