‘Snarers’ upping their game in an attempt to poach endangered buck

Following information on two missing Reedbucks in the Kloofendal Nature Reserve and Roodekrans areas, it is believed that snare traps are on the rise.

In an article published on November 9 after the mysterious disappearance of a missing Kloofendal Reedbuck, it appears that the buck has been found, however, information about the whereabouts of another missing buck in the Roodekrans area is still under investigation.

According to Tony de Castro from the Sugarbush Ridge Coalition, the many kilometres of unfenced access to the greenbelt along the river pose many challenges for nature reserves as poachers use this as an opportunity to strike.

• Also read: Help locate this injured Kloofendal Reedbuck

“Our authorities have zero interest in prosecuting them – not a single poacher that we have caught has ever been formally arrested, let alone prosecuted,” he said.

“The way this was done is by our two rangers patrolling this rugged area on foot daily [they walk up to 22km per day]. When they find a snare, they scour that area for two or three days, and if it’s a big snare field we bring in our 10 volunteer rangers to help on the weekend. There are no shortcuts that we know of,” Tony said.

Some snares are set by amateurs, but an experienced ‘snarer’ can construct and place an effective snare in a couple of minutes. Each ‘snarer’ has their own ‘signature’ in terms of material used and construction and placement of the snare.

In such a large and rugged area, it is impossible to stop all access, especially at night. In the green belt, there is practically no chance of controlling access, but regular patrols throughout the area by residents will help to curtail poaching activity. Even this must be done with certain precautions so as not to cause unnecessary disturbance, particularly in the case of Mountain Reedbuck and chasing animals into the roads and suburbs.

• Also read: Volunteer rangers save Dassie from snare

The Sugarbush Ridge Coalition Rangers and the South African Wildlife Rescue Centre wildlife rescue technicians spent the weekend searching for snares in the greenbelt area adjacent to the Botanical Garden where the two snared Reedbuck were found.

“They have been living here for thousands of years. Because of what we do, we now have more of them here than 10 years ago. We have taken 4 000 snares out of the greenbelt and must just double our efforts,” Tony said.

Both bucks were examined by the vet, and they are both young male bucks that have not developed horns yet.