Ikati Lasehlathini Elizifihlayo

Ngomlobeli ‘wePhaphama!’ eSuriname

MINA nomkami sabona lelikati elizifihlayo lapho sehla ngomqwaqo osehlathini. “Bheka!” ngimemeza njengoba imoto yethu yayithatha ijika. Sasibhekene ubuso nobuso nepenitigri, noma ingwe emabalabala, njengoba siyibiza kanjalo ingwe (jaguar) eSuriname. Isikhumba sayo esimpofu sasicwazimula njengokungathi yayisanda kupendwa. Ilanga elishonayo lagqamisa imibala yayo: iphuzi okusagolide kuya ebunsundwini obuthi abube bomvu, bese kuthi emihlathini, esifubeni, nasesiswini isikhumba sibe mpofu okuphaphathekile. Nokho, okwakukhanga kakhulu kwakuyimibala emagqabhagqabha, amboze cishe umzimba wayo wonke.

AmaNdiya aphila ngaphambi kokusungulwa kweColumbia ayehlatshwé umxhwele kakhulu ukubonakala kwalelikati okukhangayo kangangoba alibiza ngokuthi liwunkulunkulu! Bathi isikhumba salo esimibalabala sasimelela isibhakabhaka sasebusuku esithé gqwá gqwá ngezinkanyezi. Ngisho nanamuhla, abanye babheka lengwe njengenkosi esatshwayo yezilwane zaseNingizimu Melika. Eyeduna—ngokuvamile engamamitha angu-1,8 ubude, ngaphandle komsila—ingase ibe nesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-110!a Ikhanda layo eliyindilingi kanye nentamo yayo eyisikhonyololo; umzimba wayo omise okomphongolo; amanqina ayo amafushane, aqatha; nezidladla ezinkulu konke kugcwele amandla esabekayo.

Nokho, lengwe yethu yamane nje yabaleka izihambela kancane—umsila onesihloko esimnyama ugobele phezulu—futhi yaphelela ehlathini. “Yeka ubuqili bokuzifihla!” sihlebeza njengoba yayifana ngokuphelele nokuzungezile okunamathunzi elanga, imibalabala yayo ifana nemibala yethunzi.

Lengwe iyimvela kancane, ithanda izindawo ezinemithunzi. Ngenxa yokuthi amaphesenti angu-80 eSuriname angamahlathi emvula, iyizwe eliyifanele kahle lengwe.

Ukushiya ‘Umkhondo’ Wayo

Nokho, lengwe iyawushiya ‘umkhondo’ wayo kulo lonke lelizwe. “Ngizibonile izinyathelo zezidladla zayo ezingwini ezinodaka zeAtlantic,” ngitshelwa kamuva umqaphi wehlathi. “Ngiye ngabona futhi neziqu zemithi eziklwejiwe emngceleni waseBrazil.” Kuye kwasikiselwa ukuthi lena indlela lezingwe eziphawula ngayo imingcele yendawo yazo.

“Kuyiqiniso,” kuqinisekisa uJames Brown oneminyaka engu-83 ubudala, owayewumqondisi weqembu elalihamba ehlathini. “Sasivame ukuhlangana nezihlahla eziklwejiwe, zisitshela ukuthi ipenitigri ibingaphambi kwethu.” Lezingwe futhi ziklwebha ngezidladla zazo izihlahla ukuze zizilole.

Enye indlela lezingwe ezibonisa ngayo ukuthi ‘bengilapha’ ukushiya izimpawu nendle okunukayo. Muva nje uDkt. Alan Rabinowitz waqeda ukuhlola lezingwe okwathatha iminyaka emibili. Wangitshela ukuthi ingwe eyodwa ngokuvamile iphawula umngcele ohlanganisa indawo engamakhilomitha-skwele angu-40 kuya ku-100 ehlathi eliyisinindolo. Akumangalisi ukuthi izinhloli ziye zakuthi shazí kuphela ukuphila kwalezingwe! Kodwa uma sihlanganisa zonke lezinto eseziboniwe ndawonye, kuvela umfanekiso ovusa amadlingozi. Bona indlela owembuleka ngayo.

