Umbulali Wenyoka Onesibindi

EMNCANE futhi enoboya, uchakide akabonakali nakancane ewumbulali wezinyoka. Nokho, kusho umlobi uR. O. Pearse, “mhlawumbe isitha senyoka esinonya ukwedlula zonke . . . uchakide.” UPearse uyaqhubeka: “Lonkabi ngokuqinisekile kumelwe ukuba unesigaxa sesibindi esimsulwa, esingaxutshwe nalutho kulomzinjana wakhe njenganoma yisiphi esinye isilwane sasendle . . . Ukuhlasela kwakhe izinyoka kwaziwa kahle.”

Empeleni siyini lesilwane esinesibindi esingavamile? Uchakide ungowasemndenini omkhulu otholakala ezingxenyeni eziningi zaseAfrika, eAsia, naseningizimu yeYurophu. Kunamaqembu amaningana nezinhlobo ezingaphezu kuka-40 zalesilwane esincelisayo esincane. Lezi ziyehlukana ngobukhulu kusukela kuchakide obhashile, ongaphezudlwana nje kwamamitha angu-0,3 ubude, kuya kuchakide odla izinkalankala waseningizimu-mpumalanga Asia, ongamamitha angu-1,2 ubude. Abaningi banemilenze emifushane, imisila emide eyephuzelayo, nemizimba emide embozwe uboya obunohlonze, obumaholo, obunombala ompunga kuya konsundu. Izindlebe zabo zincane futhi amakhala abo ngokuvamile acijile.

Abanye bayizidalwa ezihlala ngazodwa ezihamba ebusuku. Abanye baphuma ngesikhathi sasemini futhi banobudlelwane ngempela, njengochakide ophuzi, ohlala ube ngamaqembu afinyelela ku-50. Kuthiwani ngamakhaya abo? Ngokuyinhloko, imifantu yamadwala noma imigodi esemhlabathini. Ngezinye izikhathi bayazimbela yona, kodwa ngokuvamile bangena emigodini eshiywe ngezinye izilwane. Baye baziwa futhi nangokungena ezidulini zomuhlwa ezingenalutho nasezidulini zezintuthwane.

Nakuba uchakide engase abonakale engenangozi ngokuqhathaniswa, ungalingi ulenze iphutha ngakho: Uyisilwane esidla ezinye​—⁠uphapheme, unesibindi, futhi unejubane. Ukudla okudliwa izinhlobo ezithile kuhlanganisa izinambuzane, amabhungane, imisundu, iminenke, izibankwa, amaxoxo, nezinkalankala, kuhlanganise namaqanda nezithelo. Uchakide uhlakaniphile futhi unobuqili. Ngokwesibonelo, uchakide onemidwa kuthiwa unesu lokuma uqonde ngezinyawo zangemuva bese ewa ngohlangothi. Kungani? Ukuze enze izimpangele ezimangele ukuba zisondele​—⁠bese zibanjwa!

Nokho, idumela lakhe njengombulali wezinyoka liye lenza uchakide waduma.

Inyoka Nochakide

Nokho, ingabe lesidalwa esincanyana singayinqoba ngempela imfezi esabekayo uma kuliwa? Umlobi waseNingizimu Afrika uLaurens van der Post uchaza ukubhekana kwenyoka nochakide okuvamile encwadini yakhe iHeart of the Hunter: “Ngiye ngabona [uchakide], onobude obungengaphezu [kwamasentimitha angu-33] ukusuka ekhanda kuya emsileni futhi mhlawumbe ophakeme [ngamasentimitha angu-13], esukelana nemfezi [engu-1,8 amamitha]. Ngemva kokugadla kokukhohlisa okulandelanayo kobuciko nokusheshayo lapho inyoka yayigadla ngokuphindaphindiwe, imgeja ngemilimitha nje, wayesondela ngokushesha, abambe imfezi ngemuva kwentamo ayilume ngokuphazima kweso ayinqamule umfunkulu.”

