報告が遅くなりましたが、仕掛けた罠についに獲物がかかりました！屋根裏に入っていた動物は隣で仕事をしている大工さんたちのお陰で屋根の隙間の侵入口が塞がれ、以後来なくなり安眠できるようになりました。一方、罠はそのまま裏庭に。餌を時々取り替えては見に行くもおとり用の外の食べ物は食べてあるのに罠の中の食べ物には一切手をつけないという頭の良さ。私と動物との見えない闘いが続いていました。先日まあ掛かっていないだろうと軽い気持ちでオリに近づいたら…、いつもは空っぽのオリの中が黒い物体で埋まっているではありませんか！ヒェ〜！だかワアッ〜！だかどんな声を出したか覚えていませんが、数日前から泊まり込んでいたクラウンたちが聞きつけて一斉にみんなが、何だナンダと集まってきました。心落ち着かせてよく見てみると、大きな得体のしれない動物が中に。となりで仕事中の大工さんたちまでもがやってきて、ヤレたぬきだ、ハクビシンだ、アライグマだと口々に鑑定をしています。午後になって役場の獣害担当の一円さんと産業環境課の金田さんが作業服を着てやってきてくださいました。動物はアナグマだそうです。自分の運命を感じとったか一円さんが近づくと狭い檻の中で体を動かして暴れ、こちらも少し切ない気持ち。足音で判断するに屋根裏に入っていた動物はここまで大きくないと思われるので、どうやらこのアナグマ、本命の動物に代わって捕獲されてしまったようです。アナグマ君にすればとんだ濡れ衣。でも仕方ありません。オリと一緒に連れて行かれました。あー、何とも人騒がせな捕物帳でした。This is a bit of a late report, but an animal was caught in a trap at last! The animal which came into my attic didn't come any more because the space in the roof where the animal had been entering was shut by the contractors who were working next door to renovate the house and I am able to sleep in the night ever since. However, I kept the trap in my backyard to catch the animal. I put some food inside the trap and outside as well and went to check if the animal was trapped. I thought the animal was smart because it ate food outside the trap but never ate inside one. It had been a battle between me and the animal. The other day, when I approached the trap thinking it would probably be empty as well as today, it was not and I found something darker in the trap. I gasped in surprise. Hearing my voice, clowns who were staying over at my house for the event came to me to see what happened. I again looked into the trap. It was certainly an animal which I had never seen. Constructors who were working next door also came with curiosity and they were judging it must be racoon, paguma larvata, or another animal. Mr. Ichien and Kaneda from Taga Town Hall came to me in the afternoon upon my request, and said it was a badger. The badger moved roughly when Mr. Ichien approached, maybe because he expected his fate and I felt a little sad about it. I guessed that the animal which came into my attic must have been much lighter than the badger and the poor badger was put under a false capture. He was taken by Mr. Ichien with the cage. Oh, it has been a noisy animal capture.
