【轉貼】動物心理學

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被結紮的貓

不只是老鼠有細膩的感知，與老鼠宿敵的貓亦然如此。

有一次，聽國內著名的寵物醫師杜白說到一件真實故事。他的診所附近有一個小公園，
時常有流浪的貓狗在附近聚集，一方面污染環境，一方面貓狗沒有節制的生育，也會造
成牠們下一代更悲慘的命運。

杜白醫師就想到，應該為這些流浪貓狗做節育手術，如果他能在為家中寵物看診之餘，
每星期為流浪貓狗做幾次節育手術，對環境的改變也很也幫助吧！ 於是，他抓了一隻流
浪貓，為他做了節育，再放回公園，沒想到不到一星期，整個公園的貓狗都跑光了，僅
剩的幾隻看到他也都驚恐地逃逸。

杜白醫師感到十分納悶：難道牠們都知道小貓被閹的事嗎？後來，他到別的貓狗聚集的
地方，只要捉一隻來閹，其他的貓狗總是在一兩星期逃逸一空，百試不爽。 杜白醫師得
到一個結論，貓狗是有語言溝通的，他告訴我：「那被閹的貓狗回去以後可能告訴大
家：這附近有一位杜白醫師專門捉貓狗回去閹，大家趕快逃吧！」

幽默的杜醫師自我調侃，說：「我現在在流浪的貓狗中已經是惡名昭彰了。」 杜白醫師
行醫多年，深知動物與人一樣，有感情、有感知，因此最反對人拋棄寵物，他說：
「想到動物被遺棄後那種傷感、失落與痛苦，真是於心不忍。」 這種對動物的疼惜，
使他不僅成為寵物的名醫，也是國內保護留浪貓狗的守護神。

[Guest]

咬舌自盡的狗

有一次，帶家裏的狗看醫師，坐上一輛計程車。由於狗咳嗽得很厲害，吸引了司機的注
意，反身問我：「狗感冒了嗎？」 「是呀！從昨晚就咳個不停，」我說。 司機突然長嘆
一聲：「唉！咳得和人一模一樣呀！」

話匣子一打開，司機說了一個養狗的痛苦經驗：
很多年前，他養了一條大狼狗，長得太大了，食量非常驚人，加上吠聲奇大，吵得人不
能安寧，有一天覺得負擔太重，不想養了。 他把狼狗放在布袋裏，載出去放生，為了怕
牠跑回家，特地開車開了一百多公里，放到中部的深山。放了狗，他加速逃回家，狼狗
在後面追了幾公里就消失了。

經過一個星期，一天半夜聽到有人用力敲門，開門一看，原來是那隻大狼狗回來了，形
容枯槁、極為狼狽，顯然是經過長時間的奔跑和尋找。 計程車司機十分訝異，但是他
二話不說，又從家裏拿出布袋，把狼狗裝入布袋，再次帶去放生。這一次，他從北宜公
路狂奔到宜蘭，一路聽到狼狗低聲號哭的聲音。 到宜蘭山區，把布袋打開，發現滿布袋
都是血，血還繼續從狼狗的嘴角流淌出來。他把狗嘴拉開，發現狼狗的舌頭斷成兩截。
原來，狼狗咬舌自盡了。

如果以佛教「眾生平等，皆有佛性」、「有情無情，同圓種智」的觀點，我們和眾生的
佛性根本無別，只是形貌上不斷地轉換，那些有情有義的「畜牲」與無情無義的「人」
會在某一個時空中轉換面貌，只可惜，很少能這樣深沉的思維呀！

[Guest]

http://udn.com/NEWS/WORLD/WOR4/3766451.shtml
孩子少了 日本寵物當家

日本社會進入「少子化」時代之後變化之大令人難以想像，「寵物熱」即為一例。孩子
少使得養寵物大為流行，日本貓狗的數目，竟然比小孩子多。

貓狗總數 比孩子多600萬
據最近一項統計，日本全國十四歲以下的孩子，數目大約是一千八百萬，而貓狗等寵物
的總數卻超過二千四百萬。日本的孩子少了，現在寵物取代了孩子在家庭中的地位。

一位女性朋友家裡就養了狗當寵物，而且一養就是兩隻。她把兩隻狗命名為「春
（Haru）」和「桃（Momo）」，平常她叫她們是「哈魯匠」、「莫莫匠」，比叫她老
公還親，讓她老公都快有些醋意了。

Momo是拉布拉多犬，Haru是英國獵鳥犬，一歲不到就被送到家裡來養。講起兩隻愛犬
她可真是頭頭是道、鉅細靡遺，兩隻狗的習性她也都摸摸得一清二楚，阿桃聰明卻膽
小，阿春則伶俐過人，她說：「我可是把她們當成孩子一樣，呵護備至喔！」

談養狗經 日人卸下冷漠
很多日本人都是如此，養狗就好像在養兒子。日本人比較冷漠，在街頭上大多只是點頭
打招呼，可是一談到「養狗經」，那可不得了，東家的「阿花」怎樣了，西家的「阿
虎」又如何了，非得把整條街上的狗新聞都拿出來講它一講不可。

