鎖につながれたゾウ、動物園からの「解放」署名に７万筆　ベトナム

【ハノイＡＦＰ＝時事】ベトナムの首都ハノイの公立動物園で、年老いたゾウ２頭が足を鎖につながれて飼育されている状況に国内で怒りの声が上がっている。動物愛護団体が２頭を国立公園に移すよう求めており、同団体が呼び掛けたオンライン署名には７万人近くが賛同した。（写真はベトナムの首都ハノイのハノイ動物園で足を鎖につながれているゾウ）
　２頭の雌のゾウ、「タイ」と「バナン」の話題はここ数週間、国営メディアでも大きく取り上げられている。
　ＡＦＰ取材班が同園を訪れた１６日朝も、２頭は鎖につながれたまま餌を与えられていた。職員の一人は匿名を条件に取材に応じ、「ゾウはかなり凶暴だ。電気柵が壊れているので、鎖でつなぐしかなかった」と説明した。
　２頭はそれぞれ２０１０年と１４年に、ベトナム南部と中部高原からこの動物園に連れてこられた。
　「同じ群れにいたゾウではないので、けんかを防ぎ、飼育員の安全を確保するために最善を尽くす必要があった」と職員は語った。世話は万全で、餌は１日３回与えているという。
　だが、動物愛護団体「アニマルズアジア」は今月、ハノイ市当局に書簡を送り、２頭を中部高原にあるヨックドン国立公園内のジャングルに移すよう要請した。
　同団体は「ハノイの動物園のゾウは、かなり長期間鎖につながれていた」「このままでは２頭とも健康状態が悪化してしまう」と訴えている。
　別の動物擁護団体ベトナム・アニマル・アイズも今月初め、２頭の解放を要求する署名を開始した。
　だが、国営メディアによると、同園の園長はそうした要求は「筋違い」だと述べている。ニュースサイト「ダントリ」によれば、園長は「２頭の年齢は（人で言えば）６０～７０歳で、当園に１０年以上いる。餌の探し方も身を守る術も知らないので、自然に帰せば死んでしまうだろう」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/08/17-16:35）

Legs in iron chains and unable to roam freely, the treatment of two elderly elephants at the Hanoi public zoo has drawn outrage in Vietnam, with animal rights groups demanding the pair be relocated.
The groups are calling for the two female elephants -- Thai and Banang -- to be released to a national park, and close to 70,000 people have signed an online petition in support.
State media has also covered the story widely in recent weeks.
On Wednesday morning, the pair's legs were in chains as zookeepers fed them grass and sugarcane, AFP journalists observed.
The elephants are quite fierce. With a broken electric fence, we had to chain them, a zoo staff member told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
Staff said the two elephants were brought to the zoo from the country's south and central highlands in 2010 and 2014.
They were not in the same herd. We had to do our best to help prevent fighting between them and ensure safety for carers, the zoo employee said, adding the animals were well cared for and given three meals a day.
But Animals Asia sent a letter to city authorities earlier this month urging the creatures be returned to the jungle at the Yok Don National Park in the country's central highlands.
Elephants at the Hanoi zoo have been chained for a very long period, the group said in the letter.
The health of the two elephants will deteriorate if they remain as they are.
Vietnam Animal Eyes, a group of local animal advocates, started a petition to remove the pair from the zoo at the beginning of August.
Zoo director Le Si Dung, however, has characterised the push to free the animals as illogical, according to state media.
The two elephants, aged 60-70 years old, have been at our zoo for more than 10 years... They will die if they are put back to nature as they do not know how to seek food or protect themselves, Dung was quoted as saying by the Dan Tri news site.
David Neale, animal welfare director at Animals Asia, told AFP the elephants were likely frustrated they couldn't carry out their natural behaviours.
Yok Don National Park... has all of the elements which an elephant needs to be able to live well and live happily, he said.
Other animal lovers believe the zoo is not serving the elephants' best interests.
This (Hanoi) zoo is like a jail, social media user Thanh Nguyen said.
I was furious after my first visit there last year... I would never go back.
According to environmental groups, Vietnam's wild elephant population has fallen from around 2,000 in 1980 to about 100 in 2022.
The number of domesticated elephants has also declined significantly from about 600 in 1980 to 165 today.