気温５０度、暑さと資金難にあえぐ動物園　イラク首都

【バグダッドＡＦＰ＝時事】イラクの首都バグダッドでは１４日、２日連続で気温が５０度を超えた。市内唯一の動物園では、敷地内に設けられた池のほとりで、２頭のアムールトラが暑さにあえいでいた。（写真は猛暑に見舞われたイラク・バグダッド動物園のトラ）
　外出するには暑すぎるためか、来園者の姿は見えない。サルの鳴き声と鳥のさえずりが聞こえるのみだった。
　動物園のワシム・サリハ獣医師は、極東ロシアが生息地のアムールトラは、バグダッドのような世界で最も暑い都市の一つではなく「氷点下２０度まで気温が下がる場所」で暮らすのに適していると指摘した。
　同園は資金不足に加え、長年の政情不安と管理体制の不備で設備の劣化が進んでおり、ライオンやクマ、サルなど約９００いる動物たちの状況は悪化している。
　サリハさんは、おりの多くは屋外に設置されており、寒い気候に適した動物用の場所がないと説明した。気温を下げるため、ライオンのおりの前には冷風機を設置した。クマやトラ用にはプールが用意された。
　またイラクは電力不足に陥っており、１日最大１０時間の停電が発生している。
　ハイダル・ザミリ園長は、大規模な改修は１９７０年代が最後だったと語った。当局から支給されるわずかな資金でどうにか運営している状態だ。このため、園にいる動物の寿命は他に比べて短いという。同園のアムールトラの寿命は１７～１８年だが、他の園では２０～２５年で、その違いは気温の差に起因するとザミリ氏は指摘する。
　最近ではクマやライオン、鳥が死んだが、一部は気候変動による気温の上昇によるものだという。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/08/16-16:55）

A pair of Siberian tigers pant incessantly beside a pond at their zoo enclosure in the scorching summer heat of the Iraqi capital.
Temperatures on Monday breached 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in Baghdad for the second day in a row -- making life outdoors unbearable for both humans and animals.
The orange, striped felines from far-eastern Russia are more suited to living where temperatures drop to as low as minus 20 degrees than in one of the hottest cities in the world, said Wassim Sarih, the veterinarian at Baghdad's only zoo.
Underfunded and run down by years of unrest and mismanagement, the zoo's dilapidated facilities make matters worse for its roughly 900 animals, including lions, exotic birds, bears and monkeys.
Most of the enclosures are open air and suit animals that live in hot climates, said Sarih. We don't have ones for animals accustomed to the cold.
In an attempt to lower the temperature, air coolers have been installed in front of the lion cages, and pools are provided for the bears and tigers.
Iraq is unable to provide sufficient electricity to meet domestic needs and is consequently plagued by power cuts that can last up to 10 hours a day.
Baghdad Zoo hasn't seen major renovations since the 1970s, said its director Haider al-Zamili, who is forced to make do with the meagre funds the authorities allocate.
Under such conditions, Sarih said the lifespan of our animals is shorter compared to other zoos.
The zoo's Siberian tigers live for 17 or 18 years while their counterparts in other zoos have a life expectancy of 20 to 25 years, with the heat making the difference, he said.
The veterinarian said the zoo has lost bears, lions and birds in recent years, some of them because of the soaring temperatures caused by climate change.
- Years of drought -
The United Nations says Iraq is one of the five countries in the world most touched by the effects of climate change.
Currently the country is facing its fourth consecutive year of drought.
Not a single visitor was seen at the zoo as it's far too hot to venture outside. Only the cries of monkeys and singing of birds can be heard.
Karrar Jassem, a zoo employee, is one of the few people seen wandering around the garden under the punishing sun as he feeds the animals.
Like the many outdoor workers in Iraq exposed to the heat, the 32-year-old said he must provide for his family.
He earns only 250,000 Iraqi dinars a month (about $165 or 150 euros).
Employees' wages are very low and don't correspond to the hazards they face, such as potential injuries or joint pains, said Sarih.
The veterinarian said he had contacted the authorities, including the municipality of Baghdad, which is responsible for the zoo, but had yet to come across any receptive ears.
Sarih predicted the zoo will soon have to close its doors in the absence of an ambitious renovation plan.
Then the whole community will be a loser, he said.