有一次，一位朋友的大狗死了，葬儀社的人來家裡辦喪事，還真有板有眼先在門口貼了
個「喪中」，然後還煞有其事找來和尚誦經，最後送到火葬場還拿個什麼「居士」的封
號。

狗狗去世 鄰居還來致哀
最令人感動的則是，喪事辦完後，那些養了狗的鄰居會來按門鈴，這麼說：「聽說府上
寶貝去世，無法親赴喪禮，抱憾之至，可否容我到牠靈前致哀？」

寵物社會地位愈來愈高，狗的「幼稚園」也應運而生。
位於東京的一所狗兒幼稚園，據說每一期的入園總時數大約是十到十五個小時，收費可
不低，大約是四十萬到五十萬日圓之間（約十二萬到十五萬台幣）。對一般人來說，收
費未免太高，可是養狗的人卻直呼「便宜」！

「幼稚園」教些什麼？當然不是什麼修身齊家的大道理，但是狗應有的「教養」在這十
來個小時裡可都學到啦！訓練大小便，其實沒有什麼困難，公寓內養狗最頭痛的就是大
小便問題，有些狗和貓就訓練到可以自己上抽水馬桶，用完以後還會按一下沖水，你說
神不神奇？

狗狗專用 學校溫泉都有
當然，遇到生客上門，狗兒都會亂吠，經過訓練的狗，就不那麼輕浮，經常會觀察主人
的臉色，然後才行動。一個送狗寶貝上過幼稚園的人說：「上幼稚園以後，寶貝聽話多
了。就連吃東西，只要我沒有喊ＯＫ，牠也絕對不敢動一口！」

寵物多了，新興的許多行業會讓你目不暇給。日本人喜歡泡溫泉，所以就有那種專門服
務狗的狗溫泉，還弄個三溫暖，讓你的狗寶寶過得舒舒服服。養狗的人說：「你可不知
道，狗也會有憂鬱症喔，不讓牠舒服些，牠還會垂頭喪氣擺臉色給你看呢！」

百貨公司裡，寵物專用物品專櫃，東西漸漸比寶寶用品還貴了。唉！孩子少了，寵物多
了，日本這個社會就快被寵物給占領了。

[Guest]

憂鬱症? 柏林貓熊死了!

動物也會爭風吃醋，現在德國最紅的動物明星，就是小北極熊【納特】，不過這也讓動
物園裡的另外一個明星【貓熊嫣嫣】，疑似因為失去觀光客的喜愛，憂鬱而死。

才三個多月大，並讓德國全國陷入瘋狂小北極熊納特。被德國媒體「畫報」，冠上了謀
殺的罪名。原來就在小納特成為焦點之際，一向是柏林動物園裡最有人氣的動物明星，
二十二歲的貓熊嫣嫣，卻不幸死亡。雖然嫣嫣正值壯年，之前身體健康良好。

因此部份德國民眾推測，園方和大部分的動物園遊客，太過注意小北極熊納特，讓嫣嫣
產生危機感，導致牠落落寡歡，抑鬱而終。但柏林動物園，否認了這項說法。 德國畫
報」則指稱，自小納特公開亮相後，每天都吸引成千上萬客，到柏林動物園一睹納特的
風采。而不耐久候的人，就轉去看嫣嫣。鎂光燈從早到晚閃個不停，讓平常當慣閒閒美
待子的嫣嫣嚇出了心臟病，一命嗚呼。

http://news.pchome.com.tw/internation/cts/20070330/index-20070330195304070030.html

Panda death stuns Berlin after Polar bear Euphoria

BERLIN Mar. 27, 2007— Berlin Zoo denied media allegations on Tuesday
that Knut the celebrity polar bear cub was responsible for the sudden
demise of one of its older attractions, a 22-year-old panda who was found
dead in her cage.

Just four days after the euphoria over the debut of three-and-a-half-month-old "Cuddly Knut",
the mysterious death of Chinese-born Yan Yan stole the headlines in
Tuesday's German newspapers.

Top-selling Bild reported the influx of visitors to the zoo — about 30,000 a
day — could have stressed the black and white bear, who spent much of
her time lying on her back chomping at bamboo shoots.

"Lots of people gave up on seeing Knut because of the long queues, so
they went to see Yan Yan instead. She seemed intimidated and anxious,"
wrote the paper, suggesting Yan Yan could have had a heart attack.
Berlin Zoo denied any link.


"I can say with absolute certainty that there was no connection between
Yan Yan's death and Knut," said a spokesman.

"Our keepers were stunned. The sad thing is that because of the
excitement around Knut, she died alone and no one immediately noticed
that she had passed away."

The zoo kept the lifeless panda in cold storage overnight and will conduct
an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

Yan Yan, Chinese for "The Beautiful One", was brought to Berlin in 1995
from Beijing and was a star years before Knut the polar bear was born.
She leaves behind 28-year-old Bao Bao, the world's oldest known panda,
according to the zoo spokesman.

