Umkhomo? Ihlengethwa?—Cha, Umkhomo-hlengethwa!

Ngumlobeli we-Phaphama! eHawaii

UKUZALWA kwesilwane sasendle endaweni lapho zivalelwa khona kuyisenzakalo esijabulisayo ngaso sonke isikhathi. Kodwa usuku lwango-May 15, 1985, lwaba usuku olukhetheke ngokungavamile eSea Life Park yaseHawaii.

Insikazi emithi kwakuyihlengethwa lase-Atlantic elinekhala elicijile elalinegama lesiHawaii elithi Punahele (eliphinyiselwa ngokuthi Poo-nah-hayʹlay) okusho ukuthi “uMngane Othandekayo.” UPunahele wayemkhulu ngokwedlulele emabangeni okugcina okukhulelwa kwakhe. Ngakho izisebenzi zasesiqiwini kakade zase zinomuzwa wokuthi kunokuthile okungavamile okwakuqhubeka. Izinsolo zazo zagcwaliseka lapho umntwana kaPunahele ezalwa. Waqanjwa igama lokuthi uKekaimalu (eliphinyiselwa ngokuthi Kay-kai-mahʹloo). UKekaimalu akukhona nje ukuthi wayemnyama kakhudlwana kunehlengethwa kodwa nekhala lakhe lalilifishane ngendlela engavamile.

UKekaimalu wabe esekhamisa.

Ihlengethwa lase-Atlantic elinekhala elicijile kuthiwa linamazinyo angu-88. Kodwa ukusineka kukaKekaimalu kwaveza amazinyo angu-66 kuphela—futhi ayemakhulu ngokuphawulekayo. Kwakwenzekeni?

Unina walelizinyane elisanda kuzalwa wayekade edlala nsuku zonke kanye namanye amahlengethwa embukisweni i-Whaler’s Cove eSea Life Park. Omunye wabadlali abakanye naye kwakuwumkhomo-mbumbulua oneminyaka engu-18 ubudala, onesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-900. Lapho kuphela usuku ngalunye, lababadlali basemanzini babededelwa ukuba bazintwezele ngokukhululekile ethangini elilodwa.

Nokho, umphumela ongalindelekile kwaba uKekaimalu—isidalwa esiyihlengethwa ngokwengxenye nomkhomo ngokwengxenye. Izisebenzi zasesiqiwini zasetha ngenjabulo lesisilwane esiyinhlanganisela esingavamile ngokuthi “umkhomo-hlengethwa.” Amazinyo aso angu-66 ayewumphumela womehluko phakathi kwenani lamazinyo kanina oyihlengethwa angu-88 nenani lamazinyo kayise owumkhomo angu-44. Nakuba umbala waso omnyama nobukhulu bomzimba kukubonisa ngokusobala ukufuza imikhomo, izikhulu zalesisiqiwu zisichaza ngokuthi “siyinhlanganisela eyingqayizivele yabo bobabili abazali.” Ikhala laso eliya ngokuya lincipha liyefana nelehlengethwa, kodwa lithe ukuba lifishane.

Omunye umkhomo-hlengethwa okuwukuphela kwawo owaziwayo wawuzalelwe endaweni yokugcina izilwane zasolwandle eJapane ngo-1981. Lesisilwane esiyinhlanganisela safa ezinyangeni ezimbalwa kamuva. Ingabe lalikhona ithemba lokuthi uKekaimalu uzophila?

Lelizinyane lomkhomo-hlengethwa elinesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-16 lalibonakala liphilile futhi laqala ukuncela ngokujwayelekile. Ibika ngamazwi esikhulu sakulesisiqiwu, i-Honolulu Star Bulletin and Advertiser yathi ngokushesha nje ngemva kokuzalwa kukaKekaimalu: “Amathuba okuba lelizinyane liphile lize libe lidala awamahle njengawontanga yalo abangaxubile . . . Izilwane eziyinhlanganisela ngokuvamile zizalwa sezifile noma ziphathwe izifo futhi zife zisezincane. Ngenhlanhla, . . . uPunahele ungumama onokuhlangenwe nakho futhi onothando osekhulise amanye amazinyane amabili amahlengethwa aze aba madala [eSea Life Park].” Lesisikhulu sathi: “Uvumelana nazo zonke izimo, ungumama okahle kakhulu.” Idumela likaPunahele lokuba umama labonakala linesisekelo esihle.