Ukubheka Ezweni Lezingwe

Ukuhlwa kuyasondela. Umsindo wokubhuza kwezinambuzane, izinyoni ezitshiyozayo, nezimfene eziklewulayo kusizungezile. Kodwa, lalela! Ukubhovumula okuyisihosho, okusongelayo kunqamula phakathi kwezihlahla. Bese kuba ukuthula okubikezela ingozi. Izilwane ezitshakadulayo nezinyoni ezitshuza phansi ziyahlakazeka. Manje kulandela okunye ukubhonga okunamandla, okwethusa njengokubhonga kwebhubesi! Kuvela ingwe yeduna enamandla.

Lena indawo yayo—ihlathi elizungezwe imifula namaxhaphozi. Kuwo wonke amakati amakhulu, lengwe ukuphela kwayo engaxabene namanzi. Eqinisweni, idinga amanzi ngenxa yakho kokubili ukuzijabulisa nomsebenzi—okuwumsebenzi wokuzingela izinhlanzi. Pheshé pheshé ibheke endaweni yayo yokuzingela izinhlanzi inqamula emfuleni. Igwedla ngobungcweti cishe ngokungachezuki, kuyilapho iveze ikhanda layo, umfunkulu kanye nesihloko somsila wayo ngaphezu kwamanzi. “Lezingwe ziyizinhlambi ezinhle ngokukhethekile,” ngitshelwa umcwaningi wehlathi uHeinz Heyde. “Zihlamba ngokushesha kangangokuthi zenza amaza ahambisa okwemicibisholo. Ngiye ngazibona zinqamula imifula emikhulu!”

Lapho lengwe ifinyelela usebe olungakolunye uhlangothi, iphumela ngaphandle bese ithintitha amanzi emzimbeni wayo. Ifofobala ogodweni olulengele emfuleni, igqolozele emanzini njengokungathi ifuna ukutshuzela ngaphansi kwamanzi. Khona-ke, njengonyazi, isidladla sayo esinezinzipho ezibukhali sigxavula inyamazane yaso eyinhlanzi.

UMnu. Heyde uyakhumbula: “Ngobunye ubusuku obabunonyezi, ngabona ingwe ishaya ianjoemaras [inhlanzi] [eyimitha] ubude ngamandla amakhulu kangangokuthi yandiza emoyeni futhi yawela ngemuva kwalelikati ibanga [elingamamitha ayisihlanu]. Lezingwe zinamandla ngokwesabekayo!” Isazi sesayensi yezinto eziphilayo uPieter Teunissen, naye oye wabona lezingwe endle, uthi: “Ngake ngabona ezimpawini zokuhudulwa ogwini lolwandle ukuthi lengwe yayidonse iaitkantie [ufudukazi lwasolwandle] enkulu [engamamitha amane] emoyeni.”

Lengwe ayinawo amandla nje kuphela kodwa futhi inomzimba olula. Iwumzingeli ozingela ezindaweni ezintathu, inekhono emanzini, emhlabathini, nasezihlahleni. Lapho ibhukuda noma ikhwela izihlahla, izinzipho zayo ziyenza ingasheleli, njengezicathulo ezinezinsinjana ezinamathelayo zomkhweli wezintaba. Emhlabathini iyazifinyeza izinzipho zayo futhi ihambe njengokungathi ihamba ngamasokisi athulisa umsindo—izinyawo ezinekhono lokuzingela.

Kodwa umzingeli udinga futhi nokubekezela, ijubane, nokugcina isikhathi. Akumangalisi ukuthi kuthatha iminyaka emibili yokuqeqeshwa kobuzali ngaphambi kokuba izingwe ezincane zikwazi ukuzisekela ngokwazo! Ngemva kwamasonto ayisithupha amawundlu amancane alandela unina lapho ehamba. Nokho, uwafihla entweni ewugqinsi lapho ezingela.

Ngokukhulu ukuqaphela, uya ngasosebeni lomfula kuze kube yilapho ethola iqembu lamacapybara, uhlobo lwegundwane elikhulu kunawo wonke emhlabeni. Ngokunyakaza okucushwe kahle uya phambili, abese ema kancane, amehlo ebheke inyamazane. Umzimba wakhe wonke awunyakazi nakancane, isihloko somsila kuphela esilokhu sinyakaza. Kodwa lapho amacapybara ezwa ukuba khona kwayo, agxambukela emanzini. Nokho, akuvamile ukuba lengwe ihlulwe. Eqinisweni, lelikati libamba kaningi kangangokuthi icapybara iye yabizwa ngokuthi “isinkwa sengwe semihla ngemihla.”

