クラスター弾も着弾　ウクライナ最大の動物園

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】ウクライナ最大を誇るミコライウ動物園。飼育頭数４０００に上り、１２０年以上の歴史がある動物園は今、ロシア軍のロケット弾が着弾する日が続いている。（写真はミコライウ動物園のゾウ舎）
　街には空襲警報が鳴り響く。市内には、黒海に面する港湾都市オデッサを目指すロシア軍にとって要所となる川が流れている。
　動物園に最初のロケット弾が着弾したのは２月２７日。トラ舎とホッキョクグマ舎の間の通路が破壊された。このロケット弾は現在、園内の博物館に展示されている。
　職員にも動物にもけがはなかった。しかし、「強いストレス」となった出来事だったと、ウォロディミル・トプチー園長は話す。園から６００メートル離れた場所では戦車による戦闘が発生した。
　その後、ロケット弾３発が園内に着弾し、うち１発は鳥舎に落ちた。残りの２発は事務所の近くに着弾した。職員によると、ロシア軍が「ウラガン（ハリケーン）」と呼ぶ多連装ロケットランチャーに搭載されたクラスター弾だった。
　クラスター弾はオスロ条約で製造や使用が禁止されているが、ロシアは加盟していない。
　トプチー園長によると、園で飼育する約４００種の動物のうち半数近くが国際自然保護連合（ＩＵＣＮ）のレッドリストの危惧種に指定されている。この中には、アムールヒョウも含まれている。
　南ブーフ川に架かる橋を渡り、ウクライナ軍の支配下にある地域に動物を避難させるのは不可能だと指摘する。
　「移送する車両が足りない」「まだ寒いので、キリンやゾウ、カバを外に出したら死ぬ恐れもある」
　トプチー園長は動物を見捨てる考えはない。動物の世話を続ける１００人ほどの職員を「英雄」だとたたえる。中には、動物園と自宅を行き来する際のリスクを軽減するため、園に泊まり込んでいる職員もいる。
　飼育員のオルガさんは、池の中を泳ぎながら鼻を鳴らす雌カバのリッキーを見ながら、動物たちは大抵は「静かに暮らしている」と話した。
　トプチー園長も「餌を食べ、繁殖している。問題なく暮らしている」「春の出産シーズンが始まる」と語った。
　３月８日には、激しい爆撃が続く中、ヒョウが出産した。
　動物園は今、来場者を受け入れていない。しかし、支援のため入園券を購入する人は後を絶たない。フェイスブックに動物園を支援するという投稿をする人もいる。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/04/01-14:07）

The Mykolaiv Zoo bills itself as the best in Ukraine, but now the 4,000 wild animals it holds are trapped in a whole new sense, with Russian rockets landing among them.
As air raid sirens wail across the city, which holds a key river crossing Russian troops need to pursue their push towards Ukraine's top Black Sea port of Odessa, a leopard brushes nervously against the bars of his cage.
It is difficult to tell whether the Amur leopard, the rarest subspecies of the big cat, is rattled by the piercing sound or the unusual sight of strangers, more than three weeks after the zoo was closed to visitors, said zoologist Viktor Dyakonov.
The first rocket that landed on the zoo, on February 27, tore up the walkway between the tiger and polar bear enclosures, and is now on display in the museum of the zoo founded more than 120 years ago.
No one was wounded, neither among the staff nor the animals.
But the episode was very stressful, with a tank battle 600 metres (650 yards) from the zoo, said the museum's director, Volodymyr Topchyi.
Since then, three more rockets have landed in the zoo, including one in an aviary.
The other two landed near the zoo's administrative offices and staff said they were cluster munitions the Russians call the Uragan or Hurricane.
The United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the use of cluster munitions by Russian forces, particularly in northeastern Ukraine, a type of weapon that is banned by the 2008 Oslo Convention which Moscow never signed.
Cluster munitions spread explosive bomblets over a wide area, making them an imprecise weapon that can cause extensive injuries among civilians.
As many of the bomblets don't explode upon impact, they can cause death and mutilation among civilians long after hostilities are over.
- Too risky to evacuate -
Of the some 400 species present in the zoo, nearly half are on the international red list of threatened species, according to Topchyi, the zoo's director.
But their evacuation via the bridge across the Buh river to territory held by Ukrainian forces is not feasible, he said.
There aren't enough vehicles to transport the animals and the only road towards Odessa is clogged with traffic, said Topchyi.
And it's still very cold. If we take the giraffes, the elephants and the hippopotamuses ... there's a risk they won't survive, he added.
Topchyi ruled out abandoning the animals, and praised the heroic work of about 100 staff members who continue to take care of their charges, even sleeping at the zoo to reduce the number of dangerous trips across the city.
That is the case for zoologist Dyakonov, along with his wife, a veterinarian.
To come from where I live I have to cross a bridge that is raised and lowered at random times, so there is no certainty that I'll be able to make it to work, he said.
That's why my wife and I decided to say at the zoo for a while, while the situation is so unstable, he added.
Overall, the zoo's animals are leading a quiet life said Olga, a caretaker, as she watched a female hippopotamus, Rikky, snort as she lazily swam around her pool.
Our animals are eating and reproducing, they're doing fine, said Topchyi.
On March 8, despite intense bombardments, a female leopard gave birth.
It's springtime, births will begin, he said.
Even though closed to visitors, the public has continued to buy tickets, with people posting on Facebook about their support for the zoo.