Rent a Guinea Pig in Switzerland
Guinea Pigs (Photo: Sandos/Wikipedia)
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.
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.