Isilwanyana Esingaphantsi Kwezo Mpondo Zinexabiso
NGUMBHALELI KAVUKANI! EMZANTSI AFRIKA
NGEQUBULISO, umkhombe wawugabadula uhamba ngezantya. Indoda ethile yathi cebu yaza yagqotsa ukuya kumthana owawukufuphi. Kodwa umkhombe wajika ngokukhawuleza ngendlel’ emangalisayo, ungayiniki nethuba eli lokubalekela kwindawo enokusinda kuyo. Yaleqwa le ndoda ijikeleziswa umthi izihlandlo eziliqela ngaphambi kokuba ithiwe khu ngophondo ithiwe jwii emoyeni. Lwabuya olu sizana lwendoda, lwaza kuthi gaxe emagxeni alo mkhombe ngaphambi kokuya kuthi nka emhlabeni. Yathi natya apho, ilindele ukuthiwa dushu okanye ithiwe govu ife. Njengokuba lo mkhombe wawusondela, le ndoda yaphakamisa unyawo, kodwa umkhombe walunukisa nje waza wee qakadu wemka!
Lo ngumkhombe omnyama waseAfrika—uligagu, uthanda ukulwa yaye uchukumiseka msinya. Ukuba izivamvo zomkhombe zokujoja okanye zokuva ezisebenza kakuhle ziwenza uve okuthile ongenakukubona (njengoko ungaboni kakuhle), ngehlombe uya kugabadula uhlasela usiya ngakwelo cala kuvela ngakulo oko— enoba yintoni na ukususela kuloliwe ukusa kwibhabhathane! Nangona umalunga neemitha ezisisi-1,5 ukuphakama kwaye unobunzima obuli-1 000 leekhilogram, sekunjalo unokuphala malunga nama-55 eekhilomitha ngeyure uze uphethukele kwicala obuvela ngakulo ngesiquphe!
Maxa wambi ukuhlasela kwawo kuba kukukhohlisa nje okanye kukudlala. UYuilleen Kearney, owakha ngathuba lithile wangumnikazi womkhombe omnyama nowawuselula owawubizwa ngokuba nguRufus, ubalisa ukuba “okukhona kwakukho uthuli oluninzi, kokukhona uRufus wayevuya.” Ngothando ukhumbula isihlandlo xa uRufus weza “efutha, ekhefuzela kwaye edubuleka” ukuphuma etyholweni, “evunguza ephuma esitiyeni waza wema ngxi phambi kweveranda, wahamba ngondiliseko ukunyuka izinyuko waza wangqengqa ecaleni kwesitulo esigotywayo [somnikazi wakhe].”
Baninzi abawuthandayo umkhombe omnyama nabakhe bafunda ngawo. Noko ke, bonke bayavuma ukuba iimpawu zemikhombe azifani njengokuba kunjalo nangabantu. Ngoko, lumkela lowo ukhohlakeleyo! Incwadi edumileyo ethetha ngezilwanyana kumazantsi eAfrika ilumkisa ngelokuba umkhombe omnyama “awufanele uthenjwe, kwaye ufanele unikwe indawo yokuhlala efanelekileyo nephangalele ngokusengqiqweni.” Okulusizi kukuba, kukuhlutshezwa ngumntu okuye kuwubangele ukuba ube ndlongondlongo. UNjingalwazi Rudolf Schenkel, owasinda kuhlaselo lomkhombe oluchazwe ngasentla, ebuhlungu uchaza isibakala sokuba umntu uye wazenza okuphela kotshaba lomkhombe.
Kuthekani ngomnye umkhombe waseAfrika, omhlophe? Ukuzola kwawo ngokuqhelekileyo kuwenza wahluke kumza wawo onamabhongo. Lo phantse uwuphinda kabini ngobukhulu omnyama, kwaye usiba sisilwanyana sesithathu ngobukhulu ehlabathini kwizilwanyana eziphila phezu komhlaba. Intloko yawo enkulu inzima kangangokuba inokuphakanyiswa ngamadoda amane! Kodwa, ugqadaza kanye njengomza wawo omnyama.
Xa uthana mandla nomntu ehlathini, umkhombe omhlophe ngokuqhelekileyo ubaleka uphaphatheke wakubona, uve isandi, okanye ivumba lomntu. Phofu ke, kwincwadi yabo ethi Rhino, uDaryl noSharna Balfour balumkisa nxamnye nokucinga ukuba kuya kusoloko kusiba njalo. Babhala bathi: “Abaninzi baye benzakaliswa ngumkhombe omhlophe kunokuba kunjalo ngomnyama kwiminyaka yakutshanje,” yaye bongezelela besithi mhlawumbi oko kubangelwe “kukungahlonelwa” kwawo ngumntu.
Eyona Nto Ithandwayo Yokuhambisa Ixesha
Kukho enye into ethandwa ngokukhethekileyo ngumkhombe waseAfrika. Uthanda udaka—oluninzi! Uninzi lunyathelela phezulu xa lusondela kumgxobhozo wodaka oluwuthandayo kwaye uya kuwuva uncwina luvuyo ngenxa yoko kungaphambili. AbakwaBalfour, abebesoloko bekuqwalasele oku, bathi njengoko umkhombe usiya uzika kancinane eludakeni, “kudla ngokuvakala umfutho, kwaye esi silwanyana sanelisekileyo siya kuthi dudlu ngecala elinye imizuzu embalwa . . . ngaphambi kokuba siqhubeke nokuzihlamba kwaso, ngokufuthi siziqengqa silale ngomqolo, iinyawo zijonge phezulu.”
