阿富汗唯一一隻豬被關禁閉

Afghanistan's only known pig has been locked in a room, away from visitors to Kabul zoo where it normally grazes beside deer and goats, because people are worried it could infect them with the virus popularly known as “ swine flu” .

The pig is a curiosity in Muslim Afghanistan, where pork and pig products are illegal because they are considered irreligious, and has been in quarantine since Sunday after visitors expressed alarm it could spread the new flu strain.

"For now the pig is under quarantine, we built it a room because of swine influenza," Aziz Gul Saqib, director of Kabul Zoo, said. "We've done this because people are worried about getting the flu."

Worldwide, more than 1,000 people have been infected with the H1N1 flu virus, according to the World Health Organization, which also says 26 people have so far died from the strain. All but one of the deaths were in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak.

There are no pig farms in Afghanistan and no direct civilian flights between Kabul and Mexico.

"We understand that, but most people don't have enough knowledge. When they see the pig in the cage they get worried and think that they could get ill," Saqib said.

The pig was a gift to the zoo from China.

日前，阿富汗唯一的一隻豬被關了“禁閉”，它原本生活在喀布爾動物園，常在鹿和羊的身邊覓食，而今它卻被動物園隔離了，這主要是因爲人們擔心它會傳播所謂的“豬流感”病毒。

這隻豬在以伊斯蘭教爲主的阿富汗是個稀罕物，因爲豬他們的宗教忌諱，因此豬肉和豬製品都是違法的。這隻豬自上週日起被隔離，因爲此前有遊客表示擔心它會傳播流感病毒。

喀布爾動物園園長Aziz Gul Saqib說：“現在這隻豬已被隔離，由於擔心流感傳播，我們專門給它建了一間屋子。我們這樣做是因爲人們擔心會被它傳染。”

世界衛生組織稱，目前全球已有一千多人感染了甲型H1N1流感病毒，並稱已有26人因此喪生。除一人外，其他死亡患者都在疾病爆發的中心地墨西哥。

阿富汗沒有養豬場，喀布爾和墨西哥之間也沒有直飛航班。

Saqib說：“我們瞭解情況，但多數人對此沒有足夠的認識。當他們看到籠子裏的豬時，他們就會擔心，覺得自己會生病。”

這隻豬是中國送給喀布爾動物園的禮物。

Vocabulary:

graze:to feed on growing grasses and herbage.（啃食牧草）