Guinness World Records Investigates ‘World's Oldest Dog’

Guinness World Records Investigates ‘World's Oldest Dog’

吉尼斯世界纪录正在调查“世界上最老的狗”

【听力音频】

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　　By Gregory Stachel

　　17 January 2024

　　Guinness World Records said on Tuesday that it has suspended and was re-examining its "world's oldest dog" record. The publishing company had given the record to a Portuguese dog named Bobi, which died in October of last year.

　　The move follows criticism from veterinarians who raised doubts about the dog's age.

　　Bobi was a kind of dog called a Rafeiro do Alentejo. He spent his life in a village in Portugal. Guinness World Records said the animal lived for 32 years and 165 days. It broke a record held since 1939 by an Australian cattle-dog that died at 29 years and five months.

　　Bobi was declared the world's oldest dog in February.

　　Rafeiro do Alentejo are traditionally used to watch sheep. They have a normal life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.

　　Guinness World Records (GWR) said the review into Bobi's record was ongoing. The company added that it would re-examine evidence, seek new evidence, and reach out to experts and those linked to the application.

　　"While our review is ongoing, we have decided to temporarily pause applications on both the record titles for oldest dog living and (oldest dog) ever until all of our findings are in place and have been communicated," the spokesperson said.

　　Bobi's owner, Leonel Costa, said in a statement on Tuesday that after his dog's death, "an elite within the veterinary world...tried to give people the idea that Bobi's life story was not true."

　　Costa said some veterinarians were unhappy because he said Bobi's long life came from the dog eating "human food," which he said was often suggested by those in the field.

　　"Everything would be different if we had said he (Bobi) ate pet food," Costa said, adding that all requirements requested by the GWR were met.

　　Costa said GWR has not reached out to him.

　　No action has yet been taken about any record holders, the publisher said. It added that any action would be decided by the review's outcome.

　　Before his death, Bobi still loved walks but had become calmer, Costa told Reuters. His hair, or fur, was thinning, his eyesight had worsened, and he needed to rest more than in earlier years.

　　I'm Gena Bennett.

　　Gregory Stachel adapted this story for VOA Learning English using information from Reuters and The Associated Press.

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　　作者：Gregory Stachel

　　2024年1月17日

　　吉尼斯世界纪录在周二表示，它已经暂停并正在重新审查其“世界上最老的狗”纪录。这个出版公司曾将这个纪录授予一只名叫Bobi的葡萄牙狗，这只狗在去年十月去世。

　　此举是在兽医提出对这只狗年龄的质疑后采取的。

　　Bobi是一种叫做阿连特茹狼犬的狗。他在葡萄牙的一个村庄度过了他的一生。吉尼斯世界纪录表示，这只动物活了32年165天。它打破了自1939年以来由一只澳大利亚牛犬保持的纪录，那只狗活到了29年零五个月。

　　Bobi在二月份被宣布为世界上最老的狗。

　　阿连特茹狼犬通常被用来看护羊群。它们的正常寿命期望是12到14年。

　　吉尼斯世界纪录（GWR）表示，对Bobi的纪录的审查正在进行中。该公司补充说，它将重新审查证据，寻找新的证据，并联系专家和与申请有关的人。

　　发言人说：“在我们的审查正在进行的同时，我们决定暂时暂停对最老的狗（在世的和有史以来的）的纪录申请，直到我们的所有发现都到位并已经传达出去。”

　　Bobi的主人Leonel Costa在周二的一份声明中说，他的狗去世后，“兽医界的精英...试图让人们相信Bobi的生活故事是不真实的。”

　　Costa表示，一些兽医对他的说法感到不满，因为他说Bobi的长寿来自于吃“人类食物”，他说这经常是该领域的人们所建议的。

　　“如果我们说他（Bobi）吃的是宠物食品，一切都会不同，”Costa说，并补充说，吉尼斯世界纪录的所有要求都已经满足。

　　Costa说，吉尼斯世界纪录还没有联系他。

　　出版商说，关于任何纪录保持者，还没有采取任何行动。它补充说，任何行动将由审查的结果决定。

　　Costa告诉路透社，Bobi去世前仍然喜欢散步，但已经变得更加平静。他的毛发正在变薄，视力已经变差，他需要比以前多休息。

　　我是Gena Bennett。

　　Gregory Stachel使用路透社和美联社的信息为美国之音学习英语改编了这个故事。

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　　故事中的词汇

　　veterinarian – n. 受过训练，能够给动物提供医疗护理和治疗的人：动物医生

　　application – n. 对某事（如工作、学校录取或贷款）的正式且通常是书面的请求

　　pause – n. 临时停止：在某事重新开始前的一段时间

　　title –n. 在某个群体或运动中成为冠军、最佳或最高评级的状态

　　elite – n. 成功且有权力的人

　　pet – n.人们主要为了乐趣而饲养的动物（如狗、猫、鸟或鱼）