子犬と思いきやディンゴ！　珍しい純血種見つかる　豪

【シドニーＡＦＰ＝時事】オーストラリア南東部で8月に保護され、犬かキツネの子どもと考えられていた動物のDNA鑑定を行ったところ、珍しいディンゴの純血種であることが判明した。（写真は豪メルボルン近郊で撮影されたディンゴの「ワンディ」。豪ディンゴ基金提供）
　「ワンディ」と名付けられたこのディンゴは、ビクトリア州の田舎町の民家の裏庭で発見された。背中に引っかき傷があったことから、大型の猛禽（もうきん）類にさらわれ、同地に落とされたとみられていた。
　当初犬かキツネと考えられていたワンディのＤＮＡ鑑定を数か月後に行ったところ、ディンゴの純血種であることが判明した。野生のディンゴは、程度の差はあれ、犬との混血であることが多い。
　ワンディには、その変わったエピソードと愛らしい姿で世界的な関心が集まっている。豪ディンゴ基金のリン・ワトソン氏は、ワンディがきっかけとなり、悪評も多いディンゴに対する見方や政策が変わればと願っている。
　ディンゴの分類をめぐる論争も続いている。約４０００年前にアジアからオーストラリアに渡ったとみられているディンゴは、野犬だとする考えもある一方、飼い犬とも野犬とも違う特徴を多数持つ独自の種であるとの見解が、現在は大半を占めている。
　ペットや家畜の脅威とみなされることも多い反面、野良猫やキツネなどの害獣とされる動物や、カンガルーなどの野生草食動物の数を抑えるのに役立っている。絶滅が危惧される種として保護する地域もある一方、ディンゴ自体が害獣として駆除の対象にもなっている。
　またまれとはいえ、人気観光地のフレーザー島を中心に、人がディンゴに襲われる被害も一定数報告されている。
　ワンディは現在、メルボルンの施設で新生活を送っている。ワトソン氏によると、ディンゴを野生に戻すことを規制する法律により、ワンディは飼育下での生活を余儀なくされる可能性もあるとはいえ、同氏はワンディがいつか自然の中で自由に暮らせる日が来ればと期待している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/11/07-09:12）

He's furry, playful, and has puppy eyes. It's little wonder Wandi was mistaken for a dog when he was found in an Australian backyard -- but DNA testing has confirmed he's a rare 100 percent dingo.
The pup was discovered whimpering and alone in a country town in Victoria in August with talon marks on his back, leading to speculation it could have been dropped by a large bird of prey.
Rescuers at first thought Wandi was either a dog or a fox, but months later DNA samples have revealed that he is in fact a purebred dingo.
Most of the creatures seen in the wild are usually, to some degree, dingo-dog hybrids.
Australian Dingo Foundation director Lyn Watson said that when Wandi fell out of the sky it was an answer to a prayer -- he can now join 40 other dingoes in a breeding program at the charity's sanctuary.
When we sent his DNA off we were hoping that he would be of high content, but we were pleasantly surprised to find he was as much dingo as you could get, she told AFP.
Watson hopes Wandi -- whose unusual origins story and endearing looks have attracted global attention -- will help recast the narrative surrounding dingoes and change government policies toward the much-maligned animal.
There is currently much debate in the scientific community over the classification of dingoes, believed to have come to Australia from Asia about 4,000 years ago.
While some consider the dingo to be a wild dog, many researchers now believe it is a separate species with a range of characteristics that differentiate it from domestic and feral canines.
Often thought of as a threat to domestic animals and livestock, some also argue the apex predator is helpful in controlling pests such feral cats and foxes, as well as numbers of native herbivores such as kangaroos.
This uncertainty has major consequences for the conservation of dingoes.
The species is protected in areas where it is considered a threatened species vulnerable to extinction, but elsewhere listed as a pest that can be controlled through measures such as shooting and baiting.
Though rare, there have also been a number of recorded attacks on humans -- mostly at the popular tourist destination of Fraser Island.
Wandi, who was named after the town of Wandiligong where he was rescued, is now settling in to his new home at the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary near Melbourne.
He?s very bright and he seems to be very friendly with all of our volunteers -- of course they all dote on him, Watson said.
But with legal restrictions on releasing dingoes into the wild, the pup may have to live out his days in captivity -- though Watson is optimistic that attitudes will eventually shift to allow him to roam free.
We know the day will come when we come to our senses and fully understand the situation in the wild and that there should be dingoes there, she said.