VOA慢速英语--埃及街头流浪狗获得更好生活的机会

Egypt's Street Dogs Getting Chance at a Better Life

Karim Hegazi spends his days at an Egyptian clinic taking care of animals long considered troublesome in the country: street dogs.

Stray – or wild – dogs can be found in almost every neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt's capital. They run around building developments. They search through trash for food. They cry out nightly on top of parked vehicles.

The government says Egypt has about 15 million stray dogs. Stray dogs bite about 200,000 people each year, notes the World Health Organization. They also spread rabies -- one of the deadliest diseases in the world.

There are other reasons dogs have not been well-liked in Egypt. Many Muslims believe the animals are impure¹ or not clean. A famous Islamic saying warns that angels will not enter your home if there is a dog inside.

But after centuries of negative comments, street dogs in Egypt are finding popular acceptance -- and support. That support includes medical care, as well as operations to prevent them from reproducing.

Volunteers use huge fishing nets and other tools to catch, vaccinate² and operate on dogs before releasing them again. Such efforts aim to fight back against the usual government policy of killing³ street dogs by poisoning them.

Karim Hegazi, the animal doctor, said, "I've seen a major shift...people are seeing a value in strays." Hegazi told The Associated Press he is treating more and more "baladi" street dogs, animals that people have taken in.

Growing acceptance of dog ownership

Egypt's wealthier citizens have increasingly accepted the idea of dog ownership. In major cities, you can now find businesses such as pet grooming⁴ centers or hotels where dogs can be left when their owners go away.

Social media has played a big part in the movement. A Facebook group for animal doctors exploded into a community of 13,000 pet lovers who tell their stories. Animal shelters work to set up adoptions⁶ online by publishing pictures of dogs on Instagram.

What began online is expanding. People living in Cairo's wealthy neighborhoods are forming spay and neuter teams. They aim to fight back against the government's methods to control the dog population.

The General Organization for Veterinary Services is part of the Egyptian agricultural ministry⁷. It often sends workers to kill stray dogs by releasing poison into the streets at night, many activists⁸ and locals say. They say they have woken up in the morning to find dead dogs along the sides of streets, or sick dogs crying out in pain.

"It's a horrible way to die," said Mohamed Shehata. He founded Egyptian Vets⁹ for Animal Care, or EVAC, the country's first spay and neuter program.

The government agency did not answer a request for comment on its policy. But in a recent report, it described street dogs as a "time bomb that threatens our children." It defended the "killing of dogs that are harmful to people," noting Islamic law.

Controlling the population

Shehata described his group's spaying and neutering efforts as "a more humane¹⁰, scientific and effective way" to control the dog population.

On a recent morning, teams of volunteers ran after the wild dogs. Unpleasant loud sounds of barks and cries could be heard, as dogs got trapped in nets, and then given vaccines¹¹. The noises were loud enough to wake up people who were sleeping.

The methods may look severe, but Shehata says it is for the best -- and keeps the dogs safe from rabies for a year.

The dogs are also spayed and neutered at EVAC's offices. They are then taken back to where they were caught. A small cut in their ear shows that they have been sterilized¹².

Shehata says his teams have treated about 10,000 stray dogs over the last few years.

Such efforts are being carried out in at least five neighborhoods in the center of Cairo. Local groups say they have seen dog populations remain the same or even shrink.

But animal experts say Egypt's efforts still lack government support or a legal structure to protect stray dogs. This means their future remains¹³ uncertain.

"We will do our best to reach our targets," Hegazi said, while carrying his next patient into the exam room. "But it'll take a much longer time."

Words in This Story

clinic - n. a place where people get medical help

trash - n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away

net - n. a device that is used for catching¹⁴ or holding things or for keeping things out of a space and that is made of pieces of string, rope, wire, etc., woven together with spaces in between

angel - n. a spiritual being that serves especially as a messenger from God or as a guardian¹⁵ of human beings

negative - adj. harmful or bad : not wanted

shift - n. a change in position or direction

grooming - n. the cleaning and caring of an animal

adoption⁵ - n. the act or process of taking in someone or something, such as a child or pet

spay - v. to remove the sex organs of a female animal

neuter - v. to remove the sex organs of a male animal

1 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

2 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

5 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

6 adoptions   

n.采用，收养( adoption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Adoption agencies are always so open to alternative family adoptions. 领养中介机构永远都对领养家庭敞开。 来自电影对白
• The number of adoptions has grown in the past year. 去年，收养子女的数字增加了。 来自互联网

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网

10 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

11 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

12 sterilized   

v.消毒( sterilize的过去式和过去分词 )；使无菌；使失去生育能力；使绝育

参考例句：

• My wife was sterilized after the birth of her fourth child. 我妻子生完第4个孩子后做了绝育手术。 来自辞典例句
• All surgical instruments must be sterilized before use. 所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。 来自辞典例句

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

15 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。