ライオン増えすぎ…競売で個人に売却へ　パキスタン動物園

【ラホールＡＦＰ＝時事】パキスタンの動物園が、飼育するライオンが増えすぎたとして、１２頭を一般の愛好家に売却するオークションを１１日に開催する。この動物園には現在、ライオン２９頭の他、トラ６頭、ジャガー２頭がいる。（写真はパキスタンのラホール・サファリ動物園で飼育されているライオン）
　ラホール・サファリ動物園のタンビール・アフメド・ジャンジュア副園長は、パドック（放飼場）にライオンやトラを交互に出さなければならない状況だと説明。競売によって「より広いスペースを確保できるだけでなく、ライオンの餌代も減る」とＡＦＰに語った。
　自然保護活動家はオークションに反対している。環境保護団体「世界自然保護基金（ＷＷＦ）」は、動物が増えすぎたなら他の動物園に引き取ってもらうか、避妊措置をとるべきだと指摘する。
　ＷＷＦのウズマ・カーン氏は、「動物園が野生動物に値札を付けるようなまねをすれば、取引を促進してしまう。自然保護には逆効果だ」と訴えた。
　パキスタンでは、ライオンやトラなどの大型ネコ科動物をペットとして飼うことがステータスシンボルとされている。裕福な飼い主が写真や動画をソーシャルメディアに投稿したり、映画や広告の撮影に貸し出したりする例は珍しくない。
　競売はライオン１頭当たり１５万パキスタン・ルピー（約９万円）から開始予定だが、動物園側は１頭２００万パキスタン・ルピー（約１２０万円）で売却できると見込んでいる。
　購入者は州当局に登録し、適切な飼育環境があることを証明する必要がある。ただ、ラホール・サファリ動物園の獣医師によれば、昨年も競売を試みたものの購入希望者が資格を満たしておらず、失敗に終わった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/08/08-13:42）

A Pakistan zoo is auctioning off a dozen lions to private collectors next week to free up space for a pride that won't stop growing.
Lahore Safari Zoo now has so many big cats that their lions and tigers have to take it in turns to access the paddocks, said Tanvir Ahmed Janjua, the zoo's deputy director.
Not only will we free up more space here, but our expenses for meat to feed them will also decrease, he told AFP.
The zoo is currently home to 29 lions, and officials plan an auction on August 11 to sell 12 of them, aged between two and five years old.
There are also six resident tigers and two jaguars.
Conservationists are opposed to the sale, with the environmental group WWF saying the creatures should be moved to other established zoos, or breeding females sterilised or given contraceptives.
Animal exchanges and donations between zoos are a widely accepted practice, the organisation's Uzma Khan told AFP.
Once an institution such as a zoo places a price tag on a wildlife species it is promoting trade -- which is counterproductive to conservation, she added.
Keeping lions, tigers and other exotic wildlife as pets is not uncommon in Pakistan, and is seen as a status symbol.
Wealthy owners post images and video clips of their big cats on social media, and rent them out as props for movies and photoshoots.
Zoo officials have set a reserve of 150,000 Pakistan rupees ($700) per cat, but hope each will fetch around two million rupees.
Not just anyone can take part in the auction, however.
Janjua said buyers will have to be registered with provincial authorities and show they have the means to provide proper care and shelter for the creatures.
Zoo veterinary officer Muhammad Rizwan Khan told AFP an initial attempt last year to auction lions fell through as potential buyers lacked the necessary documentation or licences.
Nouman Hassan, who fell foul of authorities in the past when he was filmed walking his pet tiger on a leash in Lahore, plans to take part.
I will try to buy two to three lions for sure, he told AFP, adding the auction was a good way to diversify the gene pool for private collectors who already owned a big cat.
With little legislation to safeguard animal welfare, zoos across Pakistan are notorious for their poor facilities, but the Lahore Safari Zoo is considered one of the best, set over 200 acres.
In April 2020 a court ordered the only zoo in the country?s capital to shut after poor facilities and mistreatment of the animals there were revealed.
The facility had drawn international condemnation for its treatment of an Asian elephant named Kaavan, who was later airlifted to retirement in Cambodia in a jumbo project spearheaded by US popstar and actress Cher.
Veterinarian Khan said the animals at Lahore Safari Zoo were being given the best possible care -- something reflected in their fecundity.
They are experiencing a good life in captivity with us, he said.