The proud owner of dingo “Kimba,” James Bornstein, is part of the new wave of Australian exotic pet lovers whose unconventional companions are gaining popularity.

In a country known for its unusual wildlife, Bornstein said having a sub-species of the grey wolf in his Sydney home is an opportunity to change people’s negative perceptions about the native wild dog and apex predator.

“Dingoes are so intelligent. We want people to see her (Kimba) and realize they are not vicious animals. They are just like normal dogs,” he said.

Dingoes are infamous thanks to the dramatic case of Azaria Chamberlain — a nine-week-old baby snatched by one of the animals during a camping trip in central Australia in 1980, which was made into a movie.

Bornstein hopes his efforts will increase support for conservation, as dingo numbers decline amid habitat loss and cross-breeding with domestic dogs.

His views were echoed by Ben Dessen, reptile manager at Kellyville Pets store in Sydney, who owned his first snake at 6.

“Now we see every 6-year-old that we set up with their first reptile — hopefully they want to go on and protect animals and have an appreciation for how amazing these creatures are,” he said.

According to the Australian Veterinary Association, exotic pets are becoming “more and more popular,” with residents owning millions of birds, fish, small mammals and reptiles.

Ernie Chan, a breeder who has kept up to 130 reptiles, said shrinking homes and urbanization has seen potential owners turn to smaller pets that require less maintenance.

“You don’t need to take a snake for a walk,” Chan said. “Everybody’s had dogs and cats for so many years and it’s kind of reptiles’ time to shine.”

Despite their growing popularity, there are strict laws in Australia governing what exotic creatures can be kept as pets.

Welfare officials also warn backyard breeders against buying an animal that may have been grabbed from the wild.

詹姆斯•伯恩斯坦自豪地拥有一条名为“金巴”的澳洲野狗。澳大利亚兴起了饲养奇异动物作为宠物的新风潮，奇异宠物也越来越受欢迎。澳大利亚以与众不同的野生动植物著称。伯恩斯坦说，他在悉尼家中喂养“金巴”作为宠物，可以借机改变人们对于澳洲野狗这种顶端肉食动物的负面印象。澳洲野狗属于灰狼的一个亚种。

他说：“澳洲野狗非常聪明，我希望大家能看到它，并且意识到这不是邪恶的动物，就跟普通的狗一样。”

1980年，一名9周大的婴儿阿扎利亚•张伯伦在澳中部一次露营旅行中被澳洲野狗叼走并吃掉，该物种由此变得声名狼藉。这起事件还被拍成了电影。

伯恩斯坦希望他的努力能使人们更支持保护澳洲野狗。近年来由于栖息地的减少以及与家狗的杂交，澳洲野狗的数量不断减少。本•德森与伯恩斯坦观点相同，他是悉尼凯利维尔宠物店的经理，主要负责爬行动物的售卖业务。德森6岁时拥有了人生中第一条宠物蛇。

他说：“我见到不少从我们这里买走人生中第一只爬行动物的六岁小孩，希望他们能够坚持下去，爱护动物，欣赏这些奇妙的生灵”。

澳大利亚兽医协会表示，喂养奇异宠物正变得“越来越流行”。居民拥有数百万只鸟、鱼、小型哺乳动物和爬行动物。

厄尼•陈喂养了多达130只爬行动物。他说住房面积的减少和城镇化的推进使更多人倾向于选择喂养限制更少的小型宠物。他说：“你不需要带一条蛇出去散步，很多年以来，人们都是养猫养狗，现在是爬行动物大放异彩的时候了。”

尽管越来越流行，澳大利亚国内对于哪些动物能够当宠物养有严格的法律规定。动物保护官员还警告在后院养动物的人不要购买从野外捕获的动物。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【顶端肉食动物】dǐngduān ròushí dòngwù apex predator a predator residing at the top of a food chain upon which no other creatures prey

    【爬行动物】páxíng dòngwù reptile an animal that has cold blood, lays eggs, and crawls or moves on its belly or on small short legs