南アフリカ名物、砂浜を駆ける犬ぞり

【ケープタウンＡＦＰ＝時事】南アフリカ・ケープタウン郊外のミューゼンバーグは、金色に輝く砂浜、カラフルなビーチ小屋、最高のサーフィン体験など見どころ満載の人気スポットだが、ここにはさらに唯一無二の名物がある。最大３０匹のハスキー犬が引く犬ぞりだ。（写真は南アフリカ・ケープタウン郊外ミューゼンバーグの浜辺で、そりを引く犬たち）
　毎週土曜日になると、青いそりを引いて砂浜を最高時速２５キロで駆け抜けるハスキー犬たちが、観光客やジョギング中の地元の人々の目を奪う。一面の雪が白砂に代わっただけで、北極圏さながらの光景だ。
　発案者は、金融ブローカーでハスキー犬愛好家のサム・ギュンターさん（４３）。シベリアンハスキーをはじめ、そり犬として知られる大型犬種が地元で非常に人気が高い一方で、本来必要な運動量を確保できていないことに気付いたのがきっかけだった。
　ギュンターさんはそりを２台製作し、毎週土曜日にミューゼンバーグの浜辺に犬を連れてくるよう飼い主に呼び掛けた。
　それから１１年、週末になると定期的にそりを引く犬は今や約１００匹に上る。「そり犬として繁殖されてきたハスキー犬にとって、これは完璧な運動です。皆そりを引くのが大好きなんです」とギュンターさん。「私にとっては、仕事を頑張った後の週に一度のセラピーです。とにかく素晴らしい眺めですよ」とＡＦＰに語った。
　「この時期、人々はそりを引いて空を飛ぶトナカイに注目するでしょうが、私たちにはビーチでそりを引くハスキーたちがいます！」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/12/01-12:39）

Muizenberg outside Cape Town can boast of many things -- golden sands, colourful beach huts, great surf. But this popular spot has something its rivals can't even begin to match -- teams of up to 30 huskies pulling sleds.
Every Saturday, tourists and joggers are treated to scenes straight from the Arctic with dogs that have swapped snow for sand.
Locals and holidaymakers alike are stunned to see the barking teams of huskies mushing along the white beach at up to 25 km/h (15 m/h) with a blue sled at the rear.
It's the brainchild of husky lover Sam Gunter, 43, who realised the breed, though very popular locally, were not getting the amount of exercise they needed.
He built two sleds and started inviting husky owners to bring their hounds to Muizenberg beach outside of Cape Town each Saturday.
Eleven years down the line, there are now around 100 huskies that regularly sled on different weekends.
This Saturday, 23 black-and-cream thick-furred huskies turned up with their owners -- some having driven for up to an hour to the beach.
Gunter straps them into blue harnesses.
Once all are safely in, he gives a shout of go and the dogs do what comes naturally. Always in a straight line, they run up back and forth, pausing briefly to rest.
It is the perfect exercise for huskies who were bred to pull sleds and they just love it, said Gunter from Strand, a small resort town located 40 kilometres (25 miles) up the beach.
They get so excited... and can't wait to get going. And after working hard all week it is my weekly therapy and is just wonderful to see, Gunter, a financial broker told AFP.
- 'Huskies need exercise' -
Popular for their thick fur and bright blue eyes they can easily get neglected, he warned.Huskies need lots of exercise... they need to do up to 20 km a day.
This way at least once a week they get a five kilometre run for between 35 and 45 minutes
The dogs only run in the evening or when temperatures are 15 degrees Celsius or lower, because they are Nordic dogs, so you have to be careful in the South African climate not to overheat them.
Depending on the day, husky sledding can attract quite a crowd of spectators.
Gunter says he is the only person in Africa doing husky sledding, and the looks you get from some sunbathers when 30 huskies come past with Santa hats pulling a sled, is one to behold.
At this time of year people would be looking out for reindeers pulling a sleigh through the sky but in our case we have huskies pulling a sled on a beach!