With the incredibly dry conditions at hand and a high availability of water sources within the Umbabat we have seen a substantial increase in the presence of snared animals coming into the area. `
This is of concern, as these animals had very likely travelled vast distances to get here, and likely had moved through from unpopulated areas and thus most likely remained undetected until moving into the Umbabat PNR, where they were consequently sighted and reported for treatment.
Recent accounts of snared animals included a spotted hyena earlier in the year, a wild dog during August and September, and 2 snared elephants during October. We’d like to thank everyone for their incredible efforts in reporting these animals so swiftly, for actively searching for them following reports of them, for staying with them when necessary, and for giving us the opportunity to have the animals treated wherever possible.
Although efforts to treat the wild dog over a two-month period were unsuccessful, we are incredibly happy to report that the same wild dog was reported at Shingwedzi in the far north of the Kruger National Park, and the snare was removed towards the end of October. To note, the animal was still alone and has moved an incredible distance considering the position of the snare on the neck. Based on the unique spot pattern of the animal, we are certain this is the same wild dog and are relieved that he has finally been found and treated successfully. Thank you to the SANParks team for responding so swiftly!
Unfortunately, we still have no further updates on the spotted hyena that was reported with a snare earlier in the year, and no further sightings have been recorded. We will continue to be on the lookout for this animal which was last seen on the northern side of Buffelsbed, crossing into the Kruger National Park via Manzimvula Cutline.
The young elephant cow was darted on Ingwelala, however advice from the veterinarian was that there was little to no chance of recovery considering the extent of the snare injury to her leg, the subsequent infection and her poor body condition. It was decided the best course of action would be to euthanise the animal to prevent further suffering, as it was too late to attempt treatment with any hopes of recovery. The cow was euthanised close to the Platform on Buffelsbed. More on this cow and the follow-on process below. The elephant bull was located on a neighbouring property towards the end of October and was treated successfully, although further monitoring of his condition will still be necessary as the snare wound was deep and there were signs of infection throughout his leg. Thank you to all who assisted with the above!
Treated wild dog and elephant bullVeld Rehabilitation following a euthanasia case
During the month a young elephant cow was euthanised following a severe snare injury to her leg (see “Snared Animals: Various updates” above). The elephant cow was darted successfully and succumbed at the Platform on Buffelsbed. Following advice from the veterinarians, the difficult decision was made to euthanise her and end her suffering. With her incredibly close proximity to the Platform, it was decided that the safest option would be to move the elephant further away to avoid the various predators from being right on the Platform’s doorstep.
The cow was young and small, which made this process possible by use of the tractors, but this was still no easy feat and resulted in damage to the area, both by means of the tractors and by means of the elephant’s body having to be dragged to a further location. This requires substantial efforts in terms of rehabilitation to hopefully correct, the process of which involves a mixture of extensive brush packing and potentially boosting the now-bare soil with gypsum and/or watering the ground regularly to encourage re-growth where the plants were completely removed during the dragging process.
This decision to move her was not made lightly and was only made in the best interests of safety. We will rehabilitate the area over the coming months (and potentially years) to ensure that the veld recovers appropriately. We thank you for your patience in this regard. In the interests of safety for other animals, thick branches were packed tightly over the euthanised elephant to deter animals from feeding from the carcass until the medications had dissipated from her system. After 3 days, the branches were removed to allow other animals free access.
The elephant cow being examined | Some of the damage caused by moving her body | Her body covered tightly with branchesWords by Tess Woollgar, images courtesy of John Llewllyn, EWT and Henry Hibbet