Abafana bezinkomo nezindlovu

I-CHIANG RAI - Kube khona into eqinisekisayo ngendlela eyinqaba ehlezi engemuva phezulu ngaphezu kwendlovu yase-Asia engamathani amane ezindaweni ezisenyakatho yeThailand. Imilenze yami ifakwe kahle ngemva kwamadlebe akhe, ukuba phezulu kwakubonakala kumduduza kunokuba kube ngaphansi. Ukubambelela esiphongweni sendlovu njengoba igeza emfuleni ohamba kancane kwakujabulisa ukucabanga. Ukuthi indlovu yami egama layo lingu-Ewong yayithathe umhlalaphansi futhi yayingelula neze njengoba enye yayilungile kimi. Kwakuyinto ephikisana novalo enganginalo lokubhukuda ngisuke esixukwini esintengayo sokuncenga okumpunga njengoba kwakungavamile ukuthi izilwane eziningi ezisencane zivele zilale phansi futhi zidlale emanzini njengoba zikhukhuleka ngobusuku bokugcina. uthuli.

Ukugibela indlovu ethobile eneminyaka engu-48 ubudala yangaphambili egawula imithi e-Anantara Resort Golden Triangle kuzwakale sengathi ukuba nengxenye kokuthile kwakudala kunokuma nje okuzamazamayo emzileni wezivakashi; sengathi lokho bekungeke kwanele noma kunjalo.

Abanakekeli bangabangane bendlovu abangabantu abethenjwa kakhulu futhi amasiko abo, izimpilo eziqondileyo, kanye nokuhlobana kwezilimi kusukela emakhulwini eminyaka edlule.

“Abanakekeli njengesiko cishe yibo abangilethe lapha kwasekuqaleni,” kusho uJohn Roberts owazalelwa eDevon, umqondisi wezindlovu kule ndawo yokungcebeleka, “Indlela yokuphila ezungezile yiyona eyangikhanga kakhulu njengezindlovu ngokwazo.”

U-Roberts ukhuluma nomoya wobuprofessor we-anthropologist kodwa uthando lwesishoshovu. Wathi: “Abanakekeli bangabafana bezinkomo basempumalanga, ngoba banesiko nendlela yokuphila eyingqayizivele,” kusho yena, “efayo.”

Ukuzinikela impilo yonke
Indawo yokuphumula yase-Anantara e-Chiang Rai ibekwe ogwini loMfula i-Sob Ruak, umfula iMekong ocebile, owakha umngcele phakathi kweThailand neBurma. Ngiqala uhambo lwami lwasekuseni ekuseni, inkungu yasibekela indawo yokungcebeleka engamahektha angamakhulu amathathu, lapho, njengesivakashi, bekuyigceke lakho kanye nebanga langempela lezindlovu.

Usuku ekamu lwaqala ngabanakekeli ekuntweleni kokusa beyolanda izindlovu. Sabe sesihamba ndawonye sehla saya onqenqemeni lomfula ukuze sigeze izilwane ngokoqobo kulokho okwakuwuhlelo lokushaya umoya. Izindlovu zatshaphaza njengoba abanakekeli bazo bekhuhla uthuli nenhlabathi esikhunjeni sazo esinwabuzelayo, esishwabene, kuyilapho thina abavakashi sibambelele ekuphileni okujabulisayo. Ngokungafani nathi, abanakekeli babexhaswe phezu kwezindlovu njengokungathi ziqoshwe endaweni yazo.

Izindlovu zidlala zathela amanzi amaningi emigqonyeni yazo zase zikhafula umthwalo wazo njengamafafaza amakhulu.

Omunye umnakekeli osemncane, u-K. Khanchai (Khan) Yodlee wadlala ibamba lendlovu yakhe yesilisa eneminyaka eyisishiyagalolunye, u-Pepsi, isilwane asifuyile kusukela isencane.

“UPepsi ungumfana, kodwa uziphethe kahle futhi ujabule kakhulu,” kusho uKhan, “Indlovu yami ifana nengane, umfowethu noma ilungu lomndeni wami. Sindawonye kwasekuqaleni, futhi ngiyoba naye kuze kube phakade.

U-Khan, ongowokudabuka eSurin, ungowomndeni olandelela amasiko awo abaqaphi kusukela ezizukulwaneni ezedlule. Ukhokho wakhe wayefuye izindlovu kanye nesizukulwane sikayise babezisebenzisa emikhosini, ekugcotshweni nasemicimbini yomphakathi.

Usuku phakathi kwabafana bezinkomo
Uma lokhu bekuwukunambitheka kokuba i-cowboy bekuvunywa ukuthi kwakuwumzamo omnene kodwa othokomele kimi. Engaboni kahle, u-Ewong wake wadonsa izingodo phakathi emahlathini phakathi kweBurma neThailand. Abangane bami baseCanada engihamba nabo - awekho ama-cowboy ngokwawo kodwa abagqwayizayo kakhulu ohambweni lwabo - bagibele izindlovu ezisakhula u-Bow, uMakam, noLanna. Lezo zindlovu zafika ekamu ngemva kokuhlala emigwaqweni yaseBangkok, eChiang Mai, noma ePataya. Babeklwebha amatshe noma bachezuke endleleni ukuze balande amahlumela oqalo olukhangayo noma okunye okuluhlaza.

