Snare Crisis Fund

Since our last update in August, your incredible support has kept boots on the ground and veterinary teams ready 24/7. Together we have removed 60 deadly snares across multiple high-risk areas around Hoedspruit, walked more than 72 kilometres on patrol, and directly protected some of Africa’s most vulnerable wildlife.

The stories that stay with us are the ones you made possible. In late July and early August, Dr. Bart Gazendam of WildScapes Veterinary spent five exhausting days tracking a pride of nine lions after reports that two of them — an adult female and a young cub — were fighting for their lives with wire snares cutting deeply into their bodies. After failed call-ups, aggressive pride dynamics, and gusty winds that grounded the helicopter, the team finally succeeded: the female’s severe abdominal wound was cleaned and treated, and the cub’s life-threatening neck and chest injury was given urgent care. Just one week later, ground teams smiled with relief — both lions were seen moving comfortably, and the female was already hunting again. These are the second chances your donations deliver.

On the prevention front, Phase 2 of the Snare Crisis Fund is in full swing. Repeated sweeps near a critical wild dog den site (in partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, Soldiers for Wildlife, and K9 Conservation) pulled 20 snares and exposed active poaching camps. Targeted patrols by Protrack APU around Hoedspruit town have now returned to the same dangerous zones three times, finding freshly butchered warthogs, cut cable snares where animals were taken, and even a suspicious individual who tried to hide when rangers appeared. Every patrol sends a clear message: this bush is watched, and poachers are no longer welcome.

None of this would happen without you, your generosity is turning the tide against this silent killer. Thank you for standing with us, for believing that no animal should suffer in a snare, and for giving wildlife across our region a safer tomorrow.