Izilwanyana—Isipho Esivela KuThixo

NGABA wakha watyelela kumzi wokugcina izilwanyana okanye kwisekisi? Ngoxa wawulapho, ngaba wawunqwenela ukubamba okanye ukuphulula esinye sezilwanyana ezihle—njengengonyama okanye ingwe enkulu yaseSiberia? Mhlawumbi wakuvuyela ukubona umqeqeshi wezilwanyana okanye umgcini wazo ezibamba okanye eziphulula. Enyanisweni, phantse kwiminyaka enokuba ngama-2 000 eyadlulayo, omnye umbhali weBhayibhile wathi: “Zonke iindidi zamarhamncwa nezeentaka nezezinto ezirhubuluzayo nezezidalwa zaselwandle zinako ukwenziwa mbuna yaye sezikhe zenziwa mbuna ngabantu.”—Yakobi 3:7.

Zonke iintlobo zezilwanyana ziyakuvuyela ukuthandwa nokunikwa ingqalelo ngabantu. Kusenokuba luvuyo ukuzibona zidlala nabantu abazithandayo abazenze mbuna. Umbhali waseRoma uPliny, owabhala malunga nexesha elifanayo nombhali weBhayibhile uYakobi wathetha ngokwenziwa mbuna kweendlovu, iingonyama, iingwe, iinkozi, iingwenya, iinyoka neentlanzi.

Eneneni, ukwenziwa mbuna kwezilwanyana asinto intsha. Kwanangaphambi kokuba uYakobi noPliny babhale ngalo mbandela, abantu baseYiputa babesele bazenza mbuna izilwanyana zasendle baze bazigcine kumakhaya abo. Nanamhlanje, kwamanye amazwe izilwanyana ezininzi ezifumaneka kwimizi yokugcina izilwanyana zikho nakumakhaya abantu.

Ukuqalisa Kolwalamano Phakathi Kwabantu Nezilwanyana

IBhayibhile, equlethe eyona ngxelo yakudala ephathelele abantu, isixelela ukuba umntu wokuqala uAdam, wathiya izilwanyana amagama. IBhayibhile ithi: “Oko umntu awuthiye ngako, mphefumlo ngamnye ophilayo, yaba ligama lawo elo. Ngoko umntu wazithiya amagama zonke izilwanyana zasekhaya nezidalwa eziphaphazelayo zasemazulwini nawo onke amarhamncwa asendle.” (Genesis 2:19, 20) Ngokucacileyo, kwakufuneka uAdam aqhelane nezilwanyana ukuze azithiye ngendlela echanileyo. Kodwa kwakungekho mfuneko yokuba azikhusele kuzo—kwanakwizilwanyana zasendle. Zazingenakumenzakalisa, yaye hayi indlela ekumele ukuba wayekunandipha ngayo ukuba phakathi kwazo!

UThixo wayalela uAdam nenkosikazi yakhe uEva ukuba banyamekele izilwanyana. Njengoko ichazwe eBhayibhileni, injongo kaThixo yayikukuba abantu babe “nobukhosi kwiintlanzi zolwandle nakwizidalwa eziphaphazelayo emazulwini nakwizilwanyana zasekhaya nakuwo wonke umhlaba nakuzo zonke izinambuzane ezinambuzelayo emhlabeni.”—Genesis 1:26.

Ubuhlobo Obuhlala Buhleli

Xa abantu beziphatha kakuhle izilwanyana, kunokubakho imiphumo emihle. Isilwanyana esithandwayo sinokude sibe ngumhlobo oxabisekileyo okanye sithatyathwe njengelungu lentsapho. Isibakala sokuba oku kwakuyinyaniso nakumawaka eminyaka eyadlulayo sinokubonwa kwingxelo yeBhayibhile ephathelele indoda esweleyo ‘eyayinethokazi lemvu elincinane.’ Exelela uKumkani uDavide ngale mvu, umprofeti uNatan wathi ngale ndoda esweleyo: ‘Le mvu yayisidla eqhekezeni layo, kwaye isela endebeni yayo, ilala esifubeni sayo, yaye yaba njengentombi kuyo.’—2 Samuweli 12:1-3.

Abantu abaninzi namhlanje bayazi ukuba isilwanyana sinokuba ngumhlobo othandekayo, njengelungu lentsapho. Khawucinge ngentsapho ehlala kufuphi neHarare, isixeko esilikomkhulu laseZimbabwe. Abazali bathengela abantwana babo izinja. Xa omnye umntwana wabo oyinkwenkwe, owayeneminyaka esibhozo ngelo xesha wayehamba nenja yakhe, kwawa inyoka enkulu eyingozi ebizwa ngokuba yimamba emthini. Le nyoka yahlasela, kodwa ngoko nangoko le nja yakhusela le nkwenkwana yaza yasindisa ubomi bayo. Ngaba unokuyithelekelela indlela eyayixabiseke ngayo le nja kule ntsapho?

Ukanti abantu abazizithulu bazixabise ngenene izinja eziqeqeshelwe ukubanceda. Elinye ibhinqa lithi: “UTwinkie uyeva xa kunkqonkqoza umntu aze afike andiqhwethe emlenzeni andise emnyango. Ngokufanayo, xa kukhala iwotshi yesitovu uTwinkie ubaleka aze kum ndize nam ndimlandele. Xa kukho umsi okanye kukhala ialarm echaza ukuba kuyatsha, uTwinkie uqeqeshelwe ukuba enze nayiphi na into eza kutsala ingqalelo yam aze alale phantsi ukubonisa ukuba kukho ingozi.”