Ingabe zikhona ezinye ezidlayo? Ziningi. Kusukela kuyiagoutis encane kuya kuyitapir enkulu. Ngisho nezingungumbane, izimfudu, namacaiman akulondekile. Ngezinye izikhathi, lelikati lize ngisho lidlulele ngalé kwehlathi liyofuna emadlelweni. Udokotela wezilwane uRonnie Kranenburg uthi: “Ngolunye usuku inkomazi nenkonyane kwahlaselwa yilengwe. Lokho kwenzeka [emakhilomitheni] ambalwa nje kuphela ngaphandle kwedolobha.” Kodwa lokhu kuhlasela ngokuvamile kwenziwa yizingwe ezindala eziphikisana nezimbangi ezisencane noma izilwane eziphethwe ubuhlungu bamanxeba akudala okudutshulwa ngevolovolo.

Kuthiwani ngezingwe ezihlasela abantu? “Cha, lokho kumelwe ukuba akuvamile,” kusho udokotela wezilwane. Isazi sesayensi yezinto eziphilayo uTeunissen siyavuma. Ukhumbula mhla ehamba ngasosebeni lomfula ngobunye ubusuku ngesikhathi esiza emsebenzini wokucwaninga ngezimfudu. Lapho ebuya, isibani sakhe esikhanya kakhulu sambonisa izinyathelo zezidladla zalengwe zinyathele phezu kwezinyathelo zonyawo lwakhe. Ikati lalimlandela! Kunokuba limlimaze, ikati lanyamalala ngokushesha njengoba isazi sesayensi yezinto eziphilayo sase sibuyela emuva.

UMnu. Teunissen uthi: “Ziyazihlasela izimfudu, ngakho lapho kudingeka ngimbe amaqanda ofudu phakathi nobusuku ngangizizwa ngingakhululekile. Umsindo wesihlabathi esiwela phansi ufana nalowo wofudu olumbayo. Engangikwenza nje,” uyaqhubeka, “kwakuwukukhanyisa isibani sami esibanekayo izikhathi ezithile, nginethemba lokuthi lezingwe ziyazi ukuthi izimfudu aziziphathi izibani.”

Uhwebo Olwenziwa Isinyelela

Kodwa kuthiwani ngosongo lomuntu kulezingwe? UJaques Berney uyiphini likasihlalo-jikelele weConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, inhlangano ezama ukunqanda ukuhweba ngezilwane zasendle. Wangitshela ukuthi lezingwe zisongelwa ukuqedwa ngokuyingozi. Ngakho ukuhwebelana ngalezingwe akuvunyelwe.

Nokho, ngokweFocus, incwadi ephathelene neSikhwama Somhlaba Wonke Sokusekela Izilwane Zasendle (U.S.), ukuzingela izilwane okungekho emthethweni kuseyibhizinisi elichumayo. Isizathu? Ukufunwa ngamandla kwamajazi anemibalabala enziwe ngesikhumba sekati! Labazingeli abangekho emthethweni bazulazula ehlathini eliyisinindolo laseAmazon ebusuku, baphandle lezingwe ngokukhanya okubanizayo kwezibani ezinamandla amakhulu, futhi bese bedubula lezilwane ezithukile ekhanda.

IFocus ibika ukuthi kungakadluli mahora, isikhumba salengwe sesiyonyiswa emgibeni. Ngokushesha sidluliswa isinyelela seqiswe emngceleni, sipakishwe ebhokisini elenziwe ngamapulangwe elibhalwe ukuthi “Ikhofi,” futhi sithunyelwe eYurophu ngomkhumbi. Ezinye izikhulu zomthetho zilinganisela ukuthi izingwe ezingu-6 000 ziyabulawa futhi zenziwe kanje minyaka yonke.

Nokho, okwamanje iSuriname ijabulela inkindlane yalezilwane ezimangalisayo. Futhi masethembe ukuthi kuyohlala kunjalo. Ngalé kwalokho, kungase kufike usuku lapho lelikati elizifihlayo elinemibalabala emihle lingasayikubonwa nhlobo.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 25]

H. Armstrong Roberts