Animals rule the countryside at the "Animal Paradise" sanctuary, 75 kilometers outside Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires.

在阿根廷首都布宜诺斯艾利斯以外 75 公里处，动物们在 “动物乐园” 保护区统治着这里的乡村。

The sanctuary is a labor of love - something being operated for pleasure, not for profit.

保护区是一项爱心工作 —— 以快乐经营而非盈利为目的。

Gabriela Bezeric and Armando Scoppa have been heading the center for over 25 years. They rescue animals that would otherwise have been killed for meat.

加布里埃拉・贝泽里克和阿曼多・斯科帕主管该中心已经超过 25 年了。 他们拯救那些本来会被屠宰为肉的动物。

Around 850 animals live in the sanctuary. These "residents" include ducks, pigs and horses. The sanctuary is also home to llamas and capybaras – large mammals native to South America.

该保护区约有 850 只动物。这些 “居民” 包括鸭子、猪和马。 保护区还生活着美洲驼和水豚，它们是南美洲本地的大型哺乳动物。

Bezeric hopes one day to expand the Animal Paradise.

贝泽里克希望有一天 “动物乐园” 可以扩建。

"I always say that I am going to save all the animals that are at risk of death," she told the Reuters news agency.

她告诉路透社说：“我总是说，我要拯救所有面临死亡危险的动物。”

Bezeric and Scoppa, who are a married couple, support animal rights. Their ideas stand out in a country where meat consumption is central to the culture and to the economy.

贝泽里克和斯科帕是一对夫妇，他们支持动物权利。 在一个肉类消费对文化和经济至关重要的国家，他们的想法十分引人注意。

Yamila Buboff volunteers at the sanctuary.

亚米拉・巴波夫是保护区的志愿者。

"The Animal Paradise is the product of the work of two visionaries who a long time ago believed in giving a second chance to animals, mostly those destined for consumption," she said. "So that they can be treated as the sentient beings they are and not just as a plate of food."

“‘动物乐园’是两位远见者努力的产物，他们很久以前就坚信要给动物第二次机会，这些动物此前大多被当作肉食用。” 她说， “现在这样它们就可以被作有感知的生命存在体来对待，而不仅仅是一盘食物。”

An economic crisis has held up some of the couple's plans for expansion. They are now looking for financial supporters.

一场经济危机耽搁了这对夫妇的部分扩建计划。 他们现在正在寻找资助者。

“The important thing is that our ‘Paradise’ can keep going,” said Bezeric. “Everything I do is for the animals and I want to continue so that this remains for them.”

贝泽里克说：“现在重要的是，我们的‘动物乐园’可以继续经营下去。 我所做的一切都是为了这些动物，而且我想继续做下去，这样才能为他们保留这片‘乐园’。”

As he fed "Wolf", one of the sanctuary's horses, Scoppa said that he sometimes worried about the future. He and Bezeric are now in their 70s.

斯科帕喂食 “Wolf”，保护区的一匹马时表示，他有时会担心保护区的未来。 斯科帕和贝泽里克现在已经 70 多岁了。

"There are no heirs here, the animals are the only ones to inherit it," he said. "The animals own the place."

他说：“我们在这里没有继承人，只有这些动物能继承这里。它们拥有这个地方。”

I'm John Russell.

约翰・拉塞尔报道。