(Reporting by Julia Citron, Berlin Newsroom; madeline.chamberszreuters.com, editing by Michael Winfrey)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=2989367

[Guest]

鵝型船當情郎 母黑天鵝一往情深

德國北部一隻母黑天鵝居然迷戀上一艘天鵝造型的塑膠踏板船，並且因為不願離開「愛
人」獨自南飛，而留在當地動物園渡過寒冬。這段表錯情的戀曲並未經過一個冬天而變
調，讓德國繼小北極熊努特之後，再掀起了另一波動物熱。

這隻罕見的澳洲黑天鵝「布萊克‧佩特拉」（Black Petra)去年來到慕恩斯特的阿塞湖
（Aasee)，看見一艘以天鵝為造型的四人座踏板船，當下就一見鍾情，並且一直守在船
邊，發出求愛訊號。這一幕吸引了大批民眾前往爭睹，還帶動周邊紀念品及音樂ＣＤ問
世。

由於佩特拉一直不願意離開「情郎」，寒冬一到，她可能會被凍死。當地動物園同情她
的痴情，於是讓她與她的天鵝船男友在園中一起度過寒冬。這時蜂擁而至的觀光客人數
也突破了百萬大關。

度過一個冬天，佩特拉對踏板船是否依舊一往情深，還是會移情別戀？本周有數十位攝
影人員在湖邊守候，想知道答案，結果佩特拉顯然相信她已經覓得終身伴侶。

儘管佩特拉的身邊出現六隻正常的黑天鵝，但牠們攻擊她，沒幾天她又回到她最愛的天
鵝船身邊，圍著它打轉，深情凝望，並且低吟訴說情話。她迷戀的天鵝船現在仍出租給
想要到阿塞湖野餐的家庭使用，並沒有因為談戀愛而廢弛工作。

慕恩斯特動物園的動物學家韋沃斯指出，佩特拉的行為顯然屬於已故奧地利動物學家勞
倫茲所提出的「銘印效應」(imprinting)，即孵化後不久的幼雛看到第一個會移動的物
體，便會產生依附行為。

至於黑天鵝「佩特拉」、小努特及上個月在柏林動物園猝死的母熊貓「洋洋」之所以風
靡德國，主要與人類同情可憐動物有關。

http://news.pchome.com.tw/society/chinatimes/20070401/index-20070401030306240700.html

Darling! You’ve sailed back to me
Roger Boyes in Berlin March 31, 2007

A tale of enduring, if misplaced, love between a black female swan and a
large pedal boat has sparked another round of animal frenzy in
Germany, a country that is still celebrating the antics of Knut the polar
bear and mourning the death of a panda.

The swan, known as Black Petra, became fixated with the plastic
swan-shaped pedalo when she touched down on a lake, the Aasee, in
northern Germany last year.

Dozens of film crews turned up this week to see if the love had survived
the winter or whether Black Petra would mate with a real swan. She stuck
to the boat, stirring hope among all those Germans brought up to believe
that summer romances are doomed.

“I was sure that her boat fixation would be short-lived,” said Dirk Wewers,
a behavioural biologist at the nearby Mönster zoo. “But in the meantime i
t is clear that this is an imprint.”

Konrad Lorenz, the late Austrian-German behavioural thinker, found that
freshly hatched birds bonded socially with the first moving object they saw
— and called the process “imprinting”.

Black Petra spent last spring and summer swimming alongside the
four-seater pedalo and making the usual mating gestures. The couple
became a huge tourist attraction, prompting souvenirs and music CDs
trumpeting the virtues of mismatched love. When winter came the pedalos
were moored as usual in the boat house but Black Petra and her swain
were allowed to spend the cold months together in Mönster zoo. Visitors’
figures topped the million mark.

The true test of the odd couple came this week. First Black Petra was put
with half a dozen eligible, normal black swans. They attacked her and
within days she had turned her back on them and was waddling after her
favourite pedal boat.

“The boat remains the most important thing in her life,” said Ilona Zaelke,
a zoo spokes-woman. “She feels safe and protected.”

In part, the national fascination with Black Petra, Knut and the panda Yan
Yan (a celebrated resident of Berlin zoo that died last week) is to do with
human sympathies for rejected animals. Petra plainly cannot have a
normal relationship, Yan Yan failed to produce a cub and Knut was left out
to die by his mother.

The pathos of Knut became clear yesterday with the launch of the first
Knut pop song. Trilled by a nine-year-old girl called Kitty, the lyrics begin:
“Knut is a cuddly bear/ Who doesn’t have a mummy anymore.” In fact
Knut’s mother, Tosca, is alive and well. She just does not like children
very much.

Germans take the animal world very seriously. Headlines such as “Knut
should die” stemmed from a row about one of Europe’s most advanced
animal protection laws. Leipzig zoo put a bear cub to sleep because it had
been rejected by its mother and it would be illegal to bring it up with
human bottle feeding. The law says that animals have to be reared in a
manner appropriate to their species.

An animal rights protester took the zoo to court — and said that to be
consistent, Knut should also have been killed at birth. That set off a storm
of protest — and some hard thinking about animal protection.

Yet there has always been a clash between animal legislation and a world
that uses animals as meat and as performers. The first modern animal
protection was put into place by the Nazis in 1933.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1593765.ece

[Guest]

自己搭公車的貓 每周搭兩三次

英格蘭瓦索爾的三三一路公車，今年遇上一隻會自己搭公車的神秘白貓，每星期總有幾
天早上，牠會固定在同一站上車，並在四百公尺外的下一站下車。

英國每日郵報說，這隻貓被三三一路公車司機稱為「麥卡維提」，靈感得自艾略特詩中
敘述的一隻貓。四十九歲的公車司機比爾今年一月首次看到這隻貓。他說：「很奇怪，
第一次我只看到牠混在一群乘客中跳下公車，沒看到牠上車。第二天，我在邱吉爾路停
車讓乘客上車，一開門就看到牠向公車跑來，一躍而上，跑到椅子下。我想乘客都沒注
意到。」

這隻貓從一月首次搭公車以來，每星期搭兩三次，而且總在同一站上車，同一站下車，
下車處有許多店鋪，包括一家炸鱈魚與馬鈴薯店。

十九歲的三三一路公車常客保羅說：「我在幾星期前注意到這隻貓。起初我以為有主人
陪牠，但到了下一站就很清楚牠是獨自行動。牠坐在公車前面，耐心等待到下 一站後就
下車。起先看到貓自己搭車會覺得很奇怪，現在已見怪不怪。我認為牠是好乘客，安安
靜靜坐著，不打擾別人，然後下車。」

http://news.pchome.com.tw/internation/udn/20070411/index-20070411035948038248.html


Moggie cat-ches bus

A cat has stunned bus drivers by commuting on a busy route most days
for three months.

