Putting something back
At ADA Adventure Centre they offer a wide variety of training courses, but to put something back they host an Anti Poaching Snare work group every Sunday where they collect snares and hang them on their “wall of hope” to create awareness for the problem in their area. The wall symbolises hope and remembrance of creatures that fell foul to a snare.
Pangolins are widely trafficked in Africa and other parts of the world but there is a great deal of secrecy regarding their rehabilitation and relocation. Rhino also falls foul of the poacher’s gun.
In the area around ADA, it is mainly small species that are poached, this in itself damages the ecosystem.ADA has paired with “Down to the Wire” an organisation based in Hoedspruit and information is jointly shared.ADA also sell bangles made from snares and caps to assist in fundraising.
Poaching is a serious threat to all wild species and many animals and these snare patrols are invaluable in maintaining the species that exist in the veld around their property.
Snares are an extremely harsh method of catching animals who suffer a good deal of pain and may be left in the bush for days. The relationship between ADA and Down to the Wire aims to eradicate poaching in the area and create awareness of what has become a growing problem.
The aim of constant patrols is to eradicate the problem and create hope for the animals and their habitat. It’s a sort of irony that the snares end up as beautiful bangles which assist in fundraising.
A snared animal is not left unaided and there is a network of vets who will assist when a snared animal is found. Many people have asked me if there are still animals in the area, well Salvador the Bull Terrier was chased by a wart hog and ended up having extensive surgery at the local vet to close his wounds. And more recently a kudu wandered onto the property, had a look around and left.
So they are there as are the ever-present snakes, the most dangerous being Cobras and Puff Adders. Monkeys abound and they have to be watched especially when meals are served.
We can all do something and I have spent time with a few wildlife organisations and often take animals to them via the Johannesburg Zoo which can not accommodate them. I recently located two terrapins in the pond at Delta Park, it was extremely satisfying. Small things that make a big difference. One needs to understand that many of our birds fall prey to the storms such as the recent hail storm that hit Johannesburg and in many cases they are just cold and wet-and we can help. I have taken numerous birds to a local vet who releases them the next day.