Saving the coast’s wildlife, one snare at a time

A small group of wildlife lovers gathered with one mission last Sunday – to hunt high and low for snares.

The snare hunt was on the back of an incident where a dog was found caught in a snare by the Lower South Coast SPCA last Monday.

Brothers Craig and Ryan Saunders from the South Coast Anti-Snaring Group and Tweni residents Lee and Don Murray also assisted in the intense search.

After a week of rain, the terrain was wet and muddy, so what an adventure.

The group slipped and slid through the forest-like bush. Some even landed in the mud.

The pangas came in handy as they helped to clear a pathway through the brambles.

All the chaotic jungle climbing was worth it in the end when group members began to find lethal snares, one by one, tucked away in the bush.

“The snares looked like they had been freshly set up,” said Craig Saunders, founder of the group.

The older and more experienced, eagle-eyed ‘snare hunters’ spotted a total of seven wire snares set up in the bush on the farm.

It was a good morning in the bush, surrounded by nature, and a win for wildlife!

Snares are wiping out the country’s wildlife.

In most cases, the animal caught in a wire snare can suffer a slow and agonising death due to injuries, starvation, dehydration, and infections.
They may get tangled in the snare and struggle for days, unable to escape, which can lead to severe trauma and ultimately, death.

To make matters worse, poachers set the traps and then don’t come back to check on them, and the animal dies for no reason.

Craig showed the group a large bag of different types of snares they had collected over the years.

He thanked everyone who came out and encouraged more people and teens to get involved.

If you would like to join the South Coast Anti-Snaring Group’s WhatsApp group, contact Craig on 072 2587907.

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