The mystery cat jumps on the No 331 service in Wolverhampton and rides
it two stops down the road before leaping off near a fish and chip shop,
reports The Sun.

Since January, the cat - nicknamed Macavity by drivers - has caught the
bus three times a week and always gets on and off at the same spot.
Driver Bill Khunkhun, 49, said: "As soon as I open the doors he jumps on.
He seems to like it."

Passenger Paul Brennan, 19, said: "The cat sat at the front, waited
patiently for the right stop and got off."It was quite strange at first but
now seems normal. He is the perfect passenger. The only problem is he
never pays."

Travel West Midlands, which operates the service, said: "The cat certainly
knows how to use buses and is a regular traveller on the 331."

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2280626.html
相片： http://www.gameshout.com/news/puss_in_bus/article9132.htm

[Guest]

上文的相片連結已經失效，我又在此網址找到相片：
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=447527&in_page_id=1770#StartComments

貓咪故事有迴響：

In 1970 my husband and I were living just off campus at The University of
Massachusetts in Amherst, we had the best dog ever and everyone on
campus knew him. He used to do the same thing as the cat. When I would
walk up the street to walk to work he would follow me to the bus stop and
when the doors opened he would get on the bus and then when the bus
got to the dining commons he would get out. And then he would come
home the same way. He was such an amazing animal and everyone loved
him. He went missing for like a week and finally we got a call from
someone who knew someone that knew us. They told us that the dog had
been injured and we should go and pick him up. When we got him home
we could tell he was really sick. His breath smelled really bad and he was
so lethargic, my husband took him to the vet and they had to wire his jaw.
He had gotten hit with a baseball bat while trying to play baseball with a
group of students. He recovered well. I miss Hippy.

- Ann-Marie, Norton, MA

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=447527&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&expand=true#StartComments

[Guest]

新鮮世／澳研究：天鵝愛劈腿　喜歡半夜偷腥打野味

天鵝通常都是兩兩為伴，儷影雙雙，常被賦予浪漫的愛情象徵，不過澳洲科學家發現，
天鵝其實最喜歡半夜偷偷跑去劈腿，和其他天鵝偷腥。

澳洲科學家在墨爾本亞柏公園湖的黑天鵝身上裝電子追蹤系統，發現雌天鵝在夜晚時很
不安分，會背著另一伴去找別的雄天鵝調情，而且這些天鵝就算白天已經與另一半交歡
數次，晚上還「意猶未盡」會出去打野味，紀錄顯示，雌天鵝一晚可以分三次與不同的
雄天鵝曖昧。

不過，科學家認為，這不能全說是雌天鵝的錯，雌天鵝會在深夜「偷腥」，應該與幫忙
孵蛋的雄天鵝會在發現自己在幫別人養孩子後，拒絕履行孵育義務有關。中央社引述報
告內容，雄鳥發現自己戴綠帽後，會大量減少孵育工作，把工作都推給雌鳥。

數據顯示，雌雄天鵝之間這種冤冤相報的循環還真不少，因為DNA鑑定顯示，雄天鵝照
顧的小天鵝平均有1/6不是親生的。

http://www.ettoday.com/2007/04/11/334-2080297.htm

Birdlife gets a bit ugly
Chee Chee Leung
April 11, 2007

Dr Raoul Mulder is tracking Albert Park's amorous swans. DNA testing
shows that about one in six cygnets is illegitimate.

SWANS might symbolise themes like purity and love but scientists have
found that the elegant birds are sneaking off on their partners to take part
in late-night romantic affairs.

Electronic tagging and microchipping of black swans on Melbourne's Albert
Park Lake has caught frisky females getting amorous with new male birds
at all hours of the night.

The adulterous dalliances were logged at 11.30pm, 1.30am and even as
late as 3am — while mating between long-term partners took place at
random times throughout the day.

Mating outside pair bonds "is happening under the cover of darkness in
the middle of the night," said University of Melbourne researcher Raoul
Mulder, who added that both sides involved in the moonlight trysts were
spoken for.

"It takes two to tango."
Dr Mulder, a senior zoology lecturer, said the most likely reason for the
subterfuge is that male swans — who help to incubate the eggs — might
abandon some of their parental responsibilities if they discover they are
not the real father.

"In other bird species, males that have been cuckolded … instead of doing
their fair share of the incubation, they might be contributing a lot less,
which means the burden of doing that incubation falls on the female," he
said.

"So there is a cost potentially of having their mate find out."
DNA testing has shown that about one in six baby swans is illegitimate.
These preliminary findings about the mating habits of black swans come
from a scientific investigation of the Albert Park flock that started during
last year's breeding season.

The research team, headed by Dr Mulder and university zoology colleague
Professor Mark Elgar, attached microchips to the tail feathers of males
and small microchip readers to the backs of females.