Manje uKekaimalu usephile iminyaka engaphezu kweyisikhombisa. Njengoba enesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-300, umedlula kude unina oyihlengethwa. Futhi ngemva kweminyaka embalwa engumdlali eWhaler’s Cove, lomkhomo-hlengethwa owawuneminyaka emihlanu ngalesosikhathi, abaningi ababethi uyinyumba, waqopha umlando ngo-June 1990. Nawo ngokwawo waba umama. “Inkolelo evamile iwukuthi izilwane eziyinhlanganisela ziyizinyumba,” kusho uMarlee Breese, umnakekeli wezilwane ezincelisayo esikhungweni saseMakapuu. “Kodwa akunjalo nakancane ngoKekaimalu.” Ngeshwa, izibulo lakhe—ngokwengxenye eyodwa kwezine elaliwumkhomo nezingxenye ezintathu kwezine liyihlengethwa—laphila isonto elilodwa kuphela.

UKekaimalu ngokusobala wayengazi ukuthi angamncelisa kanjani umntanakhe. “Angiboni ukuthi lokho kwakwenziwa ukuthi wayeyisilwane esiyinhlanganisela,” kusho uBreese. Unomuzwa wokuthi isizathu okungenzeka kakhulu ukuthi yisona esabangela uKekaimalu angancelisi izinyane lakhe siwukuthi wayesemncane futhi engazi ukuthi kwenziwa kanjani. “Lezizilwane ngokuvamile zifinyelela ukuvuthwa okungokobulili lapho zineminyaka engu-8 kuya ku-10 ubudala,” kusho uBreese. Lapho ezala izinyane lakhe lokuqala, uKekaimalu wayeneminyaka emihlanu kuphela.

Ngo-November 8, 1991, uKekaimalu wazala izinyane lesibili. Nokho, kulokhu izisebenzi zazizilungiselele. Ngemva kokuqapha amahora angu-24 ukuze zibone ukuthi lomama owumkhomo-hlengethwa wayezosithatha yini kuqala isinyathelo sokulincelisa ngokwakhe izinyane, zangenela. UKekaimalu waphakanyiswa wakhishwa emanzini ngamabhande, futhi ubisi lwakhishwa kuye ngesifutho sokukhipha ubisi emabeleni owesifazane. ‘Kwakubaluleke ngokukhethekile ukuba kutholakale ubisi lokuqala lukanina,’ kuchaza uBreese, ‘ngoba ludlulisela izakhi ezilwa nezifo ezinyaneni.’ Amasonto amaningi izisebenzi zazisenga unina njalo kanye ngosuku, zithola cishe ilitha elilodwa lobisi kuye.

Lolubisi lomkhomo-hlengethwa lwaxutshaniswa nobisi lokuzenzela. Lwalusungulwe eFlorida e-U.S.A. phakathi nomzamo wokusindisa ihlengethwa elalikhafulwe ulwandle. Kusukela ngehora lesithupha ekuseni kuze kube phakathi kwamabili, lomntwana womkhomo-hlengethwa wayedla ngethumbu elingena esiswini njalo ngemva kwamahora amabili nengxenye. Isisindo sakhe sasikhula ngengxenye yekhilogremu ngosuku. Phakathi nezikhathi ayengadli ngazo, ugogo, umama, nomntwana babedlala ndawonye ethangini elikhulu.

Ngesikhathi kulotshwa lendaba, amathemba okuphila omzukulu womkhomo nehlengethwa okuwukuphela kwakhe owaziwayo emhlabeni abebonakala emahle. Mhlawumbe ngolunye usuku uyolandela isiko lakubo adlale embukisweni i-Whaler’s Cove. Okwamanje, umhlaba usawathe shazi amandla amangalisayo okuvela kwezinye izinhlobo zezinto uNkulunkulu awafake endalweni yakhe.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 15]

Umkhomo-hlengethwa nabangane bawo abangamahlengethwa

[Umthombo]

Monte Costa, Sea Life Park Hawaii