Poaching

Simon and Busoti came back today with the head and leg of a week old dead Roan antelope. The poor guy got caught in a trap. Trapping, it is becoming apparent to me, is a bit of a problem here. Each month we set aside 2/3 days to search far afield in areas less frequented by us to search for traps. It is not uncommon for these days to be concluded by the harvesting of 50 traps. Two weeks ago 70 traps were collected. They are constructed by a long wooden pole being inserted into the ground, bent and attached to the end is a noose with a trigger. When the animal steps in the noose, the trap is triggered causing the pole to straighten and the noose to tighten. I feel I am in no position to judge on the situation as I am not aware of the reasons why these people are hunting. Maybe they have hungry children?? There is a refugee camp less than 50 km away which is where the people that set the traps come from, we think. Regardless, any trap we come across, the pole is cut in half and the string/noose collected.

An example of what the traps do to the animal - this is an insha

This is the head of a young Roan antelope that was caught in a trap