In Switzerland, Owning a Single Guinea Pig Is Illegal

Since 2008, Swiss animal welfare law has required that social species live with at least one companion of their own kind. A solitary guinea pig is, quite literally, a case of mistreatment: in the wild they live in groups, call out to each other, navigate by each other's scent and voice. Silence, for them, is a form of punishment.

The rule created a mathematical problem: when one of the pair dies, the survivor is alone again, and buying a young one condemns the owner to an endless chain of couples. The solution came from a breeder in the canton of Zurich: rental guinea pigs. A seasoned companion who keeps the widow company for as long as needed, then goes back home.

An entire country decided that a rodent's loneliness was a matter for the law. It's hard not to read that twice.