The loss faced by the wildlife community as a consequence of an illegal hunting technique that killed a Cape Mountain Leopard in Agter Paarl last week, highlighted the need to refresh on snare scare tactics.
The Paarl Post reported on an investigation into a poached Cape Leopard on a farm that was launched by the Cape Winelands Stock Theft Unit and CapeNature last Monday.
The CapeNature Conservation Manager of the Limietberg Nature Reserve, Patrick Shone, alleged a worker on the farm found the leopard already dead in the snare, and slaughtered the remains with the help of another farmworker. Shone said the carcass, skin and snare were confiscated and that the workers were fined for possession of a wildlife carcass without the necessary permits.
The Cape Leopard Trust’s (CLT) Jeannie Hayward said they will participate in the ongoing investigation in Agter Paarl as required. In the meantime, Hayward shared valuable insight and awareness on how to deal with this illegal hunting practice.
What exactly is a snare?
According to the Landowner’s Guide to Monitoring and Preventing Illegal Hunting with Snares, a snare trap is a simple piece of wire, cable, twine or nylon fashioned into a noose. The noose is then anchored to trees, fence posts and other vegetation, and positioned in such a way to capture animals either by the foot (placed parallel with the surface) or by the head or body (suspended vertically).
Where are snares placed?
Snares are placed along game trails or fence lines where there is a lot of animal activity. The nooses are carefully camouflaged or held in place with fine vegetation, and twigs or rocks are often placed to direct animal movement towards the snare. Some hunters even go as far as baiting their traps or placing them directly in front of animal dwellings (such as porcupine burrows). Stands of alien and disturbed natural vegetation tend to be hotspots for snaring activity.
CLT’s studies have shown that snares are mainly set to catch bushmeat. Hayward says this practice has severe adverse effects on biodiversity in general and on leopards specifically. “It directly affects leopards (as in the case of this ongoing investigation) and indirectly due to prey depletion (the animals targeted for bushmeat are the leopards’ main prey species),” she says.“
Members of conservancies, hiking clubs, MTB clubs, neighbourhood watches etc., can all make concerted efforts to gather regularly for snare patrols on private properties, given that permission was granted by the owner / manager.”
Beware that no person should ever attempt to free a living wild animal from a trap, but rather immediately report it to authorities.
In collaboration with CapeNature, the CLT aims to create awareness and informs property owners wanting to monitor and prevent illegal snare hunting, to:
- Forewarn all workers that snaring is illegal and will not be tolerated (include clause in contracts).
- Educate the workforce about the negative aspects and impacts of snaring.
- Conduct regular, visible patrols to find and remove snares.
- Limit/restrict access to materials that can be used to make snares (i.e. discarded vineyard wire and pieces of cable)
- Share knowledge and create awareness about snaring activity among neighbours.
- Engage in conversation with the workforce to understand the underlying factors driving bushmeat hunting and snaring activity, and try to resolve those matters.
Hayward believes that increasing awareness and education is key to conserve our sensitive natural environments. “In a recent study where regular snare activity was recorded, 51% of owners or managers of such properties were unaware of this happening and did not know what to look out for.”
