美國夫妻養“巨鼠”水豚當寵物 大萌物走紅網絡

Finding a rodent on the couch would see most people racing for the phone to dial pest control.
看到巨大的的齧齒動物出現在沙發上，大多數人都會趕快打電話給害蟲防控中心吧。

But it's a daily occurrence for Melanie Typaldos, 57 and her husband Richard Loveman, 54, who share their home in Buda, Texas, with a giant capybara named Gary.
但是最近，57歲的梅蘭妮·泰普度斯和她54歲的丈夫理查德·洛夫曼卻在位於德克薩斯州小鎮布達的家裏養了一隻巨大的水豚，他們給它取名叫加里。

Ms Typaldos adopted Gary after falling in love with the semi-aquatic mammals - the world's largest rodent - during a holiday in Venezuela, and she and her husband are so fond of their bizarre pet they even let him sleep in their bed.
泰普度斯夫人在委內瑞拉度假時第一次見到了這種半水棲的動物，立即就喜歡上了，她和丈夫非常喜歡他們這隻略奇怪的寵物，甚至讓它睡在牀上。

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'Athough some people might find it strange, it's really no different than having a dog or a cat,' said Ms Typaldos, who installed a pool in her backyard for Gary to cool off in.
“雖然有人覺得它很奇怪，但其實和養狗養貓沒什麼區別，” 泰普度斯夫人說，爲了讓加里消暑，她還特意在後院建了一個游泳池。

'Gary is really very smart and he's very comes when he's called and he likes to sleep with me,' she added.
“加里很聰明，很熱情。一叫它就會過來，而且喜歡和我一起睡，”她說。

Ms Typaldos adopted the capybara from an owner who was no longer able to care for him, and said the cuddly eight-stone creature quickly became a part of the family.
加里之前的主任沒法再照顧他了，泰普度斯夫人就收養了這隻水豚，而且這個可愛的動物很快成爲了他們家的一員。

The 57-year-old even claims to have taught Gary to perform tricks.'He learns tricks very quickly - faster than your typical dog would,' she said.'He knows how to shake, how to turn in a circle, how to stand up on his hind legs and how to jump up on things on command.'
57歲的她甚至還說要訓練加里表演絕活。“它學得很快——比狗狗要快多了，” 她說。“它會搖尾巴，轉圈，用後腿站立還有跳到指定的東西上面。”

In their natural habitat, capybaras spend most of their time in the water - so Melanie installed a giant pool in her garden to make Gary feel at home.
水豚的自然習性是多數時間在水裏生活——所以梅蘭妮在花園裏給它建了個大水池，讓它有家的感覺。