誰在毒殺香港的寵物狗

Grim reminders of some of Hong Kong’s most gruesome murders line Bowen Road: signs posted every few hundred steps that warn, “Beware of Dog Poisoning.”

在香港的寶雲道上，可以看到提醒人們小心恐怖謀殺的陰森標誌：每隔幾百步就有一個“提防毒狗”警告。

The Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has recorded 66 cases of suspected dog poisoning on Bowen Road and nearby Black’s Link since 2003, including 14 dogs that have died. The group says that since the killings began in the late 1980s, the number of dogs killed may total 200 or more.

自2003年以來，香港愛護動物協會（Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals，簡稱SPCA）已經記錄了66起在寶雲道和附近布力徑疑爲狗中毒的事件，其中14只狗已經喪生。該組織稱，毒殺行爲開始於1980年代末，毒死的犬隻總數可能超過200只。

Dogs have been poisoned all over Hong Kong, but Bowen Road’s central location — on a hillside lined with parks, shrines and elegant mansions that offers sweeping views of the city’s skyline — has meant that the cases there have attracted the most attention. Chris Patten, Hong Kong’s last colonial governor, almost lost his Norfolk terrier Whisky after the dog ate poisoned bait left along the road in 1997.

香港各處都有狗被毒死，但寶雲道處在中心位置——位於一個山坡上，附近有公園、神廟以及可以一覽全城美景的雅緻豪宅——因此那裏發生的案件吸引的關注最多。香港作爲殖民地的最後一任總督彭定康有一條名爲“威士忌”(Whisky)的諾福克梗，1997年時在這條路上吞食了有毒的誘餌，差點喪命。

Officials still don’t know who is responsible. Some investigators believe that whoever is behind the poisonings gets a disturbed thrill from taking a life.

官員們仍然不知道投毒者是誰。一些研究者認爲，不管是誰，此人都有一種從殺戮中獲取快感的可怕嗜好。

“There’s only been one successful prosecution, because this is done in a covert way,” said Danielle Baber, the deputy chief officer for the Hong Kong S.P.C.A.’s inspectorate. “Unless there’s a witness to something, particularly somebody putting bait out, it’s difficult to find a suspect. And whether it’s the same person or copycats, that’s difficult to say.”

“到目前爲止只有一次成功的起訴，因爲作案的方式很隱蔽，”香港SPCA核檢部副監督丹妮爾·巴伯(Danielle Baber)說。“除非有人親眼目睹，特別是看到有人投放誘餌，否則很難找到嫌疑人。而且這是否爲同一人所爲，還是有模仿者，也很難講。”

The motives are not clear. Theories include fear or hatred of dogs, or annoyance at owners who don’t clean up after their pets. Part of Bowen Road is car-free, and people often walk or run with their dogs there.

投毒者的動機尚不清楚。據推測有可能是出於對狗的恐懼或仇視，或者對不清理寵物排泄物的主人感到不滿。寶雲道有一段路只能步行，人們常在那裏散步或者遛狗。

The bait is usually a piece of chicken or pork laced with commonly available pesticides, which the S.P.C.A. warns can cause “vomiting, diarrhea, trembling, breathing difficulty, convulsions, collapse and, in some cases, death.”

誘餌通常是一塊摻入了常用農藥的雞肉或豬肉，SPCA警告說，這些農藥可能會導致“嘔吐、腹瀉、顫抖、呼吸困難、抽搐、昏倒，甚至死亡”。

Warnings and greater surveillance seem to have helped reduce the frequency of the poisonings, but they have not stopped: Another pet dog’s body was found on Bowen Road in mid-May. Poisoning is suspected.

張貼警告和增加監控似乎有助於減少事件的發生，但中毒事件從來沒有停止過：5月中旬，又一具寵物狗的屍體出現在了寶雲道，死因疑爲中毒。