Snares in Kruger

[Richprins]

Absolutely, Lis!

[Richprins]

Snaring of Kruger animals gains momentum


More than 800 snares were removed from the Kruger National Parks in just three months late last year.
15 hours ago
Tumelo Waga Dibakwane



Snaring in the Kruger National Park is increasing.

The building of houses next to the park makes it easier to enter it to lay them. Between June and September, the SANParks Honorary Rangers and SANParks rangers removed more than 800 snares from the southern side of the park.

According to a Skukuza section ranger, Kally Ubisi, a badly hurt pregnant giraffe was found with a snare around her neck. It was, however, possible to treat her after rescuing her, and in this instance, an animal did not die a painful death.


Roland Mastnak. Photo: Tumelo Waga Dibakwane

He said some snares are clearly manufactured by a machine, and the poachers are targeting animals most people eat or sell. They are not after wild cats, for instance, as there is no market for them, but they still get caught anyway and die.

“That tells us there is a market for wild meat nearby, because the snares are all over the park. With the assistance of the honorary rangers, we are doing our best to remove them, but poachers keep returning to lay them again,” Ubisi said.

According to him, the problem is getting out of hand as people are now building their houses next to the park’s fences. Some have even built taverns there, making it an easy assembly point for poachers to sneak into the Kruger.

“Some of these people who have built their houses next to the park are destroying the fence so that animals can simply walk out. They will then either kill them or call us to take it back. This is difficult to do, and we end up having to euthanise them and give the meat to the community members to eat,” Ubisi explained.



Awareness campaigns are held in the communities, warning about the dangers of snaring and how this would lead to problems when caught.

However, this does not stop the rampant snaring. Ubisi urged the community members to stop laying snares and removing the fence, which had been erected not only to protect wild animals, but also the communities’ livestock, which can pick up diseases from wild animals entering residential areas.




Kally Ubisi, the Skukuza section ranger. Photo: Tumelo Waga Dibakwane

Roland Mastnak, an honorary ranger, said the southern side of the park stretches from the Paul Kruger Gate to the Malelane Gate. Most of the snares are found next to the villages in this area. Some even use the Kruger’s fencing to make the snares.

“The number of snares we have removed shows these poachers are not doing it because they want to eat, but that they have a lucrative market for selling bush meat. They are not even manufacturing the snares themselves anymore as most of those found were not hand-made. It is heartbreaking that animals die very painful deaths in a protected environment,” Mastnak said.

Despite the challenges, Mastnak said they would continue to assist with removing the snares twice a month to protect the animals.

https://www.citizen.co.za/lowvelder/new ... 5wSPv_4AOw

[Lisbeth]

Awareness campaigns are held in the communities,

They wrote the same 10 years ago!

I am pretty sure that they cannot build their houses where they want. Instead of complaining, they should do something about it.

All the talk about engaging the communities close to the park, is not meant as a permission to use snares

You cannot use kid gloves with these people

[Richprins]

Lis!

[Richprins]

Big cats hunted for muthi

A traditional healer in the Bushbuckridge area who specialises in poaching big cats and selling the skins and organs, shared some insights with Lowvelder, on condition of anonymity.

He claimed he uses the organs, hides, teeth and bones for muthi. He also sells them to other traditional healers. Adult big cats are in great demand while juveniles are not preferred. However, juveniles that do fall do not go to waste. Their skins, livers, teeth and bones are still sold.



One of the impalas that was poached for its meat in the Kruger. > Photo: Supplied

“I hunt lions, leopards and cheetahs for their skins and organs. The majority of my customers are from beyond our borders. They mostly buy whole carcases. On the other hand, local people tend to buy organs, hides and body parts, mostly for different types of muthi. I am not sure what the other traditional healers outside South Africa do with the meat. I only care about the money they pay me,” the sangoma said.

He said he sells a cat for about R2 000, depending on the size of the animal. “I use snares to catch them, but I must also carry a gun with me in case they decide to retaliate. It takes a week or two to catch one of them since they are very clever. Once the animal has been killed it takes a day or two to cut the meat,” he explained.

He described how some of his customers eat lion livers because they they believe it keeps them safe in dangerous situations and when committing criminal acts. Others even use it to make them fearless at work or in business.

Lion phlegm is highly desirable among people in positions of power, be it in politics, business or in the music industry. “It helps them to be heard when they speak or sing and strikes fear in the hearts of their opponents.”

