Owning a pet can soon become a criminal offense in Iran if the local authorities pass the controversial legislation. Dog owners are already banned from walking their pets outside.
伊朗拟通过一项立法，规定养宠物为犯法行为。目前警方已经禁止人们在户外遛狗。
Police there recently announced that walking dogs in parks was a crime. The ban was justified as a measure to "protect the safety of the public".
当地警方近日宣布，在公园遛狗构成犯罪。该禁令据称是为了“保护公共安全。”
At the same, the Iranian parliament could soon approve the Protection of the Public's Rights Against Animals bill, which would restrict pet ownership across the board.
与此同时，伊朗国会即将通过一项“保护公众权益不受动物威胁”的法案，限制养宠物。
"He looks at me with his innocent and beautiful eyes. He is asking me to take him out for a walk, but I don't dare. We will get arrested." Mahsa, who has a dog in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
家住伊朗首都德黑兰的Mahsa说，“我的狗狗用天真漂亮的眼睛看着我，想让我带它出门散步。但是我不敢。我们会因此被捕的。”
According to the proposed legislation, pet ownership would be subject to a permit issued by a special committee. There would also be a minimum fine of around $800 for the "import, purchase and sale, transportation and keeping" of a range of animals, including common pets such as cats, turtles and rabbits.
根据该法案，养宠物需要取得一个专门委员会发布的许可证。对于 "进口、购买和销售、运输和饲养 "一系列动物，包括猫、乌龟和兔子等常见宠物，也将被处以最低约800美元的罚款。
"There has not been a solid regulation around owning dogs," said Dr Ashkan Shemirani. "Police forces arrest people for walking their dogs or even carrying them in their cars based on their interpretation of what could be seen as symbols of Westernisation."
阿什坎-谢米拉尼博士说, “目前还没有针对养狗的确切规定。但警方根据自己对西方化的理解，会逮捕出门遛狗的人，甚至是车里有狗的人。”
Dr Shemirani said the authorities even created a "prison" for the seized pets. "The animals were kept for many days in open areas without proper food or water while the dog owners were going through all kinds of legal trouble."
他说当局还设置了专门的“狗监狱”。“宠物狗们被关在露天区域好多天，缺吃少喝。主人们则要经历各种法律程序上的麻烦。”
为何禁止养狗？
Keeping dogs has always been common in Iran's rural areas, but the animals also became a symbol of urban life in the 20th Century.
在伊朗的农村地区，养狗一直很常见。到了20世纪，宠物狗也逐渐成为城市生活的特征。
Iran was one of the first countries in the Middle East to pass animal welfare laws, in 1948, and the government funded the first institution to enhance animal rights. Even the country's royal family had dogs as pets.
1948年，伊朗是中东地区最早通过动物福利法的国家之一，政府还资助了第一个加强动物权利的机构。该国皇室也有宠物狗。
伊朗皇室的宠物狗
But the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which saw Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi overthrown, changed many aspects of life for Iranians and their dogs.
但是，1979年的伊斯兰革命，推翻了穆罕默德-礼萨-巴列维国王，改变了伊朗人和狗狗们的生活。
The animals are considered impure in Islamic tradition. In the eyes of the new regime dogs also became a symbol of the "Westernisation" that it sought to curb.
在伊斯兰传统中，该动物被认为是不洁的。在新政权的眼中，狗也成了政府试图遏制的 "西方化"的象征。
Iran's economic woes following years of Western sanctions have also played a part in the new bill. Authorities have banned imports of pet food for more than three years as part of a push to preserve the country's foreign currency reserves.
该法案出台的原因之一是经过多年的西方制裁之后伊朗的经济困境。为了保护国家的外汇储备，当局已经禁止进口宠物食品三年多了。
"We are highly dependent on people who smuggle in food secretly," said the owner of a veterinary clinic in the city of Mashhad. "The prices are now five times what they were just a few months ago."
The owner claimed that the locally produced pet food was not up to standard. "The quality is very poor. Factories use cheap meat or fish, even expired ingredients," they said.
马什哈德市一家兽医诊所的老板说，"我们非常依赖走私宠物食品的人。现在的价格是几个月前的五倍。"
这位老板声称，当地生产的宠物食品不符合标准。"质量非常差。工厂使用廉价的肉或鱼，甚至是过期的原料。"
波斯猫恐将“有家不能回”
But the new legislation is not only aimed at dogs. Cats are also included on a list of animals - even crocodiles are mentioned.
新法案针对的不止是宠物狗。猫也在列表之中。连鳄鱼都被列进去了。
That is despite Iran being the birthplace of Persian cats, one of the world's most famous breeds.
世界名猫之一的波斯猫的原产地正是伊朗。
该法案很可能让波斯猫在自己的老家成为违禁品
"Can you believe that now Persian cats are not safe in their homeland?" a Tehran-based vet said. "There is no logic behind this law. The hardliners want to show their iron fists to people."
一名德黑兰兽医说：“你能相信吗？现在波斯猫在自己的老家都不安全了。这项法律毫无逻辑可言。强硬派政客只是想向人民展示自己的铁拳罢了。”
Dr Mohebi, the Iranian Veterinary Association's president, called the proposed law "embarrassing". "If parliament passes the bill, the next generations will remember us as people who banned dogs because they are dogs and cats because they are cats."
伊朗兽医协会主席莫赫比博士称该法案 "令人尴尬"。"如果议会通过该法案，下一代将记住我们禁止了养猫养狗，只是因为它们是猫是狗。"
People like Masha are genuinely worried about their pets' futures."I won't dare to apply for permission for my 'son'," she said. "What if they refuse my application? I cannot leave him on the street."
想到宠物们的未来，Masha这样的主人们忧心忡忡。“我不敢去给我儿子申请宠物许可证。万一申请不通过怎么办？我不能把它丢到街上不管啊。”
原文链接：
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62205744
https://www.ohmymag.co.uk/animal/risking-jail-for-owning-a-pet-no-dogs-allowed-could-become-a-reality-in-this-country_art12541.html
