気ままにお仕事中「警備猫」　フィリピン

【マニラＡＦＰ＝時事】フィリピンの首都マニラ。オフィスビルの外で待機中の警備員たちの横を、黒と黄色の安全ベストを着た１匹の猫が平然と歩いて行く。（写真は警備猫のコナン。フィリピン・マニラ首都圏のオフィスビルで）
　「コナン」は生後６か月の雄の野良猫だ。数か月前、マニラ首都圏にあるワールドワイドコーポレートセンターの警備チームに加わった。
　猫は警備犬とは異なり、仕事中に寝てしまうこともあるが、１２時間勤務で退屈そうな警備員たちにかわいがられている。
　前任の「ミンミン」が死んだ後、警備員たちは悲しみに暮れ、ビルの駐車場で泣いているところを発見されたコナンが後任に任命された。
　「コナンがいないと、やる気が出ない」と警備員の一人（３０）はＡＦＰに語った。「ストレスを解消してくれる」
　コナンが「警備」と書かれたベストを着用し、机の上に横たわっている写真は、フェイスブックで多数シェアされている。
　マニラの商業施設や企業ビルでは、野良猫が十数匹飼われている。猫たちは、こうしたビルの中で自由な移動を許され、餌は従業員の寄付で賄われている
　野良猫としては申し分のない生活を送っているにもかかわらず、コナンはビルに入ってくる買い物客や従業員の所持品検査など、人間の警備員仲間の仕事を手伝うことにはほとんど興味を示さない。
　近くのスターバックスの店舗の前で寝るか、タイル張りの床でボールを追い掛け、通行人を喜ばせている。
　「コナンなりにこの仕事を楽しんでいる」と警備員は話した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/10/02-14:29）

A cat wearing a black-and-yellow security vest strolls nonchalantly past security guards lined outside a Philippine office building waiting to receive instructions for their shift.
Conan, a six-month-old stray, joined the security team of the Worldwide Corporate Center in the capital Manila several months ago.
He is one of the lucky moggies unofficially adopted by security guards across the city, where thousands of cats live on the street.
While the cats lack the security skills of dogs -- and have a tendency to sleep on the job -- their cuteness and company have endeared them to bored security guards working 12-hour shifts.
Conan was rescued when he was a few weeks old by a housekeeper who found him wailing in the building's car park.
He accidentally landed the role of security cat after his predecessor, Mingming, died -- reportedly from gum disease, not in the line of duty.
Grieving guards wanting another furry friend to liven up their shifts decided to appoint Conan as Mingming's replacement.
If Conan isn't around then I'm not motivated, security guard Aljon Aquino, 30, told AFP.
He takes away my stress.
Photos of Conan wearing his vest emblazoned with security and lying on a desk next to a life-size cardboard picture of Mingming have been shared thousands of times on Facebook.
He is among more than a dozen strays living in the commercial and corporate building, where they are allowed to roam.
Employees pitch in to buy food for them.
Despite living his best life, Conan shows little interest in helping his human colleagues perform their security duties, such as searching bags of shoppers and workers as they enter the building.
Instead, he prefers to sleep, laze in front of the nearby Starbucks or chase balls across the tiled floor, much to the delight of passers-by.
Sometimes people will just randomly carry him because he's really friendly, said Aquino, playfully poking Conan with his baton.
He enjoys the work.