Ekamu safunda eminye yemithetho engamashumi ayisikhombisa esetshenziswa abaqaphi. "Kanjani" kusho ukuma, kuyilapho elithi "Pai" liye phambili. Igama elithi “Map Lung” laliwumyalo wokuba uhlale phansi, kuyilapho indlovu yayigebisa ikhanda lapho itshelwa ukuthi “Thatha Amaphaphu.”

Safundiswa izindlela ezihlukene zokukhuphuka nokwehla, ukusuka ohlangothini noma ukunyakaza okuxakile kokuphushwa phezu kwekhala lakhe. Okumangazayo ukuthi akuzange kuthathe isikhathi eside ukujwayela impilo kusuka phezulu. Omunye wabangane bami kufacebook waze waphawula, “imoto enhle,” esithombeni sendlovu yami.

Lolu hlelo lokuqeqesha abanakekeli lwaba yisikhungo sokulondoloza imvelo esingalindelekile esasungulwa ngo-2003. Ikamu lezindlovu laba yindawo ehambisana nendawo yokuphumula ewuhlaza. Lolu hlelo luqale ngezindlovu ezine eziqashiwe ngokubambisana ne-Thai Elephant Conservation Centre ephethwe uhulumeni. Kodwa ngokushesha indawo yokungcebeleka yaqala ukutakula izindlovu emigwaqweni yezikhungo ezinkulu zasemadolobheni.

Izindlovu ezingaphezu kuka-30 futhi eliphinda kabili lelo nani labanakekeli nemindeni yabo manje bahlala emagcekeni e-Anantara namuhla.

Izimpilo zamaMahout zinemvelaphi yezizwe
“Kwangithatha iminyaka embalwa ukwazi amaChao Gui,” kusho uRoberts, “kulaba bantu, kuwubizo olukhethekile lweqembu lesizwe sabo. Abanakekeli baseSurin bayikho konke ngamasiko abo, agxile ekunakekeleni izindlovu.”

Emakhulwini eminyaka adlule, inzalo yabanye babanakekeli banamuhla baseThailand kuthiwa yayifuye izindlovu zasendle. Njengoyisemkhulu kaKhan, yilaba bafana bezinkomo ababeqeqesha izindlovu futhi bendawonye bathuthukisa izindlela zokugawula zezwe.

Isiko lomnakekeli lokuhlala ndawonye nezindlovu lalidluliselwa kwesinye isizukulwane kuya kwesinye. Abanakekeli bagcina sebeyiqembu lezenhlalo ngisho nezilimi, ezikhuluma ulimi lwazo.

Konke kwashintsha ngemva kuka-1989. Kwakungalowo nyaka lapho iThailand yamisa khona ukuvinjelwa kwezindlovu ezigawula imithi, futhi isizukulwane sabanakekeli sazithola singasebenzi kungazelelwe. Izilwane nabanakekeli bazo babuyela endaweni eyake yaba ixhaphozi yezindlovu eSurin, kodwa ubunzima bokuziphilisa baphumela ekubeni eziningi zazo zigcine zingena emigwaqweni enomsindo yaseBangkok zikhokhisa izivakashi ithokheni ngokuthatha izithombe nezindlovu noma ukuba nazo. bondla izilwane ezilambile umoba noma amahlumela oqalo.

“Emigwaqweni, umnakekeli oyedwa ushayela indlovu kuyilapho abanye ababili bekhokhisa izivakashi ama-baht angu-20 noma angu-30 ukuze baziphakele, noma ama-baht angu-10 noma angu-20 ukuze bathole isithombe,” kusho umqondisi we-Anantara Elephant Camp u-K. Prakorn (Seng) Saejaw wangitshela, “Bathi bangase bahlale emigwaqweni kuze kube phakathi kwamabili, futhi lokhu akubalungele.”

Imithetho yakamuva yasungulwa ukuze ijezise ukuphakela umphakathi kwezindlovu, amaqembu anentshisekelo afuna ukulawulwa amahora azo okusebenza, ukumiswa komsoco, ngisho neminyaka eyisibopho yokuthatha umhlalaphansi ezilwaneni. Nokho, uRoberts ukhala ngokuthi intshiseko enciphayo kwabomthetho exubene nesidingo sabanakekeli sokwenza imali ishiya lincane ithemba lokuphumelela kunoma yimuphi umthetho.

Ufuna enye imali engenayo
Ngenxa yokuvinjelwa, i-Thai Elephant Conservation Centre ephethwe uhulumeni yaqala ukufuna enye imali yabanakekeli, iminako namuhla ehlanganisa iqembu leqembu lezindlovu, izindlovu ezipendayo, noma ezinye ezibonisa amakhono azo okugawula imithi.

Indawo yokuphumula yase-Anantara yakha i-Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation enikeza indawo yokukhosela ezindlovu. Labo mahouts abanenhlanhla yokwenza lapha baphinde bazuze endleleni entsha yokuziphilisa njengoba benikeza ukuqeqeshwa kanye nolwazi lokugibela izindlovu ezivakashini zasehhotela.

"Bekuyinto ethokozisayo ngokuphelele," kusho i-honeymoon u-Lori Anders Grubsztajn ngemuva kosuku lokuqeqeshwa kwabanakekeli endaweni yokungcebeleka, "Izilwane bezizinkulu impela, kodwa zimnene. Zinezinwele ezinde kakhulu kunalokho ebengicabanga ukuthi ziyoba njalo, futhi izinwele zazo zimaholoholo kakhulu.

"Kodwa sasithandana, futhi saqabulana ngaphambi kokuba sihambe."