The microchips are described as similar to toll-road "e-tags". When a male
gets close to a female during mating, her reader device acts like the
"e-tag toll bridge" and detects the microchip, allowing scientists to track
mating patterns.

The researchers plan to repeat the experiment this year. They started
microchipping males last Saturday, and hope to begin attaching electronic
devices to the females next week.

"We've had a bit of a DNA revolution where we've discovered that … all
birds are not monogamous, but there's a missing piece of the puzzle
which is that we've never really looked at the behaviour," Dr Mulder said.
"So we are really keen to try and get more of these units deployed to get
a complete picture."

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/birdlife-gets-a-bit-ugly/2007/04/10/1175971098054.html

[Guest]

扮成狼 養小狼逾10年

英國德文郡男子尚恩艾利斯在一次偶然的機會中，遇到三隻被遺棄的小狼，他決定以最
不尋常的方式將牠們撫養長大，因此他讓自己假裝成了 一匹狼。在過去十多年中，尚恩
和狼群同吃同住，甚至通過狼的眼睛來看世界。美國《國家地理頻道》將他的故事拍成
紀錄片《狼群中的男人》，該紀錄片將於十六日在美國播出。

尚恩曾向印第安人學會如何與狼溝通；他曾和狼群在一個窩裡睡覺，並共同外出覓食。

尚恩相信自己已掌握狼類的語言，能夠通過身體姿勢、面部表情及發聲法與狼群進行溝
通，他還將自身經歷寫進一部名叫《狼語》的書。尚恩相信，他能利用自己的知識，充
當人類和狼群之間的「大使」。

http://news.pchome.com.tw/life/merit/20070415/index-20070415120000425171.html

The Call of the Wild
A Devon man with an extraordinary passion for wolves believes he has
mastered their language.

Shaun Ellis is one person who's been nominated as a 'Local Champion' in
the South West.

Shaun Ellis, from Plymouth , has spent many years living with and
studying the behaviour of wolves. Mr Ellis is an expert in the complicated
sight and sound system used by wolves to communicate with each other.

He has spent years integrating himself in a pack of wolves at a wildlife
park in Linton, Cambridgeshire. Shaun has dedicated much of the last 12
years to researching the lives of wolves and has written the book The
Wolf Talk.

"What people think of as a savage creature is in fact very well-balanced
and if you are part of their pack they will not cause you serious harm," he
explained.

Shaun believes he has mastered the language of wolves and
communicates with them through posture, facial expression and
vocalisation.

"It is a very simple language, as their world is far more complete than
ours," he said.

Shaun would like to see his findings used to allow wolf and human to
coexist without conflict.

Using their own methods of communication, wolves can be encouraged to
stay away from areas where they might clash with man.

He's now hoping to set up a breeding programme so that some can be
released into the wild in Poland.

Shaun hopes that if a more controlled wolf population can be introduced in
Poland it could help to reduce attacks on livestock as well as protecting
wolf packs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2004/wolf_man.shtml

[Guest]

流浪狗狗自救　表演握手免安樂死

狗狗主人安莉亞：「牠真棒！」這隻名叫Lucky的大黑狗，可以說是名副其實的幸運
狗。安莉亞：「Lucky握手，就是握手讓牠逃過一劫。」

美國堪薩斯州的動物收容所，日前抓到在馬路上徘徊的Lucky，收養了一段日子後，因
為沒人認養，收容所人員決定將Lucky安樂死。

沒想到Lucky展現絕活，牠開始表演握手，讓收容所不忍心撲殺，Lucky順利逃過一
劫。
http://news.yam.com/tvbs/international/200704/20070416136220.html

Dog About To Be Euthanized Saves Its Own Life

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- A dog about to be put down recently saved its
own life by being smart.

KMBC's Bev Chapman reported that the dog managed to stand out from
the rest of the pack, and as a result, got rescued in the nick of time.

The dog, now named Lucky, was living at the Kansas City, Mo., Animal
Shelter, where she was brought in as a stray. No one claimed her, and no
one wanted her.

So like many dogs, Lucky was scheduled to be put down, Chapman
reported. "She shook the guy's hand as he was going to put her to sleep
and he put her back in the cage," said Andrea Galeski of Puppy's Playpen.

Galeski said her organization wasn't look for another dog."She just looked
at me with the look of, 'What do you want me to do next, just tell me
what to do?' So I'm going to take her. She deserves a second chance,"
Galeski said.

Lucky will be put up for adoption at Puppy's Playpen.Chapman reported
that Kansas City Animal Control took in 10,000 dogs last year and
euthanized 7,000 of them.

http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/11852062/detail.html

[Guest]

可愛的貓咪彈鋼琴，美妙極了！

請觀賞：

http://www.ravenswingstudio.com/docs/cats.html
http://www.metacafe.com/tags/cats/

[Guest]

中國時報 2007.08.25　
肯亞潑猴 偷莊稼 還「性騷擾」
潘勛/綜合報導

一群長尾黑顎猴正騷擾非洲肯亞共和國中部的納丘村，不僅偷取莊稼，殺死牲口及守
衛狗，村婦想趕走牠們時，潑猴非但不怕，還抓著胸部比私處，做出猥褻姿勢嘲笑她們，
簡直是在作性騷擾。