Kuwukuzethemba okuphakeme kakhulu nesibindi salochakide omncane, kuhambisana nekhono lakhe elinjengonyazi lokuvika ukugadla kwenyoka, okumenza akwazi ukwehlula isitha sakhe esibulalayo.

Ukuluma Kwenyoka

Nokho, ingabe uchakide ugonyiwe esihlungwini senyoka? Hhayi ngokuphelele. Kodwa isilinganiso esikhulu sesihlungu esingabulala uchakide. Esinye isiphathimandla sithi kudingeka isilinganiso esingabulala unogwaja esiphindwe kasishiyagalombili ukuba sibulale uchakide. Kuyethukela uchakide ebulewe ukulunywa inyoka.

Okungenzeka kakhulu kuwukuba uchakide afe ngenxa yokudla inyoka enobuthi! Yebo, ngemva kokubulala isitha sakhe esinengozi, umnqobi uyasidla, eqala ngekhanda. I-International Wildlife Encyclopedia ithi: “[Ochakide] abaningana baye batholakala befile futhi ukuhlolwa kwangemva kokufa kuye kwabonisa ukuthi baye badla inyoka emazinyo ayo abhoboze ulwelwesi lwesisu okubangele ukuba ubuthi bungene emgudwini wegazi.”

Kodwa nakuba bezibulala izimfezi, ochakide abaphumeleli kangako ekubulaleni amabululu. Ngokwesibonelo, abakwakhi ukugomeka esihlungwini sebululu. Ngaphezu kwalokho, amabululu ashesha kakhudlwana kunezimfezi ekhonweni lazo lokugadla.

Bangafuywa Yini Ochakide?

Nokho, ungaphethi ngokuthi uchakide unolaka kwasekuzalweni. Ngokuphambene, izinhlobo ezithile zochakide ziye zafuywa futhi zenziwa zaba izilwane zasekhaya ezithandekayo, ezihlakaniphile. KuyiSauce for the Mongoose, umlobi uBruce Kinloch unikeza ukulandisa okuthokozisayo ngesilwane sakhe esifuyiwe, uchakide onemidwa obizwa ngokuthi uPipa.a Egcwele ukuganga namaqhinga obuqhalaqhala, uPipa wayewumthombo ohlala njalo wokuzijabulisa womkhaya. Elinye iqhinga​—⁠elijwayelwe ochakide⁠—​labulala umkhaya ngensini mhla uqala ukulibona. Umlobi uchaza lokho okwenzeka:

‘UPipa wathola igobolondo lasolwandle elimhlophe eliyindilinga futhi walithatha ngobuciko kwaze kwaba yilapho umhlane wakhe wawususeduze kwelinye lamabhokisi ethu epikiniki. Wabamba leligobolondo ngezidladla zakhe zangaphambili waliqinisa, wayendayenda eya phansi naphezulu, emuva naphambili, ngaso sonke isikhathi egingqagingqa igobolondo ezidladleni zakhe zangaphambili, okuthile okufana nomphonsi webaseball elungiselela ukuphonsa. Ngokuphazima kweso wagxumela phezulu futhi waphonsa leligobolondo ngemuva laphuma phakathi kwezinyawo zakhe zangemuva lashaya ebhokisini lepikiniki ngomsindo ofana nowokuqhuma kwesibhamu. Ekugcineni kwakhanya kithina. UPipa, ngokuhlakanipha nje kwemvelo, wayezama ukubulala igobolondo lasolwandle ngendlela uchakide ayisebenzisayo ukuze achoboze iqanda.’

Ngakho umngane wethu onoboya uyathandeka​—⁠futhi uyethusa. Futhi nakuba indima yakhe yangezikhathi ezithile njengombulali wezinyoka ingase isenze sithuke kancane, uyasithokozisa ngamaqhinga akhe obuciko.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 17]

Johannesburg Zoological Gardens