マレーシア・ニュース

栄養失調の小象、保護される

マラッカ：先月の初め、生後三ヶ月の小象が科学技術環境省の手によって保護され、現在マラッカにあるテーマパークの飼育委員により介護されている。アミッドちゃんと名づけられたこの小象は象の群れから離れたせいか、酷くやせておりあばら骨やせきつい骨が突き出ており極度の栄養失調が見られた。飼育委員のモハッド・ナワヤイ・ヤサックさんはアミッドちゃんのための治療計画を考えていると述べ、１日に何度も栄養食を与えているが元の体重に戻るには少なくとも１年はかかると話した。

専門家の話によると象の群れは洪水から逃れるために川を横断していたが、川の流れが強く小象では耐え切れずそのまま群れから離れてしまうことがあるという。今回のケースでは、母親象が洪水の勢いが強いため小僧を置き去りにしたことで、これは非常に稀なケースだと言う。象の死体報告がないため、今頃母親象は必死になって小象を探しているだろうと語った。

ミルクをアミッドちゃんに上げてるモハッドさん。
肩の骨がくっきりと見えるほどやせ細っている 。

無断転載はお断りいたします

[ 3月1日　23：28　MCS]

ニュース・ソース

Zoo caring for rescued calf

MALACCA: Amid was a neglected, malnourished three-month-old elephant calf tied up cruelly at a theme park when he was rescued earlier this month.

Now, he has several caretakers at the zoo here who take turns feeding him milk, bread, oatmeal and glucose drinks many times a day. But it will take a year, at least, to get him back to normal.

“He's very much underweight compared to a normal elephant calf,” Malacca Zoo director Mohd Nawayai Yasak told The Star yesterday.

“We have put him under a treatment plan, which basically consists of multi-vitamins, to help increase his appetite to make up for the weight loss and this is likely to take up to one year.

Amid was a heart wrenching sight with his vertebrae jutting out and the clear outline of his ribcage showing under his hide.

In early February, the Wildlife Department confiscated the male calf from a theme park and handed him to the zoo.

“We do not know exactly what happened, but we believe that the herd of elephants which Amid belonged too was trying to cross a river to escape a flood when it was left behind.

“The currents were probably too strong for it to cross and the mother had to leave him behind. Such a scenario ? a mother elephant leaving behind its calf ? is rare,” said Mohd Nawayai.

He said the calf was most likely captured and later sold to the theme park, adding that the captors probably did not know how to tie the elephant, resulting in its neck being hurt.

He believes Amid’s mother is still alive because there had been no report of dead elephants or their carcasses.

Amid, who takes a bath twice a day, is the eighth elephant to join seven others at the zoo, including the three “performers”? Mahkota, Noni and Teh.

Amid is the second elephant calf sent to the Malacca Zoo after being seized. Rio was rescued by wildlife officers and sent to the zoo in March 2004.

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.<1-3-2007 THE STAR>