Snares found in green belt near uMhlanga’s Hawaan Forest

LOCAL resident, Hilton MacLarty has expressed his concern at the discovery of several snares placed in the green belt between Hawaan Forest and the Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) in uMhlanga.

Last week, MacLarty volunteered with members of the Snare Aware group as well as the uMhlanga UIP and helped remove 20 snares in a sweep through the Hawaan Forest.

Snare Aware is an anonymous community based group of locals who remove snares and animal traps from protected areas in the province.

“The group of volunteers split up to cover different parts of the forest and no snares were found in the eastern and central sections of Hawaan Forest. I think this snare hunt was a great way to mobilise the communities in the area and educate them about snaring. We only have a small percentage of coastal forests around the country so we feel it’s important to protect it.

In other news: Several snares found in eMdloti green belt

“This snare hunt was also organised because we’ve had reports of hunters with hunting dogs patrolling the edge of the forest which is also quite concerning. To set the trap, hunters use the snare, which is a loop of wire suspended from a branch or small tree. The snare catches an animal by the neck and as the animal attempts to escape, the snare pulls tighter, trapping the animal. It’s a particularly cruel way for the animal to die,” MacLarty said.

In a statement, Snare Aware said a significant amount of the forest was covered.

“The goal was to cover as much ground as possible in a safe and sensitive manner, with the objective of identifying hotspot areas that can be focussed on with snare sweeps going forward. All 20 snares were located within the western area. A large portion of the snares found were set by one person (same material, method and knots used).

“The snare sweep has ascertained that the majority of the Hawaan Forest has not been affected by snaring. However, the western portion is currently a hotspot for these activities owing to its easy access from the N2 and the lack of security presence. The fact that the poachers are snaring close to Hawaan Drive is worrying,” the organisation said in a statement.  

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