Inyathi YaseYurophu—Itakulwe Ekuqothulweni

NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! EPOLAND

Abazingeli abangekho emthethweni babejabule. Babethole umkhondo ababewufuna. Njengoba beqhubeka bewulandela, ekugcineni bazithela esisulwini ababesifuna. Sasinoboya obunsundu; intshebe ithi ayibe mnyama. Izimpondo zaso ezigobile phezulu zithé chwa enhloko. Inyama yaso nesikhumba kwakufunwa ngabomvu futhi kwakungangenisa isamba esikhulu semali.

Inhlamvu yokuqala yalaba bazingeli yasilimaza lesi silwane. Sabalekela ehlathini sacasha, kodwa asizange sisinde. Inhlamvu yesibili yasinemba, yasiqumba phansi lesi silwane esinesisindo esiyisigamu sethani. Laba bazingeli babengazi ukuthi babenze isenzo esiyingqopha-mlando. Kwakungu-April 1919, futhi babesanda kubulala inyathi yaseYurophu yokugcina eyayisengxenyeni esezansi yePoland. Ngenhlanhla, ngaleso sikhathi kwakusenezinyathi ezivalelwe eziqiwini nasezinkanjini ezizimele.

INYATHI yaseYurophu (Bison bonasus), ngezinye izikhathi eyaziwa ngokuthi i-wisent, ekuqaleni yayitholakala ngobuningi engxenyeni enkulu yezwekazi laseYurophu. Eyeduna esikhulile ingaba nesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-900 futhi ingaba amamitha angaphezu kwamabili ukuphakama emahlombe. Lezi zilwane ezinkulu ziye zabizwa ngokuthi amakhosi ehlathi.

Isici esiphawulekayo ngale nyathi ukungalingani kokuphakama kwengxenye yomzimba engaphambili nengemuva. Amahlombe ayo abanzi futhi inelunda, kanti ingxenye engemuva incane uma iqhathaniswa neyangaphambili. Eyangemuva inoboya obufushane, kanti eyangaphambili inoboya obude obumanikiniki futhi inanentshebe.

Zisengcupheni Yokuqothulwa

Namuhla kulinganiselwa ukuthi kunezinyathi zaseYurophu eziyizinkulungwane ezimbalwa kuphela. Zalahlekelwa yindawo ngenxa yokulima nokuqothulwa kwamahlathi, kanti nabazingeli abangekho emthethweni babezizingela. Ekhulwini lesi-8, inyathi yaseYurophu eGaul (iFrance neBelgium yanamuhla) yayisiqothuliwe.

Ekhulwini le-16, amakhosi asePoland athatha izinyathelo zokuvikela lezi zilwane. Enye yamakhosi okuqala eyathatha isinyathelo kwakunguSigismund II Augustus, owakhipha isinqumo sokuthi ukubulala le nyathi kuhambisana nesigwebo sentambo. Ngani? Ngokusho kukaDkt. Zbigniew Krasiński weBiałowieza National Park, “Inhloso kwakuwukugcina lezi zilwane ukuze zizingelwe ababusi nezikhonzi zabo.” Naphezu kwalesi sigwebo esiqatha, imithetho yahluleka ukuvikela le nyathi, futhi ekupheleni kwekhulu le-18, inyathi yaseYurophu yayisitholakala eHlathini laseBiałowieza empumalanga yePoland naseCaucasia kuphela.

Ekhulwini le-19, izimo zaqala ukuba ngcono. Ngemva kokuba uMbuso waseRussia uthathe iHlathi laseBiałowieza, uMbusi u-Alexander I washaya umthetho wokuvikela le nyathi. Imiphumela yabonakala ngokushesha. Isibalo sale nyathi saqala ukwenyuka, futhi ngo-1857, kwase kunezinyathi ezingaba ngu-1 900 ezazigcinwe ezindaweni ezivikelwe uhulumeni. Kamuva, kwamiswa izikhungo zokuphakela lezi zinyathi ebusika. Kwahlelwa amadamu ngokucophelela, futhi kwacentwa ukuze kutholakale indawo yokutshala ukudla kwazo.

