猫的名誉官司

Animal Lovers Sue Utility Over Cat "Slander"

A Brazilian animal protection group has sued power utility Light alleging that its campaign against illegal power connections, known as "cats,"blackened the image of the felines and contributed to their ill-treatment. "We want no money, just for them to stop referring to cats in their ads, as it gives a negative perception of cats to many people, especially children," Isabel Nascimento, head of Suipa animal protection society, told reporters. Illegal connections consisting of many interlaced wires can often be seen hanging from power lines in poor areas of Rio, resembling nests of birds. "Gato" means "cat" in Portuguese, but it also means "thief." Rio de Janeiro's main power distributor Light has been on a crusade since February against power siphoning from the grid amid an energy shortage in the country. Its wide media campaign featured meowing cats, calling to "say no to the cat." Suipa says the campaign is too "aggressive" and could spur violence against cats. It alleges that the number of abandoned cats had grown 60 percent since February, and that a larger number of cats than usual had recently been found mutilated.

巴西一个动物保护组织控告莱特电力公司，指责该公司名为“猫”的反偷接电线宣传活动给猫的形象抹了黑并致使它们遭受虐待。苏帕动物保护协会领袖伊萨贝尔·娜西门托对记者说：“我们不要钱，我们只是想让他们别再在广告里提到猫，这给许多人尤其是孩子造成了关于猫的不良印象。”在里约热内卢的贫民区时时可见私拉乱接的交错电线搭在输电线路上，如同鸟窝一般。葡萄牙语里的“gato”是“猫”的意思，不过也指“窃贼”。巴西正处于能源短缺时期，里约的主要电力供应商莱特公司自二月份开始了反偷电运动。该公司大规模的媒介宣传以喵喵叫着的猫为主题，号召人们“对猫说‘不’”。苏帕协会说这个宣传活动太“过激”，会引起对猫的暴力行为。据该协会称，二月以来弃猫的数量增长了60%，而近来发现的伤残猫也比平常要多。

Remarks：如果这样的宣传继续下去的话，巴西人民很快就要面对老鼠问题了——对猫说“No”大概也就是对老鼠说“Yes”吧。