In the space of one week, our snaring group received another two reports of spotted hyena's with snares. We funded the immobilisation of both cases and the removal of the snares from around their necks. The first hyena was spotted just south of Gowrie gate, on a lion kill. Despite being easily darted, he ran into a dense thicket and it took an hour and ten minutes to eventually locate him, which was right on the limit of the immobilisation drugs. The vet team only had a few seconds to cut the snare, remove the dart and quickly administer some of the reversal drug before it shot up and ran away. This snare was again a copper wire snare, the same wire that we removed from another hyena on the Manyeleti/Sabi Sands Nature Reserve boundary.

Not far from this location, we funded the treatment of another, sub-adult hyena with a cable snare around its neck. The snare had fortunately not caused any major wounding and was successfully removed without complications. Our snare rescue group covered the veterinary costs as well as 1.1h fixed wing flying time to relocate the hyena.

We are working with research organisations in our area to help fund tracking collars and research into where these animals move, and identify snaring hotspots to enable more targeted action. Tracking collars for predators cost upwards of ZAR 50,000 (USD 2,700). If you are able to assist, please consider donating. We will keep you up to date about how and where your collar will be used to save animals from snares.

Thanks to the Wildscapes Veterinary team & to our Snare Rescue Group partners for joining forces in funding these rescue! If you would like to contribute to desnaring rescues like this, please consider becoming a monthly donor to our conservation charity.