Ukufuna Imvu I-mouflon
Ekuseni ngolunye usuku entwasahlobo, sigibela imoto edonsa ngawo wonke amasondo bese singena endleleni, futhi siphethe amabalazwe, amakhamera, sigqoke izigqoko namawudlu aqinile. Silibangise eHlathini LasePaphos eliphezulu okhahlamba lwaseTroodos eCyprus, lapho sinethemba lokubona khona ama-mouflon ayivelakancane. Hlobo luni lwezilwane lolu?
AMA-MOUFLON awuhlobo lwemvu yasendle, futhi izinhlobo zawo zitholakala kuso sonke isigodi saseMedithera. Kodwa lesi silwane esivuse ilukuluku lethu sitholakala eCyprus kuphela futhi kuthiwa sixube ubuhle benyamazane nobuqatha bembuzi. Izazi zezilwane zisibiza nge-Ovis gmelini ophion, kanti abantu baseCyprus bona bathi i-agrinó. Sitholakala ezintabeni ezisemajukujukwini kuphela.
Siyawushiya umgwaqo omkhulu, siqonde ngasemagqumeni bese sinqamula esigodini esihle. Kunemizana eyakhiwe kula magquma, kanti ezigodini khona kukhona amasimu ezithelo. Nokho, ngokushesha umgwaqo uqala ukuba mubi, futhi kwezinye izindawo imoto yethu isondela ngendlela eyingozi onqenqemeni lwamawa aphakeme. Ekugcineni, siyafika lapho silibangise khona—esikhungweni esinakekela ihlathi. Manje sesisenkabeni yeHlathi LasePaphos elinezihlahla zikaphayini nemisedari ehlanganisa amahektare angu-60 000. Sithenga ikhofi bese sithi ukudl’ ingevu no-Andreas, umnakekeli wehlathi ogqoke inyufomu eluhlaza okhuluma ngomdlandla lapho elandisa ngama-mouflon.
Uthi i-mouflon iyisilwane esincelisayo sasendle esikhulu kunazo zonke eCyprus. Esikhathini esidlule kwakunemihlambi emikhulu ezulazula kulesi siqhingi. Imihlobiso yamatshe eminingi yamaGreki namaRoma inale mvu yasendle, futhi izincwadi zangenkathi ephakathi zichaza indlela abasebukhosini ababekujabulela ngayo ukuyizingela eHlathini LasePaphos.
Njengoba esiholela endaweni ebiyelwe, u-Andreas usitshela okwengeziwe ngomlando wama-mouflon. Ngokwesibonelo, sitshelwa ukuthi lezi zilwane zake zancipha kakhulu ngesibalo lapho kuqala ukusetshenziswa kwezibhamu zokuzingela. Imithetho yokuzingela eCyprus yaze yabukezwa ngo-1938 ukuze kuvikelwe lezi zilwane. Abanakekeli bamahlathi namaphoyisa babambisana ekunqandeni ukuzingela ngokungemthetho. Ngemva konyaka abazingeli babengasavunyelwe ukuzingela kuleli hlathi. Lolu shintsho, kanye nezinye izinyathelo eziye zathathwa kusukela ngawo-1960, ziye zasiza ekwandeni kwesibalo sama-mouflon.
Ukuyibona Kwethu Okokuqala
Silandela u-Andreas siye endaweni ebiyelwe, silunguze phakathi kwezihlahla notshani. Esenzela uphawu lokuthi sithule dú, u-Andreas usihola ibangana sikhuphukele egqumeni. Lapho, sibona amaxhukazi amathathu namazinyane amabili eklaba endaweni esobala enokukhanya kwelanga. La maxhukazi angaba amasentimitha angu-90 ukuphakama, kanti uboya bawo bunsundu ngokukhanyayo, bese buthi ukuphaphatheka esiswini.
Izimila zasendle azidlayo ziyinala ngalesi sikhathi sonyaka, futhi amaxhukazi amatasa nokudla, awasinaki nokusinaka. Nokho, amazinyane ayayeka ukutshakadula abese esondela ngokuqapha ngakithi. Lokhu kuyasijabulisa! Kodwa abe esethuswa umsindo wenye yamakhamera ethu, futhi ngokuphazima kweso, wonke lo mhlambi ubalekela ehlathini.
Njengoba sijabule ngemva kokubona lezi zilwane, sihlela ukuhamba ngezinyawo ehlathini sinethemba lokubona ama-mouflon endle. U-Andreas usikisela ukuba sizame ekuseni kusantwela, ngoba ngezinye izikhathi lezi zilwane ziphumela obala zizama ukuthola ukudla. Njengoba sihlela ukulala ematendeni kulesi sigodi, intaba eyengame lesi sigodi ingase ibe yindawo enhle esingafuna kuyo. Sitshelwa ukuthi ama-mouflon avamile ukubonakala emagqumeni aphakeme phakathi nezinyanga zasehlobo, kanti ebusika, lapho amagquma embozwe yiqhwa, afuna izimila angazidla phansi ezigodini, aze aphumele ngisho nangaphandle.
Lezi zilwane zikhwelana ekwindla. Ebusika ama-mouflon azula njengomhlambi eyiqembu layishumi kuya kwangu-20. Lapho kuzalwa amazinyane ngo-April noma ngo-May, imihlambi iyahlukana ibe amaqembu amancane, njengaleliya esilibone endaweni ebiyelwe. Ngokuvamile amaduna asekhulile aklaba wodwa.
Inqama Yasendle!
Ngakusasa ekuseni, sikhuphukela phezulu egqumeni futhi, sipake imoto endaweni evulekile, bese singena ngezinyawo ehlathini ngaphambi kokuba ilanga liphakame kakhulu. Kusathulile ehlathini, futhi kunenkungu ethubeleza phakathi kwezihlahla. Lapho sisamile sijabulela lokhu kuthula, sibona okuthile—i-mouflon eyiduna enhle futhi eqatha, uboya bayo obukhulu basebusika sebuqothukile. Intamo yayo inoboya obunsundu ngokumnyama. Njengoba iphenduka sakuziqhenya, isibuka ngezinkophe ezimnyama bese ihogela umoya ithungatha iphunga lethu. Izimpondo zayo eziwugqinsi futhi ezisontekile kumelwe ukuba zingamasentimitha angu-40 ubude lulunye! Inkudlwana kunezinsikazi esizibone izolo futhi inesisindo esingaba amakhilogremu angu-35.
Siyama khimilili, sibambe umoya. Nokho, kubonakala sengathi lesi silwane esiqaphile sesilizwile iphunga lethu, ngoba sinqekuzisa ikhanda bese sisuka sidle phansi. Lokho esiye sakubona futhi sakufunda kulezi zinsuku ezimbili kusihlabe umxhwele ngempela. Siye samazisa nakakhulu uMdali, owathi: “Zonke izilwane zasendle ezisemahlathini zingezami, izilo eziphezu kwezintaba eziyinkulungwane.”—IHubo 50:10.
[Izithombe ekhasini 24, 25]
I-“mouflon” yaseCyprus (ngemuva) kanye ne-“mouflon” yaseYurophu
[Imithombo Yesithombe ekhasini 25]
Top right: Oxford Scientific/photolibrary/Niall Benvie; European Mouflon: Oxford Scientific/photolibrary