The lion’s head is popular among people who want to be leaders, especially in the church or politics, as well as among polygamous men. Leopards are poached almost exclusively for their attractive skins, while cheetahs are desired by those who wish for a speedy escape from danger.

A number of traditional leaders admitted to Lowvelder they use poached big cats for purposes similar to those outlined above.

Bush meat trade fuelled by poverty

The bush meat trade is booming and it is understood to be driven by economic hardship. People cannot afford to buy meat from the butchery any more because it has become too expensive.

“I charge from R700 upwards [for a whole buck] depending on the size of the animal,” a dealer said. This while a carcase of similar size could fetch as much as R2 800 at a legal butchery. “I sell my meat to local people in the Hazyview and Bushbuckridge areas. I either deliver it to them or they collect it at my place. However, the big challenge we face when delivering meat is that we need to use a long detour to avoid being caught by the police.”

This dealer started selling bush meat after he lost his job in 2019. Since finding his feet in the bush meat industry, he has given up on looking for a job because he is now able to provide for his family.

A few bush meat poachers and dealers spoke to Lowvelder, also on condition of anonymity.


The pregnant giraffe that was snared.

A snare poacher said it takes two or three days to deliver a deal, depending on how big an animal the buyer wants. “I access the park via a hole in the fence. It is easy, especially next to the farms or residential areas. Once I am inside, I place the snares in different areas. I make the snares myself. When laying them, I first check the spoor in the area to make sure that I place the correct snare to catch the animal that I am after. However, sometimes you place a snare targeting an impala and you end up catching a bushbuck. The worst is to catch a cheetah, lion or leopard, because I have no market for them. Fortunately, in most cases, if the snares are positioned in the right place, there is a 99% chance of success,” he said.

Another poacher said he prefers to shoot the animals as it is much easier. He claimed to be working with Kruger staff on the inside who tell him where the animals are. “We are a team of three people and we only go hunting if we have a customer. We go to the park and straight to where the animal is. We shoot it and carry it to the car next to the fence, and take it to the client. We specialise in all kinds of bush meat, except an elephant because it requires a lot of resources and you can get caught while trying to kill it,” he said.



Some of the snares that were removed in Kruger.

He said his father taught him poaching skills, and when his father passed away he took over the business. He said he has been poaching for 10 years and had managed to put his two sisters through college with the money.

“I understand very well that what I am doing is very wrong and unacceptable, because I am endangering myself. The animals are supposed to be protected; that is why they have a fence. But I was forced by poverty to join the business. Many people are buying meat from poachers because it is cheap. At the butchery, with R700 you only get a small portion of the meat, while from the poachers they get the whole animal and can also sell the skin, head and legs to local traditional healers. Buyers of bush meat claim they are not stealing from anyone, but merely supporting the poachers who are taking animals that were created by God to be eaten.”

The Kruger’s spokesperson, Isaac Phaahla, condemned the poaching of wild animals and warned poachers that if they get caught, they will be harshly dealt with. “We condemn poaching and the selling of wild animals; it’s criminality. We are calling on the communities around the park to report any poaching-related matters to the police, or anyone who is selling wild meat. We have local and international tourists who visit the park to see the animals, but we will soon not have anything to show them and many people will lose their jobs,” he said.

https://www.citizen.co.za/lowvelder/new ... OCu3sEbysQ

[Lisbeth]

I don't think that SANParks is taking this kind of poaching seriously, they limit themselves to removing the snares

Lion phlegm is highly desirable among people in positions of power, be it in politics, business or in the music industry. “It helps them to be heard when they speak or sing and strikes fear in the hearts of their opponents.”

The lion’s head is popular among people who want to be leaders, especially in the church or politics, as well as among polygamous men. Leopards are poached almost exclusively for their attractive skins, while cheetahs are desired by those who wish for a speedy escape from danger.

And lots of other idiocies.

How can people in today's world believe in this nonsense?

[Richprins]

They are worse than the Chinese!

[Richprins]

Kruger Sightings
@LatestKruger
3:27pm
Pack of Wild Dog stationary
"One dog is injured."
H4-2, 4.1km N of H5
Near Lower Sabie
5/5
Tinged by Tandi
5:35 PM · Mar 3, 2025

[Lisbeth]