Bush meat poaching gaining momentum in Kruger
This year alone the SANParks's Honorary Rangers managed to remove more than 3 000 snares, and the number is expected to increase before the end of the year.
While many poachers kill rhinos for their horns, a different type of poacher kills any wild animal to obtain its meat for personal use or to sell it to others.
This is becoming a big concern for the Kruger National Park’s (KNP) management, especially as these targeted animals get caught in snares and die horrifically painful deaths.
The KNP Rangers and Honorary Rangers regularly embark on snare searches to remove them.
On Wednesday, Lowvelder was part of a snare removal project during a KNP media excursion. That morning a total of 65 snares were removed in a six-kilometre radius.
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A section ranger at Pretoriuskop, Rangani Tsanwani, said most of this type of poaching occurs close to communities surrounding the park and the venison is sold to villagers. “The methods they use to catch these animals are very cruel as they are using snares, causing the animal to die a painful death. We often check for snares and when found, remove them. This year alone we managed to remove more than 3 000 snares and were also able to release a number of animals trapped in them,” he said.
He added the snares target impala and buffaloes, but said even animals not targeted for their meat end up being trapped and die due to hunger and thirst. “The animals should be left to live freely in the park and we try to keep them safe at all times, but the poachers keep coming back and most of these snares are placed at strategic points. Animals cannot see the snares. Once they are caught, in their desperate attempts to try and escape, they end up killing themselves.”
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SANParks’s Honorary Ranger’s Snare Removal co-ordinator, Jacques Malan, said snares are removed every two weeks, but the more they remove, the more the poachers set new ones. He also said poachers are now using the fresh grass after the rain to cover up the snares as most of the animals will graze there first. “Most of these hotspots are between the surrounding villages, especially when the grass is fresh,” he said.
In some instances a poacher will set more than 10 snares at one time and if those snares are not removed, they can catch about five animals. However, as the poachers cannot carry all the animals, some are just left to die,” Malan concluded.
He also said that on any given day, as many as 50 snares are removed. Malan called on the public to refrain from buying this meat so that there is no market.
