Wildlife

The Danger of Snares

The loss of natural heritage, mainly due to poaching, has long been a thorn in the side of national and provincial conservation agencies and the spotlight is firmly on rhino and elephant because of massive increases in animal losses over recent years.

But what of other species which are also at risk including antelope and, high on the endangered scale, pangolin and wild dogs?

An answer, in part, comes from the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) which points out that a snare, in a person’s hand, doesn’t look like much.

“It’s just a piece of wire with a loop here and there. Place this wire in the hands of wildlife poachers and it becomes one of Africa’s most deadly weapons.

“Snares and traps kill millions of animals across the world each year. In Africa snares are mostly used to capture antelope for bush meat. In some instances, the goal is to target key high value species for trafficking body parts.

“Snares do not discriminate, catching anything,” the Stellenbosch-headquartered NGO said.

“A recent find in Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park was again evidence of this sad fact. Strategically concealed in a high density antelope movement area, a snare line claimed a waterbuck and three endangered African wild dogs,” a PPF spokesman said.

“It was clear from analysis of the scene the dogs were not targets of this trap. The carcasses were intact with no body parts removed. Most likely responding to the distress calls of the trapped waterbuck the dogs ended up caught in the snare line.”

Wild dogs are one of the most endangered carnivores in the world with only a few thousand still found in mostly southern and eastern Africa. African wild dogs are particularly susceptible to becoming by-catch in snares as, if a dog is caught, the rest of the pack are most likely to look for the missing individual and become ensnared.