溶岩で孤立の犬４匹、姿消す　現場に謎のメッセージ　スペイン

【ラパルマ島ＡＦＰ＝時事】先月から火山噴火が続くスペイン領カナリア諸島のラパルマ島で、溶岩流の間に取り残され、ドローン（小型無人機）を使った救出作戦が準備されていた犬４匹が、こつぜんと姿を消した。現場には、犬は無事だという謎めいたメッセージが残されていた。（写真はスペイン領カナリア諸島ラパルマ島で、クンブレビエハ火山の活動を調べる調査隊。スペイン軍緊急事態対処部隊＜ＵＭＥ＞提供）
　犬たちはやせ細った姿で、溶岩に囲まれた二つの空の貯水槽の中に取り残されていた。その映像が地元の動物保護団体「Ｌｅａｌｅｓ．ｏｒｇ」によって公開されると、救出を求める声が高まり、同団体には１万５０００ユーロ（約２００万円）を超える寄付が寄せられた。
　周辺には溶岩に覆われていない区域もあるものの、地上からは近づけず、ヘリコプターも高温の火山灰や火山ガスで回転翼が損傷する恐れがあるため使用できなかった。そこで、犬たちをドローンで救出するという大胆な計画が持ち上がった。
　だが、複雑で前例のない救出作戦の準備が進められていた２１日、ドローンが現場を飛行したときには、すでに犬たちは消えていた。夜間に何者かにより救出されたとみられ、貯水槽のうちの一つには大きな白いシートに「がんばれ、ラパルマ。犬たちは無事。Ａチームより」とのメッセージが残されていた。この名前は、大胆不敵な作戦を遂行する特殊部隊の活躍を描いた１９８０年代の米人気ドラマ「特攻野郎Ａチーム」からとったものとみられる。
　犬を救出した人物やその方法は不明。現場周辺は立ち入りが禁止されているが、２１日に上空を飛行したドローンは人の足跡とみられるものを発見したという。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/10/27-12:56）

For days, Spain was gripped by the drama of four hungry dogs trapped by an erupting volcano as daring plans were made to rescue them by drone.
Then suddenly they disappeared, with only a mysterious note left at the scene saying that the hounds were safe.
Footage of the dogs stranded inside two empty water tanks cut off by surrounding flows of red-hot lava on La Palma in the Canary Islands was first released by animal charity Leales.org, sparking a public outcry for their rescue.
But as plans took shape for a complex and unprecedented rescue by drone, everyone was caught short by their disappearance following an apparent overnight rescue operation.
The four emaciated dogs, all a local hunting breed known as Podenco Canario, were trapped in Todoque which has been swamped by lava since the Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on September 19.
Although several pockets of land have remained untouched by lava, they were still inaccessible on foot or by helicopter, over fears the ash and hot gas would damage the rotors.
Despite a ban on transporting animals by drone, local officials approved a rescue operation by industrial drone operator Aerocameras involving a 50-kilogramme (110-pound) device fitted with a large semi-rigid net.
But when their drones flew over the site on Thursday, the dogs had vanished.
After carrying out an exhaustive inspection of the exclusion zone where the dogs were supposed to be, our drones have found no trace of them, Aerocameras tweeted on Friday, confirming it was abandoning the mission.
- The podencos' plight -
Left at one of the enclaves was a large white sheet scrawled with the words: Be strong, La Palma. The dogs are fine. The A-Team in reference to a popular 1980s American TV series involving daring stunts.
So far, nobody knows who sprung the dogs, nor how they did it.
Aerocamera's drones had on Thursday spotted footprints that appear to have been made by people inside the exclusion zone, despite the area's inaccessibility and a ban on entering it.
While some believe it was the work of animal rights activists, others -- including Leales.org -- believe the audacious rescue may have been staged by the dogs' owner or someone close to him.
But neither theory was confirmed by the police or local authorities, who did not say whether an investigation had been opened, and the case continued to make waves on social media on Friday.
Since the podencos' plight became public, Leales.org has received more than 15,000 euros ($17,500) in donations to help them.
It has been more than a month since Cumbre Vieja began erupting, forcing more than 6,000 people out of their homes as the lava burnt its way across huge swathes of land on the western side of La Palma.
Although no one has died or been hurt, the volcano has caused huge damage, with the molten rock covering over 2,200 acres (890 hectares) of land and destroying more than 2,100 properties.