VOA新闻杂志2024 新加坡将废除国有公寓禁猫令

新加坡将废除国有公寓禁猫令

　　Sunny is a proud Singaporean citizen who follows the laws of her country. Mostly, anyway.

　　桑妮是一名自豪的新加坡公民，她遵守自己国家的法律。至少大多数情况下是这样的。

　　For the last three years, she has been illegally sheltering a cat called Mooncake.

　　在过去的三年里，她非法收留了一只名叫“月饼”的猫。

　　A 34-year-old Singaporean law bars cats from government-built housing.

　　新加坡一项已有34年历史的法律禁止在政府建造的住宅内养猫。

　　Such housing is where most of the city-state's population lives - and Mooncake too, although secretly.

　　这个城邦里的大多数人居住在政府建造的住宅内，也就是“月饼”偷偷居住的地方。

　　Luckily for Sunny and her cat, Singapore plans to end the feline ban later this year.

　　对桑妮和她的猫来说，幸运的是，新加坡计划在今年晚些时候废除这项禁猫令。

　　The legal change will free Sunny from the threat of a $3,007 fine or her pet's possible removal.

　　这一法律变化将使桑妮免于3007美元的罚款或她的宠物可能被带走的威胁。

　　The 30-year-old works in marketing and asked to be identified only by her first name for the security of her cat.

　　这名30岁的女子从事市场营销工作，为了她的猫的安全，她要求只透露她的名字。

　　She did not want to risk officials removing Sunny from her care.

　　她不想冒让执法人员把猫从她身边带走的风险。

　　She wonders about the reasoning behind the ban.

　　她想知道这项禁令背后的理由。

　　"Cats are so much quieter than dogs. If they allow dogs, I don't understand why not cats."

       “猫比狗安静多了。如果他们允许养狗，我不明白为什么不允许养猫。”

　　Officials rarely enforce the ban.

　　执法人员很少执行这项禁令。

　　And the law is only for the high-rise Housing and Development Board (HDB) buildings.

　　该法案只适用于高层住宅和组屋。

　　Eighty percent of Singapore's 3.6 million people live in the buildings.

　　新加坡360万人口中有80%住在这些建筑里。

　　The ban does, however, make life difficult for cat owners.

　　然而，这项禁令确实让养猫的人日子不好过。

　　One problem they face is health care for their animals.

　　他们面临的一个问题是他们的猫的医疗保健。

　　Medical insurance cannot be provided for illegal pets.

　　该国不为非法宠物提供医疗保险。

　　Lawmaker Louis Ng campaigned to end the ban.

　　议员路易斯·吴发起了废除这项禁令的运动。

　　He said the law sometimes becomes part of disputes between neighbors.

　　他说，这项法律有时会成为邻居之间纠纷的一部分。

　　"A lot of times, the cats are collateral when there's neighborly disputes," he said.

　　他说：“很多时候，当发生邻里纠纷时，猫是抵押品”。

　　One neighbor will threaten to tell police about another neighbor's cat.

　　一个邻居会威胁说要告诉警察另一个邻居养猫。

　　Established in 1960, the HDB plan sells government-built housing directly to citizens for 99-year special agreements.

　　建屋发展局计划始于1960年，以99年的特别协议将政府建造的住宅直接出售给公民。

　　The policy has led to one of the world's highest home-ownership rates.

　　这一政策导致新加坡成为世界上住房拥有率最高的国家之一。

　　Still, people who live in the buildings are subject to many restrictions and laws.

　　但是，住在这些大楼里的人却受到许多限制和法律的约束。

　　Cats were permitted in HDB apartments until 1989 when lawmakers changed the housing law.

　　直到1989年，立法者修改了住宅法，猫才被允许进入组屋。

　　On its website, the HDB says cats are difficult to keep contained in individual homes.

　　建屋发展局在其网站上表示，很难控制猫只在个人家里活动。

　　It also says that cats drop hairs and other body waste in public areas and can be loud.

　　该机构还表示，猫会在公共场所掉毛和其他身体废物，而且声音会很大。

　　It is not clear what made the Singapore government decide to end the cat ban.

　　目前尚不清楚新加坡政府决定废除这项猫禁令的原因。

　　But a 2022 government public opinion study may have been the turning point.

　　但2022年的一项政府民意调查可能是一个转折点。

　　The study results showed 9 out of 10 Singaporeans believed that cats were fit to keep as pets, including in HDB buildings.

　　调查结果显示，90%的新加坡人认为猫适合作为宠物饲养，包括在组屋里。

　　Officials are requesting public input on a proposed cat management policy.

　　官员们正在征求公众对拟议的猫管理政策的意见。

　　Dogs have not been subject to a similar ban, but they are limited to one per household.

　　虽然该国没有颁布针对狗的类似禁令，但每户只能养一只。

　　And, only some kinds of dogs are permitted.

　　而且，只允许养某些种类的狗。

　　Market research company Euromonitor International has predicted a big increase in cat ownership.

　　市场研究公司欧睿信息咨询公司预测，养猫的人数将会大幅增加。

　　It estimated Singapore's current pet population at around 94,000 cats and 113,000 dogs.

　　该公司估计，新加坡目前的宠物数量约为9.4万只猫和11.3万只狗。

　　Lawmaker Ng, who ran an animal aid group before joining parliament in 2015, also hopes the change will lead more people to adopt rescued cats.

　　吴议员在2015年加入议会之前曾管理过一个动物援助组织，他也希望这一变化能让更多的人收养获救的猫。

　　Under the new rules, HDB homeowners would be limited to two pet cats.

　　根据新规定，组屋业主最多能养两只宠物猫。

　　The rules also require owners to register their pets with the government.

　　新规定还要求宠物主人向政府登记他们的宠物。

　　The owners must also get special identifying electronic devices for the animals.

　　宠物主人还必须为动物配备特殊的电子识别设备。

　　And, owners must install protective devices on windows so cats do not get out.

　　而且，宠物主人必须在窗户上安装保护装置，这样猫就不会跑出去。

　　Some cat lovers say the new laws do not go far enough.

　　一些爱猫人士表示，新法律还不够深入。

　　Thenuga Vijakumar from the Cat Welfare Society wants the law to require sterilization.

　　来自猫福利协会的特努加·维贾库马尔希望法律要求猫绝育。

　　Another cat rescuer, Chan Chow Wah, urges officials to punish irresponsible owners.

　　另一位猫咪救助者陈周华敦促官员惩罚不负责任的主人。

　　He said he had to take care of a cat that fell from a high window in one home.

　　他说，他不得不照顾一只从一个住在高层的住户家的窗户掉下来的猫。

　　The owners refused to pay its medical bills.

　　宠物主人拒绝支付它的医药费。

　　Wah also took care of another cat that was abandoned because he had heart disease.

　　陈周华还照顾了另一只因心脏病而被遗弃的猫。

　　"I end up taking over these cases. Basically, I look after them until they pass away," said Chan, estimating he spent $45,100 on cat medical expenses in 2022.

　　陈周华说：“我最终接手了这些病例。基本上，我会照顾它们直到它们去世。”他估计自己在2022年在猫咪医疗费用上花费了4.51万美元。

　　But for many cat owners the law will bring peace of mind.

　　但对于许多猫主人来说，这项法律将会带来内心的平静。

　　Including Mooncake's: "I think it's a good thing and it's a step forward after 30 years," Sunny said.

　　包括“月饼”的主人在内，桑妮说：“我认为这是一件好事，是时隔30年又向前迈进了一步”。