Maxa wambi zombini ezi ndidi zomkhombe ziye zingene kunye kumgxobhozo omnye wodaka kwaye azisikhathalele nesidima sazo ngenxa yokuthanda kwazo ukuchitha ixesha ngokuzityikatyika eludakeni. URufus oselula, okhankanywe ngasentla, wayekuthanda kakhulu ukuzityikatyika eludakeni “kangangokuba maxa wambi wayedla ngokuphuma ngaphambi kokuba agqibe ukuze abaleke ejikeleza isitiya, axhume emoyeni ewugobile umqolo njengehashe lasendle laseMerika, ngaphambi kokuba abuyele emgxobhozweni ukuze anandiphe olu yolo kwakhona.”
Noko ke, udaka lukwanceda nakwezinye izinto ezingaphandle nje koyolo lokuzanelisa. Lukwayindawo yokubuthelana nokuhlanganisana neminye imikhombe kunye nezinye izilwanyana ezithanda udaka, luwuphumza umkhombe ukusa kumlinganiselo othile ekulunyweni ziimpukane okucaphukisayo, luze lupholise imizimba yawo kubushushu belanga. Ngoko ke akumangalisi ukuba umkhombe maxa wambi unokubonwa uhleli ebhedini yawo yodaka kangangeeyure ezininzi.
Nguwuphi Kanye Kanye?
Umntu unokuyahlukanisa njani imikhombe? Ngaba ngokwenene omnye umnyama uze omnye ube mhlophe? Akunjalo. Iluthuthu yomibini—kodwa kushiyana ukuba luthuthu kwayo—ukuba uyakwazi kwaukuwubona umbala oluthuthu. Oya kukubona ngokwenene ngumbala wodaka lomgxobhozo wokugqibela ebikuwo lugqume isikhumba.
Kodwa ukumila komlomo ngokukhawuleza kunokukuchazela ukuba nguwuphi kanye kanye. Ekubeni umkhombe omnyama usitya amasetyana, izihlahla, namagqabi emithi, unomlebe wangasentla otsolo ewusebenzisela ukuphotha ize itsale amagqabi namasetyana kwimithi emincinane. Ngoko ke elona gama lawo lifanelekileyo ngumkhombe onomlebe oligwegwe. Kwelinye icala, umkhombe omhlophe udla utyani. Ngenxa yoko, impumlo yawo isixwexwe ukuze uvune ingca kanye njengomatshini wokucheba ingca. Akumangalisi ukuba, elona gama lawo lifanelekileyo kusithiwa ngumkhombe onomlomo osixwexwe. Kodwa ngenxa yezizathu ezithile ukwahlulwa komkhombe omhlophe komnyama nokubonakala kuvela kumaDatshi awayehlala kumazantsi eAfrika kuye kwanamathela.
Ezo Mpondo Zinexabiso
Igama elithi umkhombe (rhinoceros) lisuka kumagama amabini esiGrike athetha “ukuba nophondo empumlweni.” Kwaye zenziwe ngantoni iimpondo zomkhombe? Bambi bazichaza njengeenwele ezincanyathiselweyo, njengoko zityekele ekubeni zicazululeke emazantsi. Noko ke, uGqr. Gerrie de Graaff, umcebisi kwezenzululwazi kwi-National Parks Board yaseMzantsi Afrika uthi asizonwele zokwenyani, kodwa xa “zijongwa ngesibonakhulu zifana neempuphu [zezilwanyana ezineempuphu].”
Olu phondo luqhubeka lukhula, njengeenzipho zeminwe. Umkhombe omnyama nodumileyo obizwa ngokuba nguGertie wawunophondo olwalusisi-1,4 seemitha ubude, kwaye uphondo lomkhombe omhlophe lwakhula ukusa kwiimitha ezi-2! Yaye ukuba olu phondo lunokwaphuka, njengokuba kuye kwenzeke maxa wambi, lunokukhula ngomkhamo omalunga neesentimitha ezisibhozo ngonyaka.
Kutheni iimpondo zomkhombe zixabiseke kangaka nje? Abantu abaninzi bazisebenzisela amayeza, kwaye abanye banandipha udumo lokuba nemela enomphini owenziwe ngophondo lomkhombe. Ngoko zifunwa gqitha, kwaye ingeniso kwezorhwebo ininzi, kangangokuba amawaka emikhombe aye abulawa ngabo banyolukele ingeniso.
Umkhombe omhlophe, owakha waphantse waphela, ngoku ngokusengqiqweni uyafumaneka kwakhona, ngenxa yemigudu enzima yabalondolozi bendalo. Kodwa akuzange kube njalo ngomza wawo omnyama. Kuye kwenziwa amatile-tile ukuzama ukuthintela ukubulawa kwawo ngokungekho mthethweni ngomlinganiselo ophezulu kuquka ukunqunyulwa kweempondo zesi silwanyana. Kodwa lo msebenzi mkhulu kangaka ungqineka ungenampumelelo ingako. Ekubeni iimpondo zomkhombe zixabisa malunga nama-7 000 eerandi ikhilogram, abo babulala imikhombe ngokungekho mthethweni bavakalelwa kukuba kwanezikhondo zophondo ezikumkhombe onqunyulwe iimpondo zifanele zikrolonqwe. Noko ke, sinethemba lokuba ukunyoluka komntu akusayi kuphumelela, ukuze nezizukulwana ezizayo zikwazi ukufumana uyolo ekuqhelaneni nesi silwanyana sinomtsalane.
[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 18]
Unokuwuchaza njani umahluko phakathi komkhombe omnyama nomkhombe omhlophe, njengoko yomibini iluthuthu?
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 17]
Umkhombe omhlophe nethole lawo
[Inkcazelo]
National Parks Board of South Africa