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State of the Coast: KZN
State of the Coast: KZN

State of the Coast: KwaZulu-Natal Chapter 1: Introduction & Background Chapter 2: Overarching Drivers Chapter 3: Climate Variability
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The Profile of the KZN Coast

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16 Sep 2020

Snare Aware continues its good work in Amanzimtoti

Earl Baillache (South Coast Sun) Picture: All the snares were made from palette strapping.

The Snare Aware group is continuing with its good work of riding Toti’s green areas of poaching. The band of nature lovers has removed more than 200 snares since its inception last month. To ensure safety and effectiveness, the group prefers to remain anonymous.

“Sunday’s (13 September) mission was a successful one, with 11 snares removed. We had a great turnout of 24 volunteers and a few new faces. Well done and thank you to everyone,” said a spokesperson for the group. “The previous weekend we covered lots of ground and not even the heat could slow us down. We removed 20 snares and a total of 91 from one area in the last three weeks! Every snare removed is a life saved.”

Following its most recent success, the group was contacted by a concerned member of the community, who suspected that snares had been set up in the greenbelt opposite their house. A team leader met with them early in the morning to scout the area.

“What was meant to be a quick recce, turned into one of the most intense sweeps we have ever done, with 104 snares removed before 9am, by just three people. Every single snare was made from palette strapping. You might think that this is not too effective, but the evidence shows how lethal this simple material is, with two dead blue duikers found in these snares. A porcupine skull was also found.”

The hunting party responsible comprises of an adult and 10 to 12 children, who are sent into the dense bush to set the traps. Many of them were set in very tight places, and it was difficult for an adult to get in there and remove them. The area was so heavily snared, there was almost no escape for the animals. Each and every path, entry or exit was blocked by a snare.

“In one 15 square metre area, we found nine snares and all 104 snares were found in an area of about 30 square metres. How can anything survive such a gauntlet? I think this has shown the importance of us as an organisation spreading awareness about the issue of snares. Without the exposure of our Facebook group, we may never have come across all these death traps.

If you would like to get involved, inbox the group’s Facebook page ‘Snare Aware’, as it does not discuss details in public. All requests to join its private events group are vetted for member safety and security. The group also urges animal lovers to download the free app ‘Trackboxx’, where if you post a photo of the pack with the location, a team is sent out to investigate

Online Article