首相就任式ネット配信で「ヒョウ」騒動 警察はイエネコと発表 インド

【ニューデリーＡＦＰ＝時事】インドのナレンドラ・モディ首相の３期目の就任式で、背後を「ヒョウ」のような動物が横切ったとして話題になったが、警察は１０日、このうわさを否定した。（写真は、インド大統領府で３期目の就任式に臨むナレンドラ・モディ首相）
　問題の動物は９日、厳重に警備された首都ニューデリーの大統領府で、赤いカーペットが敷かれた壇上の階段の上を歩いていた。
　警護に当たっていた兵士や就任宣誓書に署名していた閣僚らは気付かなかったようだが、インターネット配信で式典を見ていた視聴者が見つけ、拡散された。
　民放ＮＤＴＶは動画から抜粋した画像を公式サイトに投稿。ベージュ色に見えるこの動物を「ミステリアス」と表現した。
　動物が映っているのは４秒足らずで、陰になっている場所を横切っているため、斑点やしま模様などの有無は判別が難しい。
　だがデリー警察は１０日、Ｘ（旧ツイッター）への投稿で「カメラが捉えた動物は普通のイエネコだ」「このようなつまらないうわさを信じないでほしい」と警告し、「野生動物」説を一蹴した。
　インドでは野良犬や野良猫はよくいるが、動画から推察されるほどの大きさは珍しい。
　一方、デリー郊外ではしばしばヒョウも目撃される。また大統領府の広大な敷地は、うっそうとした保護林が広がる公園デリー・リッジに面している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/06/11-19:30）

As India's government took the oath of office at the presidential palace flanked by honour guards, a fleeting sight was spotted -- an apparently leopard-like animal prowling past.
The animal was seen crossing through the highly guarded palace in the heart of the capital New Delhi, moving within a whisker of red carpeted steps just above where scores of India's newly elected lawmakers sat, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Apparently unnoticed at the time, as the soldiers stood at attention and a lawmaker signed documents after swearing allegiance to the constitution, the creature was highlighted by eagle-eyed viewers online.
Local broadcaster NDTV called the animal mysterious, posting a viral clip of the sandy-coloured beast taken from footage of the event screened live on Indian television Sunday evening.
It was seen for less than four seconds on screen, moving in the shadows and making it hard to identify spots, stripes or other markings.
But Delhi's police on Monday flatly rejected any wild animal theories -- issuing a statement to stem speculation.
The animal captured on camera is a common house cat, it said in a post on X. Please don't adhere to such frivolous rumours.
A crowd of thousands including South Asian heads of state attended the ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan palace in Delhi, and millions more watched live on television.
India's media on Monday was earlier divided on the long-tailed animal.
The Hindustan Times described it as a four-legged furry friend.
The Times of India hedged its bets and called it a cat-like creature.
Street dogs and cats are common in Delhi, but rarely of the apparent size seen in the video.
Leopards too are occasionally spotted in wilder corners on the outskirts of the city.
The sprawling grounds of the presidential palace abut the Delhi Ridge forest, a thick tangled park.
Rapid development has largely isolated the Ridge forest, but it was traditionally an extension of the Aravalli hills.
The rugged range runs for hundreds of kilometres south into Rajasthan, home to tigers in reserves.
There are no cheetahs in Delhi.
The last Asiatic cheetah to roam the sub-continent was believed to have been hunted down in 1947 by an Indian prince.
Last year, cheetahs brought from Namibia were released into the wild in Kuno National Park, a wildlife sanctuary in central India.