[WARNING: Article contains graphic imagery]
Cape Town - Project Noordhoeked, a local non-profit organisation that works in the Noordhoek wetland, has found and removed hundreds of illegal and inhumane snares that are having a devastating impact on the local wildlife with deaths and severe injuries of numerous animals.
Project Noordhoeked manager Karoline Hanks said their team had only recently become involved but that they worked in the area for years removing the invasive forests of Port Jackson – which were a huge fire risk in the area and were incidentally providing the perfect placement for these rudimentary snares.
Hanks said the team became aware of this increasing problem after being alerted by a number of passionate residents in the area who were concerned about what was going on. Animals caught in these snares included porcupines, dogs and caracals.
“Last week, we went with an experienced tracker and were shown what was what, and my team proved themselves to be capable and competent. We firmly believe this will add huge value to our work and have a positive effect on ecosystem integrity,” Hanks said.
In June this year, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA warned that a pandemic of illegal snaring was taking place and threatening animal life on the Southern Peninsula urban edge.
“Our wildlife department responds to at least two callouts a month to retrieve animals stuck in active snares,” the SPCA said.
The type of snares they typically found did not discriminate with regards to the species of animal they catch – a trap set to catch a small buck would also catch a porcupine, a caracal cat, a baboon, a mongoose, a tortoise, a guinea fowl or as easily a domestic dog or cat.
This was found to be the case in the Noordhoek wetland as well, and Hanks said the snares found there were potent and close to the walking paths, one snare had even caught a dog walker’s puppy by the leg.
Noordhoek Ratepayers Association (NRPA) chairperson Brad Bing said: “Our wetland is unbelievably magnificent and diverse, and we need to do all we can to protect it. The best way to do so is to become a NRPA member, as we support projects like Project Noordhoeked and others.”
