Ama-monk Seal AseMediterranean—Ingabe Ayosinda?

Ngumlobeli we-Phaphama! eGreece

ENKONDLWENI yakhe ebonga amaqhawe ethi Odyssey, uHomer wawachaza njengathamele isigcaki emabhishi athokomele aseGreece. Idolobha lasendulo e-Asia Minor lake lenza izinhlamvu zemali ezinesithombe sawo. Ayewuswebezane olwandle iMediterranean nasolwandle Olumnyama. Nokho, namuhla kungenzeka ungasiboni ngisho nesisodwa salezi zilwane ezinovalo—ama-monk seal aseMediterranean.

Njengezinye izilwane eziningi zasolwandle ezincelisayo ezinoboya, ama-monk seal aseMediterranean ayezingelwa kakhulu phakathi nekhulu le-18 nele-19. Ayizinkulungwane abulawelwa uboya, amafutha nenyama yawo.

Manje umonakalo osudalekile ususobala. Kulinganiselwa ukuthi aphakathi kuka-379 no-530 kuphela ama-monk seal aseMediterranean asasele. Asengcupheni yokuqothulwa. Nokho, njengoba incwajana i-Monachus Guardian ibika, kumelwe kushiwo ukuthi ukulinganisela izibalo “kuwubuciko obunganembile neze.”

Ingabe sekwephuze kakhulu ukuba kunganikezwa usizo? Yimiphi imizamo eyenziwayo yokuvikela ama-monk seal?

Impi Enzima

Kungenzeka ukuthi i-monk seal ibizwa kanjalo ngenxa yokuthi umbala woboya bayo ufana nezivatho zamanye amaqembu enkolo. Ngokuyinhloko ihlala emaweni nasemihumeni engaphansi kolwandle okunzima ukufinyelela kuyo eziqhingini zaseNyakatho Sporades e-Aegean Sea. Imihlambi yawo emincane ingatholakala ogwini lwasenyakatho-ntshonalanga ye-Afrika naseziqhingini zaseDesertas ePortugal. Njengoba ingafinyelela amamitha amathathu ubude nesisindo esingaba amakhilogremu angu-275, i-monk seal ingenye yezimvu zamanzi ezinkulu kakhulu emhlabeni.

Izici zayo ezivelele zihlanganisa ikhanda eliyindilinga elinoboya obucwebezelayo, amehlo amnyama bhuqe, amakhala amakhulu, izimbotshana ezincane ezingamadlebe, amadevu alengayo, nemivingqi eminingi yamafutha. Umzimba unoboya obufushane obumnyama noma obunsundu kanti buyakhanya esiswini. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, amazinyane asanda kuzalwa anoboya obude obunsundu emhlane kanye nebala elimhlophe esiswini.

Okuthiya impi yokusinda kwe-monk seal ukuthi izala kancane. Izinsikazi zizala izinyane elilodwa kuphela ngonyaka. Okwenza isimo sibe sibi kakhulu ukuthi akuzona zonke izinsikazi esezikhulile ezizala minyaka yonke.

Kodwa amazinga aphansi okuzala awayilandisi yonke indaba. UDkt. Dennis Thoney, umphathi-jikelele weNew York Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation, uthi: “Nakuba ama-monk seal aseMediterranean engazali kakhulu, imvu yamanzi i-harbor iqhuba kahle kakhulu ngezinga lokuzala elifanayo. Ngakho ngokuqinisekile kunezinye izici ezibangela ukuncipha kwawo.”

Ayahlaselwa

Cabanga ngomonakalo ongaba khona uma indlu yakho ingasha ingqongqe. Yonke impahla yakho—ifenisha, izingubo zokugqoka, amagugu akho nezinye izikhumbuzo—bekuyoshabalala konke. Ukuphila kwakho bekuyoshintsha kakhulu. Ngokuyisisekelo yilokho okuye kwehlela i-monk seal yaseMediterranean. Ukungcoliswa kwendawo, ezokuvakasha, izimboni nezinye izinto ezenziwa abantu kuye kwacekela phansi ingxenye enkulu yendawo engokwemvelo yale mvu yamanzi.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, umthombo wokudla kwama-monk seal uye wancipha kakhulu ngenxa yokudoba ngokweqile. Isazi sezilwane zasendle uDkt. Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf sithi: “Lapho ukudla kwezimvu zamanzi kuncipha, lokho kusho ukuthi zikhandleka kakhulu ukuze zithole ukudla.” Ngakho akukhona nje ukuthi ama-monk seal aye alahlekelwa yindawo yawo engokwemvelo—ikhaya lawo—kodwa futhi aye ahlupheka ukuze nje akwazi ukuthola ukudla!

Omunye umphumela wokudoba ngokweqile uwukuthi izimvu zamanzi ngezinye izikhathi zibambeka emanetheni okudoba bese ziyaminza. Nokho, ngokuvamile izimvu zamanzi zibulawa abadobi ngokwabo. Ngani? Ngoba izimvu zamanzi sezifunde indlela yokweba ukudla emanetheni okudoba, futhi ziwadabule lapho zenza kanjalo. Ngakho, umuntu uqhudelana nezilwane bebanga izinhlanzi ezinciphayo. Le mpi engenangqondo iye yawabeka engcupheni yokuqothulwa ama-monk seal.

