トルクメニスタン大統領、国犬「アラバイ」の祝日を制定

【アシガバートＡＦＰ＝時事】中央アジアのトルクメニスタンで、国犬の「アラバイ」（別名セントラル・アジア・シェパード・ドッグ）にちなんだ祝日が、グルバングルイ・ベルドイムハメドフ大統領により制定された。政府系メディアが26日、報じた。アラバイはこれにより、同国で広く親しまれている馬と並ぶ地位を得ることになる。（写真はトルクメニスタン首都アシガバートで、同国原産の馬アハルテケに乗り、アラバイを抱くグルバングルイ・ベルドイムハメドフ大統領）
　アラバイは、中央アジア原産の牧羊犬。ベルドイムハメドフ大統領は２０１７年、ロシアのウラジーミル・プーチン統領の６５歳の誕生日に、アラバイの子犬を贈呈している。昨年１１月には金色に輝くアラバイ像が完成した。
　４月の最終日曜日はこれまで、 国のプロパガンダで長年もてはやされてきた同国原産の馬「アハルテケ」の祝日だったが、新たな大統領令を受け、同じ日がアラバイの祝日にもなる。
　国営紙に掲載された大統領令では、祝日の制定によって「トルクメニスタンのアラバイの世界的名声が高まる」としている。同紙によれば、アラバイの美しさを競う初の全国コンテストも今年開かれる予定だ。
　強健なアラバイは保護本能も強く、トルクメニスタンの遊牧民に重用された歴史があるほか、国境警備犬や警察犬としても活躍している。子犬の頃から闘犬として育てられることもあり、その場合は試合に備えて耳と尾が切除される。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/03-13:54）

Turkmenistan's authoritarian ruler has recognised a national dog breed with a state holiday, government media reported Friday, elevating the canine to the same status as the gas-rich country's beloved horses.
The alabai shepherd dog has inspired presidential poetry and an ostentatious gold statue under the leadership of strongman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a puppy for his 65th birthday in 2017.
Now, thanks to Berdymukhamedov's decree, the dog will share a holiday on the last Sunday of April with the Akhal-Teke horse, an animal long heralded by state propaganda.
The holiday will increase the world fame of the Turkmen alabai, said the decree published in the Neutral Turkmenistan state newspaper.
The newspaper said the alabai would also have its own national beauty contest for the first time this year.
Historically prized by Turkmen pastoralists for its protective qualities, the robust breed is also used by border patrols and police.
Outside Turkmenistan, the alabai is more commonly known as a Central Asian Shepherd Dog, but Turkmen authorities are promoting the breed as a core element of national heritage.
In November, the authorities unveiled a golden statue honouring the alabai and featuring a wraparound screen displaying footage of the dogs.
In a book published in 2019, Berdymukhamedov wrote that bygone generations of Turkmen saw in the Akhal-Teke (horse) their dreams and in the alabai their happiness.
Berdymukhamedov's 39-year-old son Serdar, who is often viewed as his future successor, combines three powerful government posts with the leadership of the national alabai association.
The alabai is trained to fight from a young age and breeders clip the dogs' ears and cut their tails down to stumps in preparation for battle.
A cartoon version of the dog whose design was personally overseen by Berdymukhamedov served as the mascot for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games -- a tournament that Turkmenistan hosted with great pomp in 2017.
Berdymukhamedov, known by fawning state media as Arkadag, or protector, has ruled ex-Soviet Turkmenistan with no opposition since the death of first leader Saparmurat Niyazov in 2006.
Both men have their own golden statues in the capital Ashgabat, with Berdymukhamedov's likeness cast in the saddle of an Akhal-Teke horse.