“The Silent War Rages On”

May has gone by in a flash and a blur. Can’t believe how quickly time is going! We are starting to see changes in the bush, as much of the natural water dries up, and little remaining vegetation begins to change. Animals are beginning to congregate around available resources, making them an easier target for poachers… and poaching remains an ever-present threat for us.  

However, thanks to you, our incredible friends and supporters, and to a dedicated, committed team of Rangers we are keeping a large amount of poaching at bay! I’m confident that the situation would be significantly worse if the VFAPU Rangers weren’t on the ground daily. 

It’s been a busy month of arrests, ambushes and animal rescues.

Statistics for the Month

Snares Removed: 119

May has seen the return of the more traditional method of snaring. Here a poacher sets up a line of snares on well-used animal pathways. They then return every day or so to check the snares in the hope that an unsuspecting animal has fallen victim to his trap. This is different to the method we have been observing where poachers herd animals through freshly laid snares.

We ambushed 4 snare lines this past month, two resulted in arrests and 2 did not. The big positive, however, is that we only lost one animal in the 33 snares that made up the 4 separate snare lines.

Being compromised is one of our greatest challenges from an operations point of view. One of the hottest areas we manage is the bush immediately around town. Pretty much from the Park Boundary near the Croc Farm, all the way through Big Tree to Look Out Café. Not only does this area house excellent numbers of animals, but it also has a lot of human traffic passing through. Much of it is innocent, and just people taking shortcuts to work or something similar, but a lot is also not so innocent. As much as we strive to be secret, our Rangers are seen by a lot of people, and we are convinced poachers have their own intelligence network regarding our units’ movements.

We are confident this is the reason for the 2 ambushes that did not yield arrests. However, we are constantly adapting and improving through the lessons we learn every day, and it’s only a matter of time before we catch our guy!

We expect to see an increase in this sort of subsistence poaching, especially as it gets drier and the effects of the drought take hold.

Animals Rescued: 3

VFAPU Rangers assisted the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust with the rescue of a young warthog this month.

A Good Samaritan alerted us that the animal was limping badly with a swollen ankle. Our Rangers managed to track the animal down whilst the Wildlife Trust vets prepared their equipment. Once successfully darted, we began to work on the wound to expose what we presumed to be a snare.

Much to our surprise (and relief), it was not a snare that had caused the damage, but another man-made issue. Litter! This poor girl had obviously stepped perfectly through a plastic bottle cap. Over time it had caused terrible swelling and discomfort for this animal.

Thankfully the vet was able to remove the hindrance and give her a dose of anti-biotics. She has since returned to her family, free of her discomfort and able to start the healing process.

Our second rescue of the month was of a sub-adult male kudu. Again, the ever-present eyes of our great community alerted us to the distress of this animal.

As always, the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust reacted immediately and successfully darted the young bull. The challenge was that it was now well into the evening and the sun had set. This proved to be no problem at all! The Wildlife Trust are a slick and proficient organisation and had used a telemetry dart. A normal tranquilising dart, but with a tracker device in it. This made the follow-up relatively easy, and we came upon the now-asleep kudu in next to no time.

The snare was quickly removed and the wounds were assessed. Sadly, the animal had been caught across its face, and the wire had done some damage to the right ear and left eye. The ear was treated and should make a full recovery but the chances of it gaining full use of its eye are slim. Whilst a pity, we are all confident that he will make a full recovery and live a happy life.

The final animal that VFAPU Rangers assisted in the rescue of was an adult female buffalo. The ever-present IMPI Horse-mounted unit discovered a small herd of buffalo. Given the fact that animals are far more relaxed around people on horseback, the team was able to get in close to study each animal.

Immediately, their eyes were drawn to a female that had a snare just below her horns, and across her face. With the cover provided by the horses, the Wildlife Trust Vet managed to get a dart into her. The herd moved off a short distance, with the IMPI team following slowly to keep an eye on the darted cow.

As soon as she was down, the teams rushed in to remove the snare, assess any wounds, and get her back to her feet and free to roam again. The snare was made of a high-tensile cable and certainly the work of a more professional poaching effort.

Our teams gathered what intelligence we could from the cable with great motivation to find the culprits and stop issues like this from happening. The lucky girl was woken up and quickly trotted off to rejoin her herd.

Another great example of our very conservation-oriented community and the united approach to conservation issues between organisations.

Animals Lost: 2

Sadly, there were two losses this month that we are aware of. Both as a result of snares. In neither case did the poachers succeed in harvesting the meat.

The first was a young female impala, and the second was a young female bushbuck.

Poachers Arrested: 99

With a surge in firewood poaching, we have conducted several blitzes this month to try and curb the increase we are experiencing. 97 of the 99 arrests we made were for wood poaching.

This is a serious challenge given the lack of alternative fuel for many of the culprits, but there is always a significant amount that is being harvested on a commercial scale. If left unchecked, there would be significant deforestation of our wild spaces.

The highlight of the Month

The major highlight of the month was two successful operations that resulted in the arrest of 2 poachers.

Both have been charged and are awaiting their court appearances to learn their fate. We hope for a strong penalty that will deter this sort of behaviour.

The first was rather surprising as it occurred within the suburbs of Vic Falls. A Good Samaritan alerted us to a dead Bushbuck a mere 5 meters off the side of the road. We responded immediately only to discover that it was a poaching scene. The poor animal had succumbed to a snare.

Given the fact that the animal was so visible, an ambush was set up immediately. It was late afternoon, and the team took up positions away from the scene, but monitoring it from a distance. There was just not enough cover to conceal the guys closer to the animal. As soon as the sun began to set, the team moved in closer.

And just in time, not 15 minutes before getting into position, a vehicle slowly approached the scene, it stopped and two suspects jumped out. The vehicle left as the two men began to approach. Without hesitation, they began to untie the wire in the hope of loading the carcass into a sack and fleeing in the vehicle.

Our team pounced and managed to apprehend one of the guys. A pursuit ensued, but the second suspect managed to make it to the getaway car, and they fled. Our hope is that their identity will be revealed during the investigation, and justice can be served to the whole gang.

The second was as a result of an active snare line identified by VFAPU Rangers late in the evening on one of their daily patrols. An ambush was organised for early morning. The team disturbed (unset) a couple of the snares which forces the poacher to come in and fix them. Thus catching him red-handed. The plan worked like a dream, and as the sun was rising a suspect appeared through the trees. Cautiously he moved forward to tend to his snares, unaware of the awaiting Rangers poised to pounce at the right moment. As soon as he touched the snare to begin fixing it, our team was on him. With little struggle, he was apprehended and taken to the police station along with his devastating traps.

Without knowing what their sentences will be, we are confident that this is 2 more poachers out of the system for a while. And a strong message to other poachers that they cannot expect to do what they do freely, our Rangers will get you. It’s only a matter of time.

May has brought with it the chilly mornings which announce the start of winter. It has also given us a glimpse into what can be expected in the months to come when the full effects of the drought will be felt.

VFAPU is in the process of engaging a few more rangers to bolster our team and increase our presence to combat the already increasing threat.

Once again, our deepest, heartfelt thanks go out to all our amazing friends and supporters. Your generous contributions enable us to make a difference within our beautiful Victoria Falls.