Many children will have been delighted to win a goldfish as a prize at a funfair, happily putting it in a bowl and feeding it every day after school.

But they could have been guilty of animal cruelty without even knowing it.

Goldfish might get a bad reputation of being boring pets and having rubbish memories, but they’re more clued up than we realize.

In Switzerland, it has been illegal to own one solitary goldfish since 2008, when the country introduced a whole host of animal rights’ legislation.

Why? Because fish are actually “social” creatures. In the sea they swim in shoals, so it makes perfect sense that they would need companions.

The Swiss Government believes it is cruel to force them to live in isolation — but it doesn’t just apply to fish.

Other social creatures like guinea pigs and budgerigars are also covered by the legislation.

Switzerland even has companies which pair guinea pigs up with partners when the inevitable happens and one of the original couple dies.

While allowing animals to keep each other company makes perfect sense, the country has other bizarre rules regarding pet ownership.

Dog lovers have to take courses before they can own one — and then have practical training, according to techly.com.

If you want just one cat, you must let it outside so it can see other cats. If it’s going to be kept indoors, then you’ve got to get two.

Looking to purchase a solitary parrot in Switzerland? Forget about it. It’ll be considered abuse unless you can get him a friend to talk to.

One thing is for sure, this will certainly make some people feel guilty about their pet-owning habits.

许多孩子在游乐场赢得一条金鱼当奖品后会很高兴，开心地将它放进碗里，每天放学后喂它。

但他们可能犯了虐待动物罪而不自知。

金鱼或许享有“无聊宠物”的坏名声，记忆力也糟糕，但它们知道的比我们想的多。

2008年，瑞士出台了大量有关动物权利的法规。从此，在瑞士单独养一条金鱼就是违法。

你问为啥？因为鱼类实际是“社会

性”生物。在海里它们成群地游动，因此它们需要同伴合情合理。

瑞士政府认为强迫它们独居是残忍的— 而这一点不仅仅适用于鱼类。

其他社会性生物，比如豚鼠和虎皮鹦

鹉，也在法规保护范围内。

甚至当不可避免的事情发生，原伴侣死去时，瑞士还有帮豚鼠重新配对的公司。

让动物互相有个伴儿是完全可以理解

的，但该国还有其他养宠物的神规定。

据澳大利亚科技网站techly报道，汪星人爱好者在养狗狗之前必须上课，然后还要接受实际训练。

如果你只养一只猫，就必须让它出门见见同类。如果想把猫关在室内，那就必须养两只。

指望在瑞士单独买一只鹦鹉？别想

了。除非你给他找个能交谈的伴儿，否则就是虐待。

可以肯定的是，这法规一定会让一些人因自己养宠物的习惯而感到愧疚。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【离奇的】líqí de bizarre very strange or unusual, especially in a striking or shocking way

    【独自的】dúzì de solitary alone, without companions, unattended