「英國廣播公司」24日報導，當地選出的國會議員穆伊提已要求「肯亞野生動物局」
協助制止潑猴的霸行。他向國會報告說，那群猴子會騷擾、揶揄女性，結果卻引得同仁哄
堂大笑。

但納丘村婦女表示真有其事。她們說，每天拂曉時，大約300隻潑猴會侵入農田，吃
掉麥子、馬鈴薯、大豆等莊稼。該村負責農事的主要是女性，所以最感困擾。大膽的潑猴
還扔石頭，把婦女趕離她們的田地。

婦女們發現猴子比較怕年輕男子，不怕婦孺，所以改穿丈夫的衣著，想嚇走猴子，但
這招不管用。村婦恩潔莉表示，她們穿褲子戴帽子，但猴子們居然分辨得出細微差異，只
用手比一比她們的胸部，然後不理踩她們，繼續偷東西。

恩潔莉表示，潑猴還一手抓著自己的胸部，一手比著私處，做出下流的姿勢。當地婦
女害怕有朝一日猴子真會性侵害她們。

肯亞野生動物局表示，猴子性騷擾女子倒非奇聞，但向人類擺淫猥姿勢，倒是頭一次
聽到。 納丘村民表示，潑猴曾殺死牲口與守望狗，因此他們很害怕嬰兒與小孩的安危。
而且，村民想出來整猴子的招數全告失敗，猴群避開陷阱，還派出「哨兵」站在制高點，
在危險將至前發出警告，至於村民擺的毒餌，猴子們看都不看。

由於野生動物局警告納丘村民眾，殺傷任何長尾黑顎猴都將觸犯刑事罪嫌，村民只好
搶在作物未熟之前就收割。但這麼做之後，潑猴們竟然囂張到入侵農家，偷走穀倉內的糧
食。

村民們組成了「驅猴小隊」，監視猴群行動，但因為範圍太廣，人手又不夠，這招也
告失靈。有些束手無策的村民失去希望，已放棄農耕，舉家搬走。還留下來的人則向政府
緊急呼救，盼望當局能可憐可憐他們，幫忙趕走潑猴。

http://news.chinatimes.com/2007Cti/2007Cti-News/2007Cti-News-Content/0,4521,110504+112007082500094,00.html

A troop of vervet monkeys is giving Kenyan villagers long days and
sleepless nights, destroying crops and causing a food crisis.

Earlier this month, local MP Paul Muite urged the Kenyan Wildlife Service to
help contain their aggressive behaviour.

But Mr Muite caused laughter when he told parliament that the monkeys
had taken to harassing and mocking women in a village.

But this is exactly what the women in the village of Nachu, just south-west
of Kikuyu, are complaining about.

Sexual harassment
They estimate there are close to 300 monkeys invading the farms at
dawn. They eat the village's maize, potatoes, beans and other crops.

And because women are primarily responsible for the farms, they have
borne the brunt of the problem, as they try to guard their crops.

They say the monkeys are more afraid of young men than women and
children, and the bolder ones throw stones and chase the women from
their farms.

Nachu's women have tried wearing their husbands' clothes in an attempt to
trick the monkeys into thinking they are men - but this has failed, they
say. "When we come to chase the monkeys away, we are dressed in
trousers and hats, so that we look like men," resident Lucy Njeri told the
BBC News website

"But the monkeys can tell the difference and they don't run away from us
and point at our breasts. They just ignore us and continue to steal the
crops."

In addition to stealing their crops, the monkeys also make sexually explicit
gestures at the women, they claim. "The monkeys grab their breasts, and
gesture at us while pointing at their private parts. We are afraid that they
will sexually harass us," said Mrs Njeri.

The Kenyan Wildlife Service told the BBC that it was not unusual for
monkeys to harass women and be less afraid of them than men, but they
had not heard of monkeys in Kenya making sexually explicit gestures as a
form of communication to humans.

The predominantly farming community is now having to receive famine
relief food.

The residents report that the monkeys have killed livestock and guard
dogs, which has also left the villagers living in fear, especially for the
safety of their babies and children.

All the villagers' attempts to control the monkeys have failed - the
monkeys evade traps, have lookouts to warn the others of impending
attacks and snub poisoned food put out by the residents.

"The troop has scouts which keep a lookout from a vantage point, and
when they see us coming, they give warning signals to the ones in the
farms to get away," said another area resident, Jacinta Wandaga.

'Monkey squad'
The town has been warned by the Kenya Wildlife Service not to harm or
kill any of the monkeys, as it is a criminal offence.

Running out of options, residents are harvesting their crops early in an
attempt to salvage what they can of this year's crop.

Unfortunately, this only invites the monkeys to break into their homes and
steal the harvested crops out of their granaries.

Even the formation of a "monkey squad" to keep track of the monkeys'
movements and keep them out has failed.

The area is simply too large for the few volunteers to cover, they say.
Some residents have lost hope and abandoned their homes and farms, but
those who have stayed behind, like 80-year-old James Ndungu, are
making a desperate plea for assistance.

