Roodekrans Neighbourhood Watch concerned about continued poaching and trapping of wildlife

The Roodekraans Neighbourhood Watch (RNW) is concerned about the continued illegal poaching and the setting of snares currently taking place in the Greater Roodekraans Ridge and Kenmare Kloof, with authorities struggling to effectively combat it.

The Sugarbush Ridge Coalition (SRC), a non-profit organisation that consists of the Proteadal Conservation Association, Wild Orchid South Africa, the Botanical Society of South Africa, The Black Eagle Project, and RNW are working together to eradicate snares and traps that have led to the deaths of wildlife and domestic animals.

The SRC is also concerned about the removal of wild proteas, known as the Sugarbush, being sold as firewood.

The project began six years ago and has resulted in over 4 500 snares being removed from the ridge alone.

Over the last three months, almost 1 000 snares have been found and removed, some of which held the remains of wild animals, as well as one unfortunate dog that lost its way into the Kenmare Kloof from Witpoortjie.

Recently, two endangered Mountain Reedbucks were found snared in the Roodekrans area, and the most recent incident involved a domestic cat being snared, leading to the removal of 51 snares in one morning.

According to Andreas Oberlechner, the chairperson of the RNW, the greenbelts within the Helderkruin, Roodekrans, Breaunanda, Poortview, and Kloofendal have turned into potential hunting grounds for illegal poaching.

“We are managing the illegal poaching with rangers and volunteers from the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, we doing regular snare removal operations. We are just going to have to step up our searches into the greenbelt areas within the suburbs themselves,” he said.

Oberlechner has urged people to be more involved and to do searches regularly around their immediate vicinity if they are close to an open area.

Residents are also requested to report any suspicious activities to the RNW on 081 043 9488.