Kõige eest tuleb maksta. Inimkonna kasvav heaolu makstakse kinni nõrgemate, kohanemisvõimetumate, nõudlikumate organismide elu hinnaga. Väidetavasti on kunagi looduses eksisteerinud liikidest hävinud vähemalt 90%, kuid enamasti on see toimunud loodusliku valiku käigus.
Inimtegevuse üha kasvav surve ümbritsevale keskkonnale on seda protsessi tohutult kiirendanud. Kui dinosauruste ajastul suri 1 liik välja 1000 aasta jooksul, ajavahemikul 1600–1900 kulus selleks neli aastat ja 20. sajandi algul ainult üks aasta, siis 1980. aastate algul hävis üks liik päevas ning kümnendi lõpuks prognoositi ühe liigi kadumist tunnis. Nende arvude üle võib küll vaielda, kuid protsessi olemust see kahjuks ei muuda.
Tänapäeval on haruldaste ja hävimisohus olevate loomade päästmise üheks peamiseks meetodiks kujunenud geneetiliste pankade loomine, s.t. loomade kasvatamine ja paljundamine vangipõlves. Kui loomad edukalt paljunevad, on vaja neid vanadesse või uutesse sobivatesse elukohtadesse taasasustada. Varem peeti seda võimatuks, arvati, et inimeste poolt üles kasvatatud loom ei tule enam vabaduses toime ja hukkub. Adamsonid tõestasid vastupidist. George Adamson “vabastas” 23 lõvi, Joy Adamson 3 erinevat liiki. Koos poegade ja pojapoegadega kasvas “eksperimentaalgrupi” liikmete üldarv üle 100.
Samas ei piisa ainult konkreetse liigi kaitsmisest, vaja on kaitsta ka tema eluks sobivat keskkonda. On öeldud, et Põhja-Kenya reservaadid on Adamsonide lapsed. Nende rahadega loodi rahvuspargid Merus ja Samburus, Marsabiti rahvuspark on George Adamsoni venna Terence’i töö. Kaitsealaks kuulutati ka Kora, Shaba ja Naivasha järve ümbrus.
Joy Adamson ei olnud küll hariduselt bioloog, kuid aastakümneid päevast päeva oma hoolealuste elu jälgides tegi ta teaduse jaoks ülimalt väärtuslikke tähelepanekuid. Eriti kehtib see gepardite ja leopardide kohta, kelle eluviis oli seni peaaegu tundmatu. Veel olulisem on aga mõju, mida tänaseni avaldavad tema köitvalt kirjutatud raamatud ja mitmel mandril linastunud filmid nende lugejaile ja vaatajaile, meenutades vajadust säilitada puhast metsikut loodust ja hoida paiku, kus elu kulgu määravad üksnes päikese tõus ja loojak, vihm ning instinktid.
Helle Rätsepa suhtumine loomadesse, loodusesse ja selle kaitsmisesse oli sama kirglik ja kompromissitu kui Joy Adamsonilgi. Erinevus tema ja Adamsonide looduskaitsealases tegevuses seisneb eelkõige ajast, kohast ja oludest sõltuvalt selle ulatuses ja tulemuslikkuses, mitte aga põhimõtetes, mis ilmnevad Helle Rätsepa artiklites ja kaudsemalt ka tema kirjavahetuses.
Meie kohus on säilitada meid ümbritsev loodus kogu oma rikkuses ka järeltulevatele põlvedele. Vastutus selle eest lasub nii ühiskonnal tervikuna kui ka igal üksikisikul. Aidaku seda meeles pidada ka käesolev väljaanne.
Koostaja
We have to pay for everything. The ever growing well-being of the humankind will be paid for with the lives of weaker, less adaptable, daintier organisms. It is said that probably 90% of the species that have ever existed in the nature, have become extinct, but mostly this process has been a part of the natural selection.
The ever increasing pressure put on the environment by human activities have enormously quickened up this process. When at the time of dinosaurs one species became extinct during 1000 years, during 1600–1900 this time was only four years, at the beginning of 20th century it was a year, in the 1980s one species perished every day, ant the prognosis for the end of the decade was that one species will perish every hour. These numbers may be arguable, but the essence of the process remains the same.
The main method of saving the animal species, which are under the threat of perishing, is the creation of genome banks, i.e. the breeding of animals in the captivity. If the animals breed successfully, they need to be rehabilitated into their original natural habitat, or new areas have to be found for them. It was considered impossible previously, it was thought that the animals raised in the captivity cannot adjust with freedom and will die. The Adamsons proved that it was still possible. George Adamson rehabilitated 23 lions, Joy Adamson did the same for three different species. The total number of the “experimental group”, together with their offspring of different generations, was more than 100.
At the same time, it is not enough to protect some particular species, their habitat also needs protection. It has been declared that the nature reserves in North Kenya were the children of the Adamsons. With the help of their money the national parks in Meru and Samburu were created, the national park in Marsabiti was the life-work of George Adamson’s brother Terence. Kora, Shaba and the Naivasha Lake area were also proclaimed natural reserves.
Joy Adamson had not studied biology, but following the life of her wards daily during decades gave her data extremely precious for science. Especially, this stands for cheetahs and leopards, whose ways of life were quite unknown so far. But even more important is the impact her fascinating books, and the films, which have been shown on several continents, are still having on wide audience, reminding them of the necessity of preserving clean unspoilt nature and protecting the areas, where the flow of life is determined only by sunrise and sunset, by rain and instincts.
Helle Rätsep’s attitude towards the animals and their protection was as uncompromising and passionate as that of Joy Adamson. The difference between her and the Adamsons’ activities only lies in their scope and resultfulness, which depended on the time, place and circumstances, not in their principles, which are very clear in Helle Rätsep’s articles and in her correspondence.
Our task is to preserve the nature surrounding us in all its diversity and richness to the next generations. The responsibility for it lies on the society in general, and on every single person. We hope that the present publication can help us to remember this task.
Compiler
Joy Adamsoni raamatute esitrükid — Books by Joy Adamson