GEORGE NEWS - The Wildlife Crime Information Network (WCIN) will be collaborating with CapeNature, SANParks and other important role players to host a series of anti-snare awareness workshops in the Garden Route.
"We invite landowners, farm managers, conservancies, wildlife experts and the community to join these workshops," says WCIN founder Leon Rossouw.
"We will discuss the issue of illegal snaring after some presentations about the law and the reality of snares.
"Participants will learn how to identify, remove, reduce and prevent snares in and around the valuable wildlife habitat."
Snaring is a common poaching tool and something people don't hear of every day or pay much attention to, but it is probably among the largest killers of our wildlife in the Western Cape. It's an extremely pervasive method of poaching and can be made with anything, from rope or wire to cable or nylon that cuts into the skin of the animals.
Snares are anchored cables or wire nooses set along a highly active animal path to catch wild animals.
Animals are caught in snares daily, and endangered and threatened species are not spared from the poachers' traps.
According to Rossouw, snares are often set to catch game meat species like small antelopes and porcupines, but are indiscriminate and take a huge toll on the entire ecosystem, also impacting predators like caracals and leopards.
"Preliminary research suggests that bush meat is the main motivation for setting snares in the Western Cape, although the illegal trade in animal parts is also an important factor," he says.
Join them on Wednesday 30 April between 18:00 and 20:00 at the Fairy Knowe Hotel in Wilderness.
This will be the first of a series of anti-snare awareness workshops where the threads of snaring will be unravelled.
You will learn:
• What is snaring, and why is this common poaching tool a problem?
• Different kinds of snares and what signs to look for.
• Illegal snaring and the law.
• How and where to find these silent killers in the wild.
• What you must do when you find a snare.
• What to do when you find a live animal caught in a snare.
For more information or to reserve your spot, WhatsApp 079 643 9556 or email info@wcin.org.za.
The deadline to register for the workshop is Monday 28 April. The attendance fee is R50 per person and all the money raised will go towards funding for veterinary services. Refreshments and snacks will be served.
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