Isikhalo Sentshontsho Legorila

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! ECAMEROON

Imazi yegorila ebizwa ngokuba nguPitchou yazalelwa kwihlathi elikumbindi weAfrika. Xa uPitchou wayemalunga nonyaka ubudala, abazingeli babulala unina nezinye iigorila ezininzi. Kuba wayesemncinane kakhulu, uPitchou akazange athengiselwe ukutyiwa kodwa wathengiswa ukuze afuywe. Noko ke, uPitchou wagula yaye wayesoloko ekhala kalusizi.

UPITCHOU sesinye samawaka-waka ezilwanyana eziye zakhula ziziinkedama. Zininzi izizathu ezibangele le ntlungu. Esinye, kukushishina ngenyama yasendle ngokungekho mthethweni. Abo bazingela ngokusemthethweni, kuba befuna ukwenza imali eninzi bathi saa emahlathini bezingela imini nobusuku ukuze bathengisele abanini-venkile zokutyela abayifuna ngamandla inyama yezilwanyana zasendle. Kukho ke nabo bethengisa ngezilwanyana zasendle kumashishini asekuhlaleni nawamazwe angaphandle ngokungekho mthethweni.

Enye ingxaki ibangelwa kukugawulwa kwemithi emininzi. Ukugawulwa kwamahlathi kubangela ukuba izilwanyana ziphulukane namakhaya, iindawo zokuzimela nezokutya. Ngapha koko, ngxaki nganye kwezi ingunozala wenye. Njani? Kaloku, xa kugawulwa imithi kuvuleka indlela, nto leyo ibangela ukuba abazingeli bazifumane lula izilwanyana. Enye into kukwanda kwabemi, ukufuneka kwenyama, ukufudukela kwabantu abaninzi esixekweni, neendlela ezilula zokuzingela nokuxhaphaka kweemfazwe okubangela ukuba babe baninzi abantu abanemipu. Ngenxa yoku, izilwanyana ezanyisayo nezinye iintlobo zezilwanyana sele ziza kuphela, nto leyo eya kushiya amahlathi eyinkangala. Kodwa oko kusenokungabi kuphela kwengxaki. Njani? Ngokomzekelo, ngokusasaza kwazo imbewu, izilwanyana zibangela ukuba amahlathi achume. Ngoko, xa kungasekho zilwanyana emahlathini nezityalo ezikhula apho ziyachaphazeleka.

Nakuba kunjalo izilwanyana zisabulawa. Kweminye imimandla engakwiNtshona Afrika, kwizilwanyana ezanyisayo kwasala isinye eshumini kwisithuba nje seminyaka elishumi. Iingcali zezilwanyana zasendle zaseCameroon zithi: “Ukuba abantu bayaqhubeka bezingela ngokungekho mthethweni, iigorila ziya kuphela.”a

Ukuhlangula Izilwanyana Eziziinkedama

Ngenxa yale ngxaki, kumaziko okulondoloza izilwanyana, njengeLimbe Wildlife Centre ekufuphi neNtaba yaseCameroon ekummandla weNtshona Afrika ongezantsi kweSahara, kukhuselwa izilwanyana ezisecicini lokupheliswa. Abantu abatyelele eLimbe bafike babukele iigorila, iichimpanzee neemandrill, nezinye iintlobo ezili-13 zezilwanyana ezanyisayo nezinye ezahlukahlukeneyo. Kwiminyaka yakutshanje, kweli ziko kuye kwanyanyekelwa izilwanyana ezimalunga nama-200 ezingasenabazali nezibhadulayo, ngekhusi, ngokutya namayeza. Kula maziko, kufundiswa nabantu abatyeleleyo balapho eCameroon nabanye abavela kumazwe akufuphi nakude ngokubaluleka kokulondolozwa kwendalo—kutshanje bekuze abantu abangaphezu kwama-28 300.

