A spike in illegal snares on Durban’s North Coast has had devastating consequences for local wildlife.
In 2024, a staggering 708 snares were discovered between Umdloti and Sheffield Beach. This marks a 78% increase compared to the previous year, writes the North Coast Courier.
The scale of the crisis was highlighted recently when volunteers removed over 150 snares from the Umdloti coastal forest. Among the grim discoveries were the remains of a baby duiker, two monkeys, and a trapped dog.
Animals endure slow, painful deaths
The team, working with the volunteer-run NPO Snare Aware, expressed outrage at what they see as mere cruelty and wastefulness.
“I don’t subscribe to the notion that those responsible hunt for food because they are poor and hungry,” said a volunteer.
“This is the second haul in a week in the same area, and we have found rotting bushbuck and duikers that have not been butchered for meat.”
The volunteers said that the situation is always the same when they remove snares, and feel like hunters have stopped caring.
“They cannot be that hungry if they don’t check these traps regularly.”
“They just leave the bodies to rot.”
Earlier this month Snare Aware cleared 86 traps from the Umdloti conservancy, only days after discovering 117 snares in the same vicinity.
During these operations, they found carcasses of blue duikers, monkeys, a bushbuck, and a dog.
Snare Aware have asked the public for donations to help fund their sweeps. Concerned citizens can also contact the NPO for help removing snares via details on their Facebook page.
How can conservationists better protect wildlife from snares?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article or emailing [email protected] or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.
