都市の中の「自然公園」として札幌円山公園というのは、かなりの「成功事例」ではないかと思っています。写真はきのうの散歩の折にふいにあらわれたリス。どうもかれらは不意を突いて出てきて、用が済んだらさっさと消えるというのが行動パターン。なんとか撮影写真が間に合った。
この自然公園では都市化の中でかれらも行動変容していて、人間社会との折り合いを付けていわば人間社会をも「自然の一部」として取り込んで行動パターンを変異させている。このように人間と接近してくるというのは、やはり「餌やり」を習慣化して行動している人類がいて、それをかれらリス社会は「利用」して、「もらえるものはもらう。勝手に愛玩した気になっていろ」みたいに割り切った行動原則を確立している、そのあらわれなのだろうと思います。
そのことを危惧する意見もよく聞きますが、わたしは札幌都市の都市計画段階で協力してくれて、いまでもこの「円山公園」に隣接して存在している「アメリカ領事館」を維持しているアメリカの都市計画家たちの都市公園の考え方の優秀さを物語っていると思っています。
ちなみにアメリカ領事館のスタッフのみなさんとはときどきこの公園の散歩中にすれ違うことが多い。あいさつを「おはようございます」とすると、きちんと日本語で返してくれる。たまには「Good・・・」というあいさつも聞こえてくるけれど。最近ふたたびアジアの某国人の多くのみなさんが神宮周辺を闊歩していますが、ひとりとしてあいさつしてくる人間はいない。残念。
話を元に戻すと、アメリカの、自然の生態系をなるべく尊重するという公園への考え方が、リスなどのこの周辺の「先住者」たちにも伝わっていて、ながく150年近い年月を経て、イキモノとしての相互関係と環境が熟成してきているのかもしれません。餌やりをする人間とか、それとごく自然に受容しているリスたちの姿など、もちろんまったくの自然からは逸脱しているけれど、許容範囲内であるのかと思える。
わたしなどは一切、かれらと必要以上の関係性は持たないように、親近感を見せればイチコロで食糧を与えるだろうというかれらの「悪ずれしている」行動に対応しない、というタイプの人間もいるということを無言で伝えているけれど、そういった人間種の個体格差もかれらに伝わっているように思う。
「あ、こいつはダメダメだ」と瞬時に判断してかれらは別の行動にチェンジしていく。
あばよ、元気でやれよ、みたいなメッセージだけは送っている「つもり」。
English version⬇
The summer solstice is approaching, the peak season for activity.
Sapporo Maruyama Park is a friendly cultural asset with the U.S., which cooperated with the initial Sapporo urban planning. 150 years later, the relationship and distance between the squirrel society and the human species. ・・・・・.
I believe that Sapporo Maruyama Park is a very successful example of a "nature park" in an urban environment. The photo shows a squirrel that appeared unexpectedly on our walk yesterday. They tend to appear unexpectedly and disappear as soon as they are done with their business. I managed to get the photo in time.
In this nature park, they are changing their behavior in the midst of urbanization, and they have come to terms with human society, so to speak, and have taken in human society as "a part of nature," and their behavior patterns have changed. The reason they are approaching humans in this way is that some humans have made it a habit to "feed" them, and the squirrel community is "taking advantage" of this and saying, "We'll take what we can get, and we'll feel like we've petted them. I think this is a manifestation of the fact that they have established a principle of behavior that is divided into "take what you can get, and feel like you are petting them without permission.
I often hear people expressing concern about this, but I think it is a testament to the excellence of the American urban planners' approach to urban parks that they cooperated with the city of Sapporo in the urban planning stage, and that they still maintain the American Consulate, which is located adjacent to Maruyama Park.
Incidentally, I often pass the staff of the U.S. Consulate sometimes during my walks in this park. When I greet them with a "Ohayo gozaimasu" (Good morning), they reply in proper Japanese. Sometimes I hear them say "Good..." in Japanese. Recently, many people from certain Asian countries have been walking around the Jingu area again, but not a single one of them has greeted me. What a pity.
To return to the original topic, the American approach to the park, which is to respect the natural ecosystem as much as possible, may have been passed on to the squirrels and other "native inhabitants" of this area, and after nearly 150 years, their mutual relationship and environment may have matured as animate objects. Of course, the humans who feed them and the squirrels who accept them naturally are deviating from nature, but I think it is within the acceptable range.
I have been silently telling them that there are some people who do not have a relationship with them beyond what is necessary and do not respond to their "bad behavior," even though they will readily give them food if we show them a sense of intimacy. I think that the individual differences in the human species are also being conveyed to them.
They instantly decide, "Oh, this one is no good," and change their behavior to something else.
I "think" I am sending them a message like, "Aba yo, be well.
