I-habu Inyoka Okumelwe Ihlonishwe

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! E-OKINAWA

KWAKUWUBUSUKU obunesivuvu obungenamoya ohelezayo. Imvula yayisanda kunqamuka, futhi wonke umuntu wayeziphephetha, ezama ukuzigcina epholile. Kungazelelwe, kwezwakala ukumemeza: “I-habu!” “Kukhona i-habu!” Lokhu kumemeza kwabethusa abantu bedolobhana. Abantu abadala badumela izinduku futhi bathathela ngejubane; izingane ezinelukuluku lokwazi zagijima zibalandela. Yayikuphi? Wonke umuntu wayekhathazekile. Ukulunywa yilenyoka engaba amamitha amabili ubude kungabulala. Abantu bedolobhana bazizwa bekhululekile lapho abantu abadala beshaya ikhanda lalenyoka ngezinduku ezinde yaze yaquleka. Yabe isifakwa ngokushesha esakeni ukuze ithengiswe iphila.

EziQhingini zaseRyukyu, ezisoLwandle oluseMpumalanga yeChina, wonke umuntu, kusukela enganeni kuya ezalukazini namakhehla, uyayihlonipha i-habu—inyoka enamabala aphuzi, nekhanda elicijise okomkhonto—uhlobo lwenyoka enesihlungu olutholakala kwezinye zalezi ziqhingi, kodwa hhayi kuzo zonke. Manje ake siyihlolisise lenyoka eyesabekayo. Kodwa khumbula ukuyihlonipha nokungasondeli kuyo ngaso sonke isikhathi!

Umklamo Owesabekayo

Kunezinhlobonhlobo zama-habu. Olunye uhlobo lunamabala ansundu, axube umbala oluhlaza alwenza lufihleke kahle otshanini nasemaqabungeni abunayo. Ezinye zibonakala zimnyama nakakhulu okuvumelana nemisebenzi ye-habu yasebusuku nomkhuba wayo wokuzifihla ezindaweni ezimnyama.

Lesi sidalwa sineziphiwo thina esingenazo, nakuba singaboni kude. Siphiwe lokho okubizwa ngokuthi ama-pit organ, ohlangothini ngalunye lwekhanda laso. Lezi izifaca eziphakathi kwamakhala namehlo ezisheshe zizwele ukushisa. Lemigojana emibili iyisiza ukuba “ibone” imisebe engabonakali abantu abayizwa njengokushisa. Ngayo, i-habu ikwazi ukunemba igundane elincane elifudumele, ngisho nalapho kumnyama bhuqe.

Kungenzeka ukuthi wake wayibona inyoka ikhipha ulimi lwayo. Ulimi lwayo lusebenza njengekhala lesibili elingavamile. Ngokukhipha ulimi okunjalo i-habu ithatha amakhemikhali asemoyeni bese icindezela ulimi lwayo esithweni esisheshe sizwele amakhemikhali esisolwangeni lwayo. Isebenzisa leli khala lesibili, i-habu ithatha insada yokwaziswa okuphathelene namakhemikhali asemoyeni.

“I-habu ikhipha ulimi izikhathi eziningi zilandelana ngemva kokuhlasela,” kuphawula abacwaningi uR. M. Waters noG. M. Burghardt base-University of Tennessee. Kungani ifuna amakhemikhali ashukumisayo asemoyeni ngemva kokuhlasela? Njengoba kuhlale kunengozi yokubuye ihlaselwe isisulu esikhungathekile, i-habu, ngemva kokugadla nokufaka isihlungu, ngokuvamile iyasidedela isisulu sayo. Khona-ke, njengoba isihlungu siqala ukusebenza, lenyoka ilandela umkhondo wesisulu “ngokuhogela” ngolimi lwayo.

Lapho isisitholile isisulu manje esingasenamandla, kungaba igundane, iphuphu lenyoni, noma inyoni, i-habu ibe isisigwinya siphelele—ikhanda, izinyawo, umsila, uboya, izimpaphe, nakho konke okunye. Umhlathi wayo wangezansi uyakhumuka ngemuva, uvumela ukuba ithambo lomhlathi lihlukane ukuze igwinye isisulu esikhulu ngokwengeziwe. Kwatholakala ikati eliphelele esiswini senye i-habu futhi lokhu kusemafasiteleni esinye sezikhungo zabacwaninga nge-habu e-Okinawa.

Kuthiwani uma i-habu ilahlekelwa izinyo layo elisamjovo lapho ihlasela? Kuzomila elisha esikhundleni salo. Phela, amanye aye abonakala enamazinyo amabili ohlangothini ngalunye lomlomo! Ngaphandle kwalokho, ngisho nalapho i-habu ilahlekelwa amazinyo ayo, ngeke ibulawe indlala. Enye i-habu okwake kwabhalwa ngayo yaphila iminyaka emithathu ngamanzi kuphela.

Ukugwema Ukuhlasela Kwayo

Njengoba imfezi yaseNingizimu-mpumalanga Asia nemamba emnyama yase-Afrika zifaka ubuthi obulimaza izinzwa, i-habu ifaka isihlungu esinamandla esophisayo. Kuthiwa esophisayo ngoba sibangela ukopha ngokonakalisa imithambo yegazi. Lesi sihlungu sibangela ubuhlungu obushoshozelayo nokuvuvuka, futhi singabulala.