Makhe sibuyele kuPitchou esithethe ngaye ekuqaleni. Ngenxa yokukhathazwa sesi sikhalo silusizi, abantu ababebukele bamthenga kubazingeli baza bamsa kwiziko lokundoloza izilwanyana. Akufika apho, waxilongwa ngokucokisekileyo kwikliniki yalapho. Eli thole lalinxubile, likhohlela, liphelelwe nangamanzi emzimbeni, lingondlekanga, lihambisa yaye linezilonda. Ngenxa yokuba linezilonda, labizwa ngokuba nguPitchou, gama elo lithetha “amatshanda” ngolwimi lwalapho. Okuvuyisayo kukuba, emva kokunyangwa waphila yaye akuzange kufuneke ukuba atyandwe, nto leyo inokwenziwa kwalapho kwelo ziko xa kuyimfuneko.

Njengoko kuqhele ukwenziwa kwizilwanyana ezifikayo apho, uPitchou wavalelwa yedwa kwiintsuku ezingama-90 zokuqala. Emva koko wafakwa kwinkampu enezinye iigorila ezili-11, apho ziphila ngokungathi zisehlathini. Abasebenzi balapho bavuya xa bebona ezinye iigorila zimvuyela. Le yimeko eqhelekileyo, yaye ngokukhawuleza uPitchou wakhululeka.

Abasebenzi balapho bazithanda kakhulu izilwanyana abazinyamekelayo. Xa ubukele oko kwenzeka apho utsho uyiqonde imbopheleleko uThixo awayinika abantu xa wayalela isibini sokuqala ukuba sinyamekele umhlaba nezilwanyana.—Genesis 1:28.

Yintoni Eya Kwenzeka Kwiinkedama?

Injongo yabo balondoloza izilwanyana kukuziphindisela ehlathini. Noko ke, oku akulula. Izilwanyana eziqhele ukunyanyekelwa ngabantu, ziba ngathi zilahlekile xa zingasekho phantsi kwesandla sabo. Loo nto inokubangela ukuba zigqibele ngokuba ngamaxhoba abazingeli kwakhona. Amazwe aliqela aseAfrika aye avumelana ukuba abe neendawo zokukhusela izilwanyana aze aphucule nomgangatho wezo sele zikho. Siyathemba ukuba oko kuya kwenza kube lula ukuba izilwanyana eziziinkedama ziphindiselwe emahlathini kuze kukhuselwe kungekuphela nje izilwanyana ezanyisayo kodwa nezinye izilwanyana zasendle.

Noko ke, kuyabonakala ukuba iingxaki ezibangela oku—ukubawa, ubuhlwempu, ukwanda kwabantu nokugawulwa kwamahlathi—ziya kuhlala zikho. Umphathi weLimbe Wildlife Centre, uFelix Lankester uthi, ukuba akwenziwa nzame zikhawulezileyo zokukhusela izilwanyana, “ziya kuphela zithi tu. Oku . . . kuya kubangela ukuba kuphele nezo sizama ukuzihlangula.”

Enjani ukuba buhlungu yona imeko! Kodwa eyona nto ilusizi nangakumbi kukulamba nokuthwaxwa kwabantu zizifo, nabantwana abatsho ngezisu ezikhulu namehlo andyengendyenge, baze babulawe yindlala. Ngokucacileyo, le ngxaki kaPitchou ibonisa imeko elusizi esehlabathini lonke—ngokukodwa ukungalingani nokungabikho kokusesikweni.

Okuvuyisayo kukuba uMdali uza kuyilungisa le meko isemhlabeni. Kungekudala uya kuphelisa oonobangela benkohlakalo, ukubandezeleka, nokupheliswa kwezilwanyana aze abangele ukuba kubekho umanyano phakathi kwazo zonke izinto eziphilayo.—Isaya 11:6-9.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 22, 23]

UPitchou esagula nasemva kokuba ephilile

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 23]

I-“guenon” eneendlebe ezibomvu

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 23]

I-“mandrill” inyamekela intshontsho layo

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

Umnyango wokungena eLimbe

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

Umntu onyamekela igorila eyinkedama, ebizwa ngokuba nguBolo

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 23]

All photos pages 22 and 23: Limbe Wildlife Centre, Cameroon

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

Both photos: Limbe Wildlife Centre, Cameroon