Ngokudabukisayo, isikhathi sokuchuma kwalezi zinyathi saba sifushane. Ingakapheli neminyaka engu-60, isibalo sazo sancipha ngesigamu. Igalelo lokugcina kulezi zinyathi zasePoland lafika lapho kugqashuka iMpi Yezwe I. Naphezu komthetho wamaJalimane wokuba “lezi zinyathi zilondolozelwe izizukulwane ezizayo njengesikhumbuzo semvelo esiyingqayizivele,” lowo mhlambi waqothulwa amabutho aseJalimane ayehoxa, amavukela-mbuso aseRussia nabazingeli abangekho emthethweni ababezizingela njalo. Njengoba kuchaziwe ekuqaleni kwalesi sihloko, ngo-1919 kwabulawa inyathi yokugcina yaseYurophu eyayisendle ePoland.

Ukuphuma Kwalasha

Ngomzamo wokulondoloza lezi zilwane, kwamiswa i-International Society for the Protection of the European Bison ngo-1923. Inhloso yayo eyinhloko kwakuwukubala inani lezinyathi ezivalelwe zohlobo olungaxubile.a Kwatholakala ukuthi kwakunezinyathi zaseYurophu ezingu-54 zohlobo olungaxubile eziqiwini ezihlukahlukene nasezindaweni zemibukiso emhlabeni jikelele. Kodwa akuzona zonke ezazikulungele ukuzalaniswa. Ezinye zase zindala kakhulu, kuyilapho ezinye zazihlaselwe yizifo. Ekugcineni, kwakhethwa ezingu-12 ezazizokwandisa isibalo. Kuyaziwa ukuthi izinyathi zohlobo lwasezingxenyeni zeYurophu ezisezansi ezikhona manje zavela ezinyathini ezinhlanu kuphela.

Ekwindla ka-1929 izinyathi zaseYurophu ezimbili zasezingxenyeni zezwe ezisezansi zabuyiselwa endle. Zafakwa endaweni eyayilungiselelwe ngokukhethekile eHlathini laseBiałowieza. Ngemva kweminyaka eyishumi isibalo sazo senyuka saba ngu-16.

Ingabe Sezitakuliwe Ekuqothulweni?

Ekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-21, kwakunezinyathi zaseYurophu ezingaba ngu-2 900 emhlabeni wonke. Ezingaba ngu-700 zazisePoland. Kule minyaka edlule, kube nemihlambi naseBelarus, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Russia nase-Ukraine.

Kodwa lokhu akusho ukuthi inyathi yaseYurophu isiphumile engozini. Izinambuzane, izifo, ukusweleka kokudla namanzi, kanye nabazingeli abangekho emthethweni kusewusongo. Ukuphazamiseka kwezakhi zofuzo nakho kuyinkinga enkulu, ebangelwa ukulinganiselwa kohlobo olufanayo lofuzo. Ngenxa yalezi zizathu, inyathi yaseYurophu isesohlwini lweZinto Zemvelo Ezisengcupheni (Red List), olubonisa izinhlobo zezimila nezilwane ezisengozini yokuqothulwa emhlabeni wonke.

Ukuzimisela komuntu ukulondoloza lesi silwane kuye kwasisiza ukuba sisinde kuze kube sesikhathini sethu. Kodwa uDkt. Krasiński, ocashunwe ekuqaleni, usikhumbuza ukuthi “okwenzeke enyathini yaseYurophu kuyisibonelo sendlela uhlobo oluthile lwesilwane olungaba sengcupheni yokuqothulwa ngayo ngesikhathi esifushane bese kuba umshikashika omkhulu ukulusindisa.” Ikusasa lalesi silwane, kanye nezinye eziningi, aliqinisekile. Kodwa okwamanje la “makhosi ehlathi” asetakuliwe ekuqothulweni.

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Inyathi yaseYurophu eBiałowieza National Park

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All photos: Białowieski Park Narodowy