Eyona nto ibangel’ umdla lulwalamano oluphakathi kwabantu abaziimfama nezinja eziqeqeshelwe ukubakhokela. UMichael Tucker ongumqeqeshi wezi zinja nokwangumbhali wencwadi ethi The Eyes That Lead ukholelwa ukuba ezi zinja zinokubutshintsha ngokupheleleyo ubomi babantu abaziimfama, zinokubenza banandiphe “inkululeko, bakwazi ukuzenzela izinto nokuya kwiindawo abafuna ukuya kuzo yaye zinokuba ngabahlobo babo.” Ngokwenene, luyamangalisa ulwalamano oluphakathi kwezi zinja nabaninizo!

Kukwanjalo nangabantu abaneziphene abanezinja eziqeqeshelwe ukubanceda. Enye inja yebhinqa elihamba ngewheelchair yafundiswa ukuphakamisa umnxeba nokukhotha izitampu ngaphambi kokuba zifakwe kwimvulophu! Enye inja ikwazi ukuthobela imiyalelo eli-120, kuquka ukuqokelela izinto evenkileni. Umnini wale nja onesiphene usebenzisa ilaser dot ukukhomba izinto azifunayo ize le nja imphathele zona.

Izilwanyana zasekhaya zikwaluncedo nakubantu abakhulileyo. Omnye ugqirha wezilwanyana wathi izilwanyana zasekhaya, kuquka izinja, “zibagcina bexakekile abantu abakhulileyo kanye ngexesha abaziva bengamalolo ngalo.” IThe Toronto Star yathi: “Kuthiwa abantu abanezilwanyana abafane baxinezeleke okanye baye kwagqirha yaye badla ngokukhawuleza bachache emva kokuhlaselwa sisifo sentliziyo.”

IThe New Encyclopædia Britannica inikela le nkcazelo ibangel’ umdla: “Ukuba nezilwanyana kuvul’ amathuba okufundisa abantwana ukuba ukufumana amalungelo athile kuhambisana nembopheleleko yaye kuvula namathuba okubafundisa ngesini. Basenokufunda okuthile xa bezibona zikhwelana, zimithi, zizala naxa zinyamekela amantshontsho azo.”

Uthando Ngezilwanyana

Ukunyaniseka kwezilwanyana kudla ngokubangela ukuba abanye abantu bazithande ukodlula amalungu entsapho. Kwamanye amazwe, xa abantu beqhawula umtshato kudla ngokubakho impikiswano ngokuba ngubani phakathi kwabo oya kufumana isilwanyana sabo. Yaye kwimiyolelo yabo, abanye abantu badla ngokuthi izinto zabo ezixabisekileyo zimele zifunyanwe zizilwanyana zabo.

Akumangalisi ke ngoko ukuba ishishini lezilwanyana lihambela phambili ngolu hlobo kwezi mini! Kukho iincwadi namaphephancwadi anikela amacebiso ngemibandela ephathelele izilwanyana zasekhaya. Ekubeni beqonda ukuba abantu baxolel’ ukwenza nantoni na ukuze izilwanyana zabo ziphile tofotofo, oosomashishini bathengisa nantoni na efunwa ngabanini zilwanyana.

Ngokomzekelo, kukho iingcali zoogqirha abanyanga izifo ezahlukahlukeneyo zezilwanyana. Ezinye iingcali ngokusebenza kwengqondo yezilwanyana zinokukuxelela nokuba liliphi iyeza ofanele ulithenge xa isilwanyana sakho sidandathekile. Ngapha koko, kukho namagqwetha amela imicimbi ephathelele izilwanyana, iindawo zeeinsurance zezilwanyana, iindawo zokuhlamba izilwanyana neendawo zokuziqeqesha. Izilwanyana zenzelwa nemingcwabo. Kukwakho neendawo ezikulungeleyo ukudibanisa iiseli zesilwanyana elebhu ukuze kuphume isilwanyana ezifana twatse naso—kodwa ke oku kubiza imali eninzi!

Ngokucacileyo, baninzi abantu abazithandayo izilwanyana. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Animal Attraction, uGqr. Jonica Newby uthi: “Xa inja isiza kuwe, ijiwuzisa umsila ize ifike ikukhothe ngokungathi ukufika kwakho yeyona nto ibalulekileyo kuyo, ibonisa ukuba ‘iyakuthanda.’” Ngokuqinisekileyo, kungenxa yeso sizathu le nto abantu abaninzi abanezilwanyana ‘bezithanda’ izilwanyana zabo.

Sekunjalo, ukuphatha izilwanyana okwabantu kunokuba nemiphumo emibi. Kakade ke, izilwanyana azinako ukwanelisa iintswelo zabantu ngendlela ebebeya kuzanelisa ngayo abantu. Ngapha koko, ukuhlaliswa kwezilwanyana ezixekweni kubangel’ iingxaki kwezinye izilwanyana nakubaninizo. Ezo ngxaki ziza kuxutyushwa kwinqaku elilandelayo.

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Ukwenziwa mbuna kwezilwanyana zasendle akuqali ngoku

[Inkcazelo]

A detail from The Great King of the Parthians Hunts With His Tame Panthers by Giovanni Stradanno: © Stapleton Collection/CORBIS

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Abelusi bakwaSirayeli babewaphatha ngenyameko amatakane eegusha

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Izilwanyana zasekhaya zinokuba luncedo kubantu abaneziphene nabakhulileyo