“寵”滿為患

仲其方

受種種因素影響，澳大利亞越來越多的人把自己的寵物送到動物收容所。

Australian animal shelters are crowd?ed， and the wait for returning animals can be as long as eight months as pet owners return to work and face rising costs.

“In all the 20 years that Ive been in rescue， I have never seen it like this.A number of animals in the shelters are just trying to get out. Calls， emails and texts that we get here from people wanting to give up their animals are just never?ending. Its heartbreaking. Caring for a pet is getting harder and more expensive，” said Monika Biernacki， founder of Monikas Doggie Rescue from the shelter in Sydneys northern suburbs （郊區(qū)）， who started her no?kill shelter in 2001.

The price of pet?related products rose 12 percent in the first half of the year， twice the pace of human food. A shortage of rental homes also makes it harder to find pet?friendly housing. High school teacher Holly Medcalf bought her dog Opi during the pandemic and has spent almost US$2，700.60 on vet visits. “You have all these really nice ideas and then in reality， its hard work，” she said.

“Many people who bought pets as lockdown companions （陪伴者） are now realizing the responsibilities，” said Stephen Albin， chief executive of the New South Wales Animal Welfare Society. “There was a really difficult time during COVID?19， especially in Australia， where we had lengthy lockdowns. I think quite a few people just wanted companionship， so they went and got a pet. They got a companion， but they didnt quite understand what it takes to keep a pet，” he said.

Why do more and more Australians give up raising pets？