清掃員はロバ、夜はクラシック音楽でリラックス　トルコ

【マルディンＡＦＰ＝時事】トルコ南東部の歴史的都市マルディンでは、太陽が地平線から顔を出す頃、クリーム色のロバの群れがごみ収集の仕事を始める。このロバたちは日中忙しく働いた後、夜はクラシック音楽を聴きながら一日の疲れを癒やす。（写真はトルコの歴史的都市マルディンで、市職員と一緒にごみを収集するロバ）
　シリアから６０キロ、かつてメソポタミアだった地域を見下ろす街の狭く、曲がりくねった路地を、ロバは市職員の指示に従いながらごみ袋を運ぶ。
　清掃員のカドリ・トパリさんは「この街では数世紀前から清掃作業にロバを利用してきた。この狭い通りに入れるのはロバだけだ」と話し、「ロバがいなければ、この仕事はできない」と続けた。
　市長によると、欧州でも車が通れない場所の公共サービスにロバが使われており、とりわけフランスとイタリアにはマルディンをモデルにしている都市があるという。
　６万人が暮らす旧市街だけでも、１日当たり１０トンのごみがでる。
　ロバには、それぞれの性格や身体的特徴を表す「寛大」や「色白」といった名前が付けられている。４０頭ほどのロバについてトパリさんは、「市職員としての地位にある」と説明した。「ロバは私たちと同じように１日８時間働く。４時間で休憩をとります」
　最低でも１５０段以上の階段を上る一日の仕事が終わると、ロバは厩舎（きゅうしゃ）で音楽を聴きながらリラックスし、獣医師のケアを受ける。
　トパリさんは「私たちはロバを大切にしています。毎晩、クラシック音楽や伝統的な音楽を２時間聴かせています」と話し、「ベートーベンの曲をかけると、幸せそうなのです」と説明した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/11/29-13:24）

The sun peeks over the horizon of the medieval Turkish city of Mardin as a herd of cream-coloured donkeys begins its day job collecting rubbish before relaxing to classical music in the evenings.
Guided by city workers, the animals carry waste bags, winding through the narrow alleys of the city, built on a cliff overlooking what was once Mesopotamia, 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Syria.
We have been using them to clean the city for centuries. They are the only ones who can access these narrow streets, says Kadri Toparli who works for the Mardin old town cleaning team.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to do this work.
With names like Gaddar (Cruel), Cefo (Indulgent) and Bozo (Pale), reflecting their personalities and features, the forty or so donkeys have the status of municipal employees, Toparli explains.
They work like us, eight hours a day, with a break after four hours in the middle of the day.
In the evenings, as they wind down from a long day that involves climbing at least 150 steps, the donkeys relax to music while vets care for them in their stables.
We take care of them. Every evening, we play classical music or traditional melodies for two hours, Toparli says.
We see that they are happier when we play a piece of Beethoven, he quips.
- Animal rights -
At the start of the 20th century, when Mardin had just 20,000 people, the donkeys would carry the ashes produced from wood and coal heaters.
Today, the old town alone has 60,000 residents, generating nearly 10 tonnes of waste every day.
We have mini-vehicles which we call 'garbage taxis'. We use them as well, but they are not as efficient, says Abdulkadir Tutasi, the mayor of the old town.
Efforts to phase out the reliance on donkeys fits in with the growing sensitivity shown to animal welfare in Turkish society in recent years.
In January 2020, Istanbul banned horse-drawn carriages from the Princes' Islands, a rustic archipelago at the entrance to the Bosphorus popular with weekend visitors.
The carriages, once emblematic of the nine hilly islands, were replaced with electric vehicles.
To ward off potential criticism, Mardin's old town officials say they are working with animal rights organisations to monitor the donkeys' working conditions.
- Happy retirement -
Toparli goes to great lengths to treat his donkeys with care and respect.
They are very intelligent animals. They know their zone by heart, he says. Often, we don't need to guide them back to their stables.
Recruited at the age of six, the donkeys are retired with great fanfare when they reach the age of 14 or 15.
There is an official ceremony, with a plate of watermelon offered to the pension-age donkey instead of a cake, which is seen as too unhealthy.
They spend their golden years in a local animal shelter, enjoying a well-deserved rest.
According to the mayor, Mardin has served as a model for European cities, particularly those in France and Italy, which have used donkeys for municipal services in areas difficult to reach by car.
Plus it's ecological, Tutasi says.
The donkeys don't pollute.