洪水でワニ農場から脱走の恐れ １２５匹を殺処分 タイ

【バンコクＡＦＰ＝時事】タイ北部ランプーン県にあるワニ農場は２５日、洪水でワニが逃げ出し、人を襲う危険性を懸念し、飼育するワニ１２５匹を殺処分したと発表した。（写真はワニの死がいを運び出す掘削機。農場所有者のＮａｔｔｈａｐａｋ Ｋｈｕｍｋａｄ氏がフェイスブックに投稿した写真より）
　タイ北部では今月、モンスーンによる豪雨が洪水や地滑りを引き起こし、２０人以上が死亡している。
　ラムプーン県のワニ農場でも災害の影響で囲いが壊れ、飼育する全長約３メートルのシャムワニの群れが逃げ出すリスクが高まった。農場の所有者はＡＦＰに対し、「雨が農場の壁を侵食したため、１７年間飼っていたワニ１２５匹をすべて殺さなければならなかった」と語った。ワニは感電死させたという。
　農場所有者は、巨大なワニの死がいを運び出す掘削機の写真を自身のフェイスブックアカウントに載せた。
　所有者によると、ワニの一時的な避難場所について政府に打診したが、ワニが大きすぎるとして拒否されたという。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/09/25-21:42）

A crocodile farm in Thailand has culled 125 of the reptiles because of fears they could escape during ongoing floods and endanger human lives, the owner said Wednesday.
Heavy monsoon rains swept across northern Thailand this month, triggering floods and landslides that have killed more than 20 people.
Days of heavy rain in the northern province of Lamphun damaged the enclosures at Natthapak Khumkad's farm, raising the risk that his herd of three-metre (10-foot) Siamese crocodiles could escape and roam the countryside preying on villagers and livestock.
The rain was eroding the farm walls, so we sadly had to kill all 125 crocodiles, he told AFP.
We've had them for 17 years.
Natthapak said he and his workers electrocuted the animals.
Photos on his personal Facebook account showed a digger being used to remove three large crocodiles.
Siamese crocodiles are critically endangered in the wild, but widely bred in farms across Thailand for their skins.
Patarapol Maneeorn, a vet for Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said that while he understood the owner's decision, the crocodiles could have been transferred to another area not affected by floods.
But Natthapak said he had previously contacted the government to find a temporary shelter for the reptiles, but was rejected because of the large size of the crocodiles.
This could be a lesson learned in how to handle dangerous animals during natural disasters, Patarapol told AFP.