Mhara

Mhara (Impala in English and Afrikaans) imhuka yemusango inoda kuenzana nemhembwe. Mhara inobva mumhuri yemombe; inosanganisira mombe dzepamusha, hwai, mbudzi nenyati. Mhuka iyi inowanikwa mumasango enyika dzinoti Kenya, Tanzania, Eswatini, Mozambique, kumaodzanyemba kweNamibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, kuchamhembe kweAngola, South Africa and Uganda. Huwandu hwe Mhara muAfrica hunodarika 2 million.

Mutupo

Mhara mumwe wemitupo ine vanhu vemuZimbabwe vanobva kumabvazuva kana kuti kuManicaland. Vanhu vanodaidzwa vachinji vanachikonamome.

Mhara dzine hurefu kusvika pamapendekete huri pakati pe 73–92cm uye kubva kumusoro kusvika kubesu dzinehurebu hunosvika 1.5m. Hono dzinoita huremu huri pakati pe 46–76 kg, nzvari dzinorema zviri pakati pe 35–50 kg. Mhara dzine ruvara rwaka kangavara (reddish-brown), dziine besu rakaita rushava nedumbu jena. Hono dzine nyanga dzinoreba kusvika 90cm asi nzvari hadzina nyanga.

Mhara inodya uswa unyoro munguva yekunaya asi kana pasina uswa uhwu, inodya hwakaoma, mashizha netumiti twutete. Mhara haidyi nyama.

Nzvari neMhara diki dzinogara mumatanga akakura kusvika 200. Munguva yokunge kuine mafuro akanaka mabhuru eMhara anotara muganhu nokuchengera nzvimbo dzawo achitanda dzimwe hono dzingada kupinda munzvimbo idzi. Nzvari dzose dzinopinda munzvimbo yakachengerwa dzinokomberedzwa nemukono uchiedza kudzivirira kuti dzisabude munzvimbo iyi.

Munguva yokunge kuine nzara munharaunda, matanga ane mikono nenzvari anobatana kuitira kutama dzichitsvaga mafuro. Panguva yakadai Mhara dzinofamba nzendo ndefu dzakawanda dzichienda kumafuro manyoro, uye mikono inogarisana murugare.

Nguva yokuti mikono inonzwa havi yokuda nzvari inotanga panopera mwaka wekunaya kwemvura munaChivabvu; nguva iyi yakareba mavhiki matatu (3). Munguva yehavi iyi mhara hono dzinochengetedza nzvimbo dzadzo zvakasimba uye dzinoisa munhuhwi wadzo kumucheto kwenharaunda dzadzo. Uyezve dzinovhundutsira dzimwe nekuita ruzha, nekumira kunoratidza kusimba asi kana zvanetsa dzinorwa. Mhara nzvare inotakura pamuviri kwemwedzi 6-7; asi nzvari inokwanisa kunonoka kuzvara kana mafuro asina kururama. Panguva yokuzvara, nzvari inozvitsaura kubva kudanga yonozvarira pakahwanda ichichengeta mhuru yayo ipapo kwemavhiki maviri-matatu isati yadzokera kune dzimwe. Mhuru dzinoyamwiswa kwemwedzi mitanhatu (6).

Kana Mhara dzichinge dzavhundutswa nezvikara dzinotanga kusvetuka dzichiita udasvumutasvu dziine chinagwa chokuvhiringidza zvikara. Mhara inokwanisa kukwakuka nhambwe inosvika 10m ichikwira 3m mudenga. Mhara dzinomhaya kusvika 80 km/h kana dzotiza zvikara. Panguva yokutiza dzinomwaya hwema kubva mumakumbo adzo, zvichiyamura kuti danga remhara rirambe riri pamwe.

Zvikara zvinotevara mhara zvinosanganisira: shumba; mbada; ingwe; bere uye garwe kana Mhara dzaenda kunonwa mvura kurwizi.

• VaDigo vanoti chiphala (impala) kureva mhara.