Njengoba ama-monk seal ephezulu ohlwini lwezilwane eziwukudla, abanye ososayensi babonisa ukuthi lesi silwane esincelisayo sasolwandle “siyibika.” Lokhu kusho ukuthi uma wona esesimweni esibi, kuyibika elinembile lokuthi zonke ezinye izilwane ezikulolu hlu zisengozini. Uma kunjalo, awamahle neze amathuba okulondolozwa kwendawo yemvelo yaseMediterranean, ngoba i-monk seal iyisilwane esisengozini kunazo zonke eYurophu.

Ingabe Ayosinda?

Kuyindida ukuthi abantu bawusongo olukhulu kuyi-monk seal yaseMediterranean, kanti ngesikhathi esifanayo, bangabasekeli bayo abakhulu. Kuye kwasungulwa izinhlangano ezizimele nezikahulumeni ukuze kuvikelwe lezi zimvu zamanzi. Ziye zagcinelwa izindawo eziyisiphephelo. Kuye kwenziwa ucwaningo olunzulu ukuze kufundwe indlela yokusiza lezi zilwane ezinhle.

Ngo-1988 kwasungulwa i-Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Mediterranean Monk Seal (MOm). Abacwaningi be-MOm bavakashela izindawo zama-monk seal njalo ukuze balandelele amanani awo futhi baqoqe nokunye ukwaziswa okuzosetshenziselwa ukuwavikela.

Lisebenzisa izikebhe ezinesivinini, iqembu lonogada ligada izindawo ezivikelwe. Leli qembu linikeza nokwaziswa neziyalezo zezivakashi nabadobi abavakashela eNational Marine Park yaseGreece, e-Alónnisos, eziqhingini zaseNyakatho Sporades. Lapho kutholakala izimvu zamanzi ezigulayo noma ezilimele, leli qembu lizinakekela ngokuzelapha ezikudingayo bese liziyisa esikhungweni sokululama se-MOm.

ISeal Treatment and Rehabilitation Center ingahlalisa amazinyane ayizintandane, agulayo noma alimele. Ayelashwa futhi anakekelwe kuze kube yilapho esekwazi ukuziphilela wodwa. Kuze kube manje, imiphumela iyathembisa. Ngemva kweminyaka eminingi yokwehla, amanani ama-monk seal aseNyakatho Sporades asebonisa izimpawu zokuqala zokululama.

Ingabe le mizamo izoqhubeka iphumelela? Kuyocaca ekuhambeni kwesikhathi. Nokho, kusobala ukuthi mkhulu umsebenzi okusafanele wenziwe ukuze lezi zilwane ezisongelwayo zisinde. UDkt. David Wildt we-Smithsonian Institution watshela i-Phaphama!: “Zonke izilwane zasolwandle zisesimweni esingajabulisi. Inkinga iwukuthi asazi kahle ukuthi izilwandle zinani ngempela, futhi asikayazi indlela yokuzivikela.”

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 17]

Izihlobo Ezisengozini

Ama-monk seal ayatholakala nakwezinye izilwandle emhlabeni wonke, kodwa nawo asengozini. Umagazini i-National Geographic uthi i-monk seal yaseCaribbean, noma eWest Indies, “kwakuyimvu yamanzi yokuqala eyabonwa uColumbus eNtshonalanga Nenkabazwe. Njengoba ayethanda ugu futhi kulula ukuwabamba, ngokushesha ama-monk seal ayebulawa ngobuningi. . . . I-monk seal yokugcina yaseCaribbean yabonwa ngo-1952.”

Kungenzeka indawo yokugcina eyisiphephelo se-monk seal yaseHawaii, noma yaseLaysan, yiziqhingi zaseFrench Frigate Shoals, eHawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Nokho, izimvu zamanzi ezingaba ngu-1 300 ezisekhona “zikhungethwe yizinkinga,” naphezu kwemizamo yenkuthalo yokuzivikela.

Kusukela entwasahlobo ka-1997, cishe izingxenye ezintathu kwezine zama-monk seal angu-270 aseMediterranean ahlala ogwini lwaseMauritania eNtshonalanga Afrika ziye zaqothulwa yisifo esiwumshayabhuqe. Ngokombiko we-Science News, iningi lezimvu zamanzi ezahlolwa ‘lalinegciwane lamahlengethwa i-morbillivirus, igciwane elifana nalelo elibanga isifo usekela ezinjeni.’

[Izithombe ekhasini 16]

Ama-“monk seal” anezici eziningi eziyingqayizivele, njengekhanda eliyindilinga namakhala amakhulu

Kuye kwasungulwa izinhlangano zokuvikela izimvu zamanzi

[Umthombo]

Panos Dendrinos/HSSPMS

[Izithombe ekhasini 17]

Ngemva kweminyaka eminingi yokwehla okukhulu, amanani ama-“monk seal” aseNyakatho Sporades asebonisa izimpawu zokuqala zokululama

[Imithombo]

P. Dendrinos/MOm

D. Kanellos/MOm

[Isithombe ekhasini 17]

I-“monk seal” yaseHawaii

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 15]

Panos Dendrinos/HSSPMS