"For God's sake, the government should take pity on us and move these
monkeys away because we do not want to abandon our farms," he said.
"I beg you, please come and take these animals away from here so that
we can farm in peace."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6959209.stm

[Guest]

http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2007/new/dec/16/today-int1.htm
德國呆頭鵝 告別糊塗戀情
去年錯愛天鵝船 鬧笑話
編譯陳成良／特稿

去年春天， 德國母天鵝「黑色佩特拉」愛上非常特殊的對象—一艘天鵝型、4人座的腳踏
船，此後這對「戀人」形影不離。如今，這段「畸戀」似已劃下句點，佩特拉另結新
歡，開始與一隻真正的白天鵝拍拖，不過這隻白天鵝性別成謎，佩特拉一不小心可能又鬧
笑話，雌雄不分，成了德國最有名的「蕾絲邊天鵝」。

新歡性別不明 起碼是同類
去年佩特拉沒有跟著其他同伴飛到德國南部，而留在德國動物園，春去秋來，始終緊緊跟
隨天鵝船。德國人原本以為冬天一到，戀情就會告終，因為天鵝船到了冬天觀 光淡季就
會入庫收藏，但佩特拉顯然並不打算和天鵝船分道揚鑣，園方只好破例讓她也跟著入庫，
待在天鵝船的身邊過冬。自從天鵝愛上天鵝船的新聞傳開後，引來大批民眾入園觀看，
各類商品一一出籠，包括紀念品和CD等。

再燃愛火 纏功了得
真天鵝3月間，園方為佩特拉安排一些「正常」戀人，但那些公天鵝顯然不懂憐香惜玉，
沒幾天就開始攻擊佩特拉；最後，佩特拉又逃回天鵝船身邊。

轉眼時序又入冬，上週末天外飛來一隻美麗耀眼的「白天鵝王子」，並對佩特拉大獻殷
勤，終於打動芳心，黑白配在水中優遊自在，恩愛模樣羨煞不少人。至於那艘白天鵝船，
就只能停放在湖邊乏人問津了。

不過這隻暫名為「麥克斯」（Max）的白天鵝，似乎招架不住佩特拉緊迫盯「鵝」的纏
功，14日飛到動物園內另一個池塘暫避風頭，會不會重回佩特拉身邊，尚待觀察。

這段「黑白配」戀情能否修成正果，還要突破一道阻礙：麥克斯可能跟佩特拉一樣是女兒
身。動物園園長艾德勒說，麥克斯年紀不超過2歲，天鵝在這階段很難判定性別。去年佩
特拉也一度被誤認為是公天鵝，還被取名為「彼得」。因此，「麥克斯」最後變成「瑪格
麗特」，也不足為奇。

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=nw20071215145721260C912112

'Even animals don't want to go empty handed and often look beyond their
immediate circle'

Swan abandons plastic heartthrob

Muenster, German - They made an unlikely couple - Petra the graceful
black swan and the plastic pedal boat she followed around a lake in the
north of Germany.

But after nearly two years the bond of affection appears to have broken
and love struck bird has turned her back on the swan-shaped white pedal
for someone else.

For the past week Petra has been swanning around with a new companion
- one of the feathered kind.

"They swim together and eat together. They are virtually inseparable,"
said Joerg Adler, director of the zoo in Muenster, where the pair are
spending the winter.

No one is more surprised at this development than Adler, who has looked
after Petra and her plastic heartthrob for the past two winters when they
move to the zoo from a city lake called Aasee.

Adler said he was making preparations for them to return to the lake in
the spring when the rival swan appeared on the scene in a glittering coal
of white feathers.

In fact, the young swan appears to have been courting Petra before she
left the lake and followed her via a canal which links it to the zoo.

Joggers and yachtsmen on Aasee had reported seeing Petra leave the
paddle boat for a couple of hours on several occasions in early December,
something she had never done before.

"It looks as though the younger rival has won her heart and the pedal boat
is the loser," said Adler. "It almost makes one feel sorry for it."

Experts are not concerned that the black swan and the white mute swan
are not a true match of species.

"Even animals don't want to go empty handed and often look beyond their
immediate circle," said Hans-Uwe Schuetz, spokesman for the European
Union bird protection area in Muenster.

"Cross-species relations are not unusual among birds. We've seen these
happen between grey geese and Canadian geese," he said.

But nevertheless a question-mark hangs over Petra's new partnership. It
is still not clear whether her new paramour is a male or a female.

You can't really tell in mute swans of this age," said Adler. "If we really
want to know we'll need to examine its feathers." - Sapa-DPA

[Guest]

4歲娃見人不說話 和動物有得聊 中時電子報╱黃文正／綜合報導 2008-01-05 03:37

4歲的英國小女童蘿絲．魏考克，疑似罹患罕見的 基因異常疾病，影響言語能力，出生
後，從未說過任何一句話。某次，她的父母發現，蘿絲竟跟乳牛說起話來，驚喜之餘，決
定讓她多跟動物相處，希望假以時日， 「杜立德小姐」除了跟動物說話之外，也能開口
喊他們一聲「爸比」或「媽咪」。

自出生以來，蘿絲不曾叫過「爸比」或「媽咪」，肚子餓了、身體 疲倦或不舒服，也不
會開口抗議，令她的父母擔憂不已。在醫師建議下，某次他們帶蘿絲去農場遊玩，讓她多
與動物接觸，他們驚訝地發現，蘿絲非常喜歡跟乳牛說 話。如今，只要跟動物在一起，
她便會立刻打開話匝子，滔滔不絕與動物說些大家聽不懂的話。

蘿絲的母親艾絲梅開心地說：「我們以前從未聽過她 開口說話，看她開始與乳牛說話，
心中的喜悅真是難以形容。」女兒愛跟動物說話，讓她與丈夫戴夫燃起希望，兩人還以黑
人喜劇演員艾迪．墨菲主演的電影《怪醫 杜立德》，幫女兒取了「杜立德小姐」的可愛
外號。儘管，蘿絲目前並無法跟艾迪墨菲飾演的杜立德醫生一樣，不僅能與動物說話話，
也能正常說人話。

