ペットを（金銭的理由で）捨てる日。

　オーストラリアのお話。ほぼ一か月前の記事。

BBC Cost of living: Why more Australians are giving up their pets 23 Oct 2022　By Annabelle Liang & Monica Miller

　要はここ最近のインフレのせい。ペットフードもペット用資材も高価になっていって、とても払いきれない。なので捨てるか譲るかせざるをえず、保護施設に譲ろうとしたって施設側も予算が厳しい。

「"It's quite a sad day when people have to make a choice of either feeding their animals or their children. For some people, sadly, it has got to that situation."

Susan Talevski knows this well. Her Lost Dogs' Home animal shelter in Melbourne, Australia looks after hundreds of domestic animals - and their numbers are growing by the day.」

「The cost of living has soared around the world as the effects of the pandemic and the Ukraine war push up the price of food, fuel and other essentials.

It is not just the food that we eat that is now costing more - prices for pet food and other products for domestic animals have also jumped.」

　半年で12％も上がっちゃえばねえ…。

「Official figures show that the cost of pet products in Australia jumped by almost 12% in the year to the end of June. That's double the rise shoppers are seeing in prices for their own food and drinks.」

「"Not only are animal surrender rates up, but some shelters across Australia are also reporting that adoption rates are down since 2021," she told the BBC.

"This is a crisis in companion animal welfare for our nation, with real fears that animals will be abandoned on the streets to fend for themselves if they are considered a financial burden."」

　でまあ、shelterのadoption rateが下がっているなあ、とか。

「The ingredients of pet foods include meat, grains and micronutrients - all of which have become more expensive in recent months.

It's a global problem. The cost of pet food is up by 10.3% in the US, 8.8% in the European Union, and 8.4% in the UK.」

　米国でも10.3％。EUでは8.8％。UKでは8.4％。どこもかしこも似たようなもの。