Abanye bacabanga ukuthi lenyoka imemfuka lapho ibicashe khona futhi ijahe abantu, kodwa akunjalo. Abantu abakona ukudla okuthandwa i-habu. I-habu iyohlasela kuphela uma uyinyathele ngokungazelele noma ungene endaweni yayo. Iningi lezisulu lalisezindaweni ama-habu ayezingela kuzo, njengasezingadini zemifino noma emasimini omoba. Abantu baseziqhingini abalokothi bangene otshanini obude bengasifakile isivikelo sezinyawo esifanele, futhi baphatha ithoshi ebusuku. I-habu isebenza kakhulu ebusuku. Siza ungakhohlwa ukuthi lezi zinyoka ziyizingcweti zokukhwela emthini, okuzenza zikwazi ukuhlala zipholile ehlobo futhi zibe seduze nezinyoni ezinganakile. Ngakho qaphela ikhanda lakho, kanye nezinyathelo zakho, lapho useduze nendawo ezihlala kuyo!

Indlela engcono kakhulu yokubhekana nalenyoka ukungaqali nokuqala ukuyimema. Vala zonke izimbobo ezisesisekelweni sesakhiwo nezisezindongeni ezingaphandle. Gcina igceke lakho lingenabo utshani obude. Ngamanye amazwi, unganikezi i-habu indawo yokucasha.

Kuthiwani Uma Ikulumile?

Yini engenzeka uma ungahlangana nenye yalezi zinyoka ezinobuthi? Mhlawumbe i-habu iyozisonga, ingxenye engenhla yomzimba wayo ime njengo-S. Nayi iza! Izingxenye ezimbili kwezintathu zomzimba wayo ziza ngokushesha, imihlathi ivuleke ngé, amazinyo kuqala.

Ungethuki. Bheka ukuthi bekuyi-habu ngempela yini ekuhlasele. Inxeba le-habu lingabonakala ngamabala amabili athanda ukuba bomvu, aqhelelene ngamasentimitha angaba mabili, lapho amazinyo engene khona esikhunjeni sakho. Amanye angase abe namazinyo amathathu noma amane, okwandisa inani lamabala athanda ukuba bomvu. Ngokushesha, umuzwa wokusha, njengokungathi othile ufake isandla sakho emlilweni, uya uqina. Ungenze njani? Memeza ucele usizo. Emva kwalokho, munca ubuthi futhi ubukhafulele emhlabathini. “Munca igazi ngokuphindaphindiwe okungenani izikhathi eziyishumi,” kusho i-Handbook for the Control of Habu, or Venomous Snakes in the Ryukyu Islands. Qonda esibhedlela esinomjovo wesihlungu se-habu. Nokho, ungalokothi ugijime. Lokho kungagcwalisa ubuthi kuwo wonke umzimba wakho ngokushesha, kwandise umonakalo futhi kwenze ukululama kwephuze. Uma ungenakufinyelela esibhedlela emizuzwini engu-30, bopha ingalo noma umlenze olimele ngebhandishi uwuqinise endaweni eseduze kakhulu nenhliziyo kunasenxebeni ukuze isihlungu singasakazeki ngokushesha. Nokho, ungayiqinisi kakhulu ngoba imithambo yenhliziyo kumelwe igcinwe iqhubeka ishaya. Yixegise njalo ngemva kwemizuzu eyishumi ukuze igazi lijikeleze.

UMasatoshi Nozaki noSeiki Katsuren, beqembu elicwaninga nge-habu le-Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment, batshela i-Phaphama! ukuthi abantu, ngisho nangemva kokulunywa yilenyoka, ababi abagomeke ngokuphelele ebuthini be-habu. Esikhathini esidlule ukulunywa ilenyoka kwakuvame ukuholela ekunqunyweni kwesitho, kodwa namuhla bambalwa abantu abalahlekelwa isitho, ingasaphathwa eyokufa, ngenxa yokulunywa i-habu. Ngosizo lwezidakamizwa nezindlela zokwelapha eziphumelelayo, manje amaphesenti angu-95 alabo abalunywe yilenyoka ayalulama. Yilabo kuphela abazethemba ngokweqile noma abakude nokunakekela kwezokwelapha abangase balimale kakhulu.

Ama-habu Athengiswayo

I-habu inezitha ezimbalwa ezingokwemvelo. Amakati nezinja zasekhaya kunomkhuba wokudlala ngayo. Inyoka engenabuthi ebizwa ngokuthi i-akamata, ochakide, izingulube zasendle, noklebe kubalwa phakathi kwezilwane eziyidlayo. Nakuba iklolodo lalethwa eziQhingini zaseRyukyu ukuze lisize ekulawuleni inani lama-habu, lokhu akuzange kuphumelele ekuwaqothuleni.

Isitha esibulala kunazo zonke izitha zayo ezingokwemvelo umuntu. Njengoba nje kwenza abantu bedolobhana abaphuma begijima lapho nje bezwa kumenyezwa kuthiwa “I-habu!,” kunabaningi abalangazelela ukubamba i-habu lapho nje ivela. Naphezu kwengozi, intengo ephakathi kuka-R300 no-R400 nge-habu eyodwa iyisilingo esikhulu kakhulu kwabaningi.

Isetshenziselwani i-habu? Kwenziwa ngayo utshwala be-habu nempuphu yenyoka eyomisiwe, kokubili okusetshenziswa ngenxa yezizathu zempilo. Amaningi asetshenziswa ephila emibukisweni ukuze kuhehwe izivakashi ezibuka amazwe. Yiqiniso, isikhumba senza izikhwama zemali namabhande amahle, kuyilapho isihlungu sisetshenziselwa ukwenza umjovo olwa noshevu. Nakuba isetshenziswa ngalezo zindlela, iseluleko sisewukuthi, yiba kude ne-habu!

[Isithombe ekhasini 10]

I-“habu” namazinyo ayo afana nomjovo. Umhlathi wayo wangezansi uyakhumuka ukuze igwinye isisulu esikhudlwana