Keepers of the wild battle on

RANGERS: DAILY FIGHT TO KEEP ANIMALS OUT OF SNARES, SAFE FROM POACHERS, THIEVES

- Hein Kaiser

It is not rhino horn or ivory poaching that takes up ranger Edmund Thorne and his team's time. While they are part of the antipoaching operations at Kruger National Park, his team has snares, bushmeat poaching and the illegal trade of animal parts for medicines to combat.

Thorne heads a private antipoaching unit established and funded by the Mdluli Safari Lodge and corporate sponsors.

"This is a daily fight," Thorne said. "Every day we patrol on foot, in vehicles and through planned operations.

"We cover a different section of the reserve each day. Everything we see gets reported. If there are animal tracks, snare marks, or signs of fence tampering, we act."

It is a carefully coordinated effort between role players. On the other side of the park fence, environmental monitors patrol the boundaries, checking for breaches and damage. "Everyone plays their part," Thorne said.