Rent a Guinea Pig in Switzerland

Switzerland has an unusual animal welfare law that protects “social animals.”

It forbids people from keeping just one of any pet that belongs to a social species such as Guinea Pigs.

The furry rodents get too lonely without a companion.

So, for example, if a guinea pig dies, its owner would be breaking the law by keeping just one remaining pet.

Priska Küng came up with a solution for that scenario by setting up a “rent a guinea pig” service. This allows people with only one guinea pig to rent another to keep the surviving pet company.

Anchor Lisa Mullins talks to Küng who runs the service in Hinwil, a village near Zürich, Switzerland.