译/李丹璇 审订/周亚莉

宠物秘史

译/李丹璇 审订/周亚莉

A Secret History of Pets

Humans have kept animals as pets since ancient times and now， here are some of the extraordinary facts about our reverence and affection for all kinds of creatures—furry， fishy， feline，equine and canine in all societies and throughout history.

c.1拉丁语circa的缩写，相当于around，为“左右”“大约”的意思。10000 BC

In what is now Israel， a puppy is buried cradled in the hand of a human.It’s the earliest clear evidence we have that humans and dogs.

c.7500 BC

A cat resembling an African wildcat2非洲野猫。野猫的一个亚种。一些野猫约于1万年前在中东被驯养，成为家猫的祖先。is buried with a human on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This early evidence suggests that cats were fi rst domesticated in the Fertile Crescent3新月沃地，或称肥沃新月，指西亚两河流域及其毗邻的地中海东岸的一片弧形地区。(where the African and Eurasian continents meet) and later brought as pets to Cyprus and Egypt.

c.3000 BC

Ancient Egyptian paintings depict house cats which were fi rst allowed into homes to hunt mice after the Egyptians invented the idea of storing grain indoors. Cats， which were sacred in Egypt， are depicted in many statues.

AD 168–190

Chinese Emperor Ling Ti falls so in love with his dogs that he gives them the rank of senior court officials.This allows them to eat the fi nest food available， sleep on oriental rugs and have special bodyguards.

c.AD 500–1500

Pets are not uncommon in Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance but they are kept for the most part by wealthy households. Near the end of this period the word “pet” is introduced into English.

1369

Zhu Yuanzhang， known as China’s Hongwu Emperor， establishes a porcelain company that produces tubs for gold fi sh.The shape of the modern goldfish bowl evolved from these tubs but they weren’t healthy environments for fi sh.

1493

On his return from South America the explorer Christopher Columbus brings Queen Isabella of Spain a pair of Cuban Amazon parrots.

1542–1567

Before she is forced to abdicate4abdicate退位，逊位。her throne Mary Stuart (Queen of Scots) surrounds herself with an entourage5entourage（统称）随从人员，随行。of tiny dogs dressed in blue velvet6velvet丝绒，天鹅绒。suits.According to legend， when she was beheaded in 1587 a tiny pet dog was hiding inside Mary’s dress.

1768

The royal governor7governor统治者，管辖者，总督。of Britain’s Virginia colony keeps 28 red birds(most likely cardinals) in cages. By the late 1800s， birds are the most popular indoor pet in America. Canaries won’t achieve most-favoured cage-bird status until the Thirties.

c.1860

The fi rst commercially prepared dog food is introduced in England.

c.1870

World famous actress Sarah Bernhardt loses her pet tortoises in a fi re.

1877

English author Anna Sewell publishes Black Beauty， one of the best-selling books of all time. Her sympathy for working animals led to kinder treatment.

1910

Country Life Magazine tells readers that it’s more affordable to get around by car than horse. However miniature horses， including the stubborn Shetland pony， will go on to become popular pets for rich kids in the Twenties.1931

German Shepherds Judy， Meta and Folly become the first dogs for the blind in Britain. Their new owners are veterans who were blinded during the First World War.

1944

Susan， a Pembroke corgi， is given to the future Queen as a gift for her 18th birthday from her father King George VI. Even today all of the Queen’s many corgis and dorgis (which are across between corgis and dachshunds8达克斯猎犬，俗称腊肠犬。) are descended from Susan.

1947

Sylvester and Tweety， who will become one of the most notable comedy duos in animation history， make their fi rst appearance together in the Warner Brothers cartoon Tweetie Pie9美国家庭喜剧短片，曾获1948年奥斯卡最佳动画短片奖。.

1950s

Women go nuts10go nuts痴迷，变得疯狂。for tiny dogs. Some even dye their miniature poodles to match their clothes.

1956

British author Dodie Smith’s novel The Hundred And One Dalmatians11达尔马提亚狗，俗称斑点狗。turns the spotted breed into a sensation.Sadly many new owners later abandon their dogs at animal shelters.

1957

The Soviet Union fi res a dog， Laika12世界上第一只太空狗。，into space on the Sputnik 2.

1967

The TV show Star Trek airs an episode called “The Trouble With Tribbles”， starring fuzzy guinea piglike rodents who make trilling noises that irritate Klingons. The Tribbles begin having babies like mad and they eat nearly all the ship’s supplies13supplies（军队或探险队等的）补给。.The episode makes a point about the dangers of introducing non-native species， such as when rabbits were released in Australia in 1859141859年，英国人托马斯·奥斯汀（Thomas Austin）在澳大利亚放养兔子，导致当地自然环境严重破坏。.

1975

Jason， the fi rst Blue Peter15英国儿童节目。cat， plays the part of the Cheshire Cat in the Christmas production of Alice In Blue Peter Land. He sounds strangely similar to the show’s presenter John Noakes.

1978

The animated film Watership Down spurs an interest in keeping rabbits as pets.

1984

The European Union bans the sale of wild-caught Mediterranean tortoises， stamping down on16stamp down on镇压，打压。the tortoise-as-pet fad.

1988

Australian Wally Cochran breeds the first Labradoodle—a cross between a poodle and a Labrador retrie-ver—as a way to create a dog that won’t aggravate17aggravate使严重，使恶化。its owner’s allergies18allergy过敏反应。.

1990

The fi rst Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is released， sparking a terrapin boom.

2005

The city of Rome bans the giving away of goldfish and other animals as prizes at carnivals.

2006

New Zealand passes a law to ensure that all licensed dogs have a microchip inserted into the skin around their neck so they can be identi fi ed if they get lost. ■

自古，人类便将动物养作宠物。纵观历史，人类曾经饲养过毛皮动物、鱼类、猫科、马科和犬科等各类动物，不同社会都对动物心存敬畏与爱怜之情，以下便是与此相关的一些奇特事实。

公元前1万年左右

在今以色列境内，人们发现了一只蜷缩在主人手里的随葬小狗。这是表明人类与狗的特殊关系的最早明晰佐证。

公元前7500年左右

在地中海的塞浦路斯岛，人们发现了一只酷似非洲野猫的陪葬猫。这一早期证据表明，人类对猫的驯化发端于非洲与亚欧大陆交汇处的新月沃土地带；随后猫作为宠物，被引入塞浦路斯和埃及。

公元前3000年左右

自打埃及人萌发室内屯粮的想法，家猫就获准入室捕捉老鼠。古埃及画作对此有所描绘。……