小蘿西疑似罹患一種少見的染色體異常疾病，導致聲帶與氣管近端肌無力，阻礙正常言語
的能力。另外，她也有學習障礙與自閉症。

37歲的艾絲梅與41歲的戴夫．魏考克住在英格蘭赫福特郡的畢夏普史托福德市，兩人還
有一個2歲大的小女兒露比。艾絲梅說：「當我們抵達農場看到乳牛，蘿絲整個人突然亢
奮起來，起初我還以為聽錯了，再三確定我並沒有聽錯，她並不是真的說人聽得懂的話，
而是在跟乳牛說 話，雖然乳牛並沒有回應。」「蘿絲跟動物之間有種奇妙的連結，平
常，她的眼睛很少會跟我們的眼睛接觸，也不太會呻吟或嘆息，但跟乳牛、馬兒在一起，
她卻變得像老朋友一樣聊個不停。」

艾絲梅又說：「她與動物的親密共鳴，讓許多人都感到驚奇，她從一個內向沉默的孩子，
一下變得滔滔不絕。」

魏考克夫婦如今計畫帶蘿絲前往美國接受進一步的診治，像是與海豚一起游泳，希望對她
有所幫助，「只要她能有一丁點的進步，就非常值得了。」

http://news.yam.com/chinatimes/international/200801/20080105186559.html

Little Miss Dolittle: The four-year-old girl who only speaks to animals
By ANDEW LEVY Last updated at 12:29pm on 4th January 2008

At four years old, she had never been able to say Mummy or Daddy.

Nor could Rose Willcocks tell her parents if she was hungry, tired or unwell
after being left all but mute by an extremely unusual genetic condition.
But to her parents' astonishment, Rose has suddenly revealed she has a
great deal to say for herself - but only to animals.

She began talking to cows during a stay at a farm which was part of her
therapy. Her parents now say she turns into a chatterbox as soon as she
is in the company of animals.

The discovery has given them hope of improving Rose's condition.
Her mother, Esme, 37, who has nicknamed her daughter Miss Dolittle after
the fictional doctor who could talk to animals, said: "She began to
vocalise with the cows. We had never heard Rose vocalise before and we
were overjoyed."

Rose has a chromosome defect which has left her with a floppy voicebox
and windpipe. She also has learning difficulties and autism.

Mrs Willcocks and husband Dave, 41, an IT administrator have another
daughter, Ruby, two. The family, from Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire,
arranged a therapy placement for Rose and stayed at a farm.

"We went to see the cows," Mrs Willcocks said. "Suddenly, Rose perked
up. I did a double-take as I struggled to take in what I was hearing. She
wasn't actually saying words but there were no two ways about it - she
was talking to a cow."

"There was something about animals that made Rosie connect. We could
barely get her to make eye contact or moan or groan but here she was,
chatting like an old friend to the cows and horses."

"Her affinity with animals amazes everyone. She changes from an
introvert into a chatterbox." The family are planning to take Rose to the
U.S. for therapy, involving swimming with dolphins, in the hope she will
continue improving.

Her mother said: "If we can move her on just a fraction further then it will
have all been worthwhile."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=505903&in_page_id=1774

[Guest]

鵝爺爺聒「躁」 主人頭痛
(記者林國賢／林內報導〕

雲林縣林內鄉烏塗村民洪金砰家中飼養一隻高齡25歲的老鵝，換算成人的年齡，已是隻
「百歲鵝瑞」；但這隻鵝爺爺脾氣大，經常啄人又聒噪，主人深受其擾，但母親臨終前特
別交代不能宰殺，願意割愛給善心人士或動物園，條件是「保住鵝命」。

洪金砰說，這隻「鵝瑞」是她父親從幼鵝時所飼養，父親廿多年前過世後，就由母親負責
餵食，95年2月母親過世才交由她與小嬸飼養。

洪金砰表示，父親帶回這隻鵝飼養，是因為祖厝環境比較偏僻，又鄰近農田，經常有蛇出
沒，才會養鵝驅趕；父親過世後，老鵝不僅肩負守衛家園責任，同時也是陪伴母親的寵
物，與母親建立深厚的情感，母親臨終前特別交代不能殺鵝。

洪金砰表示，老鵝相當聰明，但老鵝在母親過世後，脾氣變得相當暴躁，只要有人靠近就
會用嘴啄人，平時呱呱大叫，製造的噪音讓鄰居都受不了，但母親遺命，加上這隻老鵝太
長壽了，成為頭痛的問題。

為了解決老鵝的問題，洪金砰向林內鄉清潔隊求救，希望協助尋找有緣人認養這隻老鵝。
洪金砰說，她已經在母親靈前擲筊取得母親的同意，但前提是不能殺這隻鵝；接獲洪婦陳
情的清潔隊說不知道如何處理，只能努力接洽動物園。

雲林縣家畜疾病防治所表示，一般鵝隻飼養90天即可宰殺，而鵝平均壽命約10年左右，
這隻25歲的老鵝，換算成人的年紀，算是「百歲鵝瑞」，相當罕見，而鵝原本就會用嘴
攻擊入侵勢力範圍的動物。

http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2008/new/jan/7/today-so18.htm