Critical Mission: Taking Out Snares

Critical Mission: Taking Out Snares

On Sunday 10 October 2018, staff at Milites Dei Academy saw a beautiful Rooiduiker or Red Duiker, scientifically known as Cephalophus Natalensis. The Red Duiker is smaller than the Common Duiker. Standing, it is 420mm at the shoulders and has a mass of 12 Kg. The upper parts are a deep chestnut-red and the lower parts of the flanks and under parts are a pale chestnut colour. The nape and throat turn ash-grey as the animal ages. Both sexes carry short, straight horns. The horns have coarse basal rