美國興起寵物骨灰盒市場
Pet care does not end at death for U.S. consumers
For many owners, a pet is more than just an animal, withthethought of little Fidos ashes being thrown into a landfilltoomuch to bear and fuelling a surge in demand for pet urns.
對許多寵物主人而言,看見寵物的骨灰被倒入垃圾堆是極其殘忍的,所以他們需要專門的寵物骨灰盒來保存這些寵物的骨灰。
One out of 10 dog and cat owners would buy an urn for their petonits death, according to a survey by the American PetProductsManufacturers Association. That translates to nearly 20millionurns and 12.5 million headstones each year. Its anextremelyfast-growing industry, said Glenn Lyle of B&LCremationSystems Inc. in North Largo, Florida, which makes humanand animalcremation equipment.
美國寵物用品製造商協會最新的調查結果顯示,十分之一的寵物主人願意為寵物買一個骨灰盒。這將促使美國每年增加2000萬個骨灰盒和1250萬座墓碑的市場需求。美國火葬用品公司B&L表示:「這是一項快速發展的產業。」
One gentleman said he had the remains of his dog in a box inhisdesk drawer, Mytych said. People are looking for a place toputit, and frankly I think our urn is tasteful. The urnselectionhas been pretty bad up until now. Theres a lot ofsmall,novelty-looking urns, Mytych said.
麥斯奇說:「有人曾將過世的愛犬的骨灰用盒子裝起來保存在書桌的抽屜中。所以,有許多人都在找地方安放他們去世的寵物,我們的動物骨灰盒將會滿足大家的需要。目前,市場上可供選擇的動物骨灰盒很少,而我們公司的動物骨灰盒不但小巧而且新奇。」
Since backyard burials are forbidden in many U.S. markets andarelogistically impossible for urban apartment dwellers, cremationisthe only means of disposal for many. Owners of pets who dieatanimal hospitals are incinerated along with other animals andtheirremains disposed of at a local landfill or rendering plant. Iftheowner wants the remains back, the animal iscrematedindividually.
由於美國許多地方禁止居民將動物屍體埋在後院,且大多數居住在城市公寓樓的人也找不到地方安葬寵物,所以將去世的寵物火化是許多美國人的惟一選擇。目前,寵物在美國動物醫院去世後將與其它動物一起火化,最後被倒入垃圾堆或是作為莊稼肥料使用,但如果寵物主人希望保留寵物骨灰,也可以申請單獨火化。
The practice of memorializing pets dates back thousands ofyears,all the way to the ancient Egyptians, said StephenZawistowski, ahistorian at the ASPCA (American Society for thePrevention ofCruelty to Animals).If you were an ancient Egyptian,you wouldveshaved your eyebrows as a form of mourning for yourdead cat, hesaid. In the pyramids they found thousands ofembalmed cats - catmummies, said Zawistowski.There is evidencegoing back 6,000 to10,000 years of people burying their pets,Zawistowski said.
美國防止虐待動物協會的歷史專家扎維託維斯基指出,紀念動物的行為可以追溯到古埃及,「如果你活在古埃及,你會在你的貓死後削掉眉毛來紀念它。考古學家在金字塔中發現了數千具木乃伊貓。有證據顯示,人們飼養寵物的歷史可以追溯到6000至1萬年前。」
(實習編輯:顧萍)