Kloofendal wild under siege from poachers
Animals are being poached at an alarming rate at the Kloofendal Nature Reserve.
Poaching is once again on the increase in natural areas and reserves throughout Roodepoort, and the Kloofendal Nature Reserve is no exception.
The Roodepoort Record/ Northsider paid a visit to the reserve after receiving information from a concerned resident and frequent visitor to the reserve, who says that wildlife in the park is under siege from poachers who set snares that more often than not result in horrible injuries and extremely cruel deaths.
The Kloofendal Nature Reserve is home to numerous animals. These include small mammals, a few Duiker and even some Mountain Reedbuck.
Poachers manage to gain entry to the reserve despite it being fenced all around.
“There are a few weaker points around our perimeter,” says Steve Spottiswoode from the Friends of Kloofendal (FRoK).
“The poachers exploit this fact and set their cruel traps, indiscriminately catching a wide range of animals, some of which are simply discarded as they are not considered edible.”
Spottiswoode did not want to divulge the extent of the poaching problem, rather referring the Record/ Northsider to Johannesburg City Parks and Zoos (JCPZ).
According to Steve’s wife Karin, who works alongside him at FRoK, the poachers are surprisingly adept at their cruel trade, knowing exactly how to most effectively lure the game into their traps.
Karin showed the Record/ Northsider several snares that were removed from a portion of the reserve on Monday, July 1, a mere two days after a snare run was conducted there on Saturday, and many snares were recovered.
The snares are made from different types of wire, from thick, stiff wire, to light wire that will cut into the skin.
“The poachers are incredibly cruel,” says Karin. “They waste no time in cutting up the snared game right there in the veld, discarding the bits that they do not use or cannot carry as if they were trash. They don’t even bother to remove their snares once an animal has been caught; they just leave it there.”
The Kloofendal Nature Reserve, unlike some of the other protected areas in Roodepoort, does not have any full-time park rangers that patrol the reserve.
In addition, the continuing influx of vagrants into open spaces throughout the Roodepoort region is greatly contributing to the problem.
The Record has directed questions about the growing poaching problem to JCPZ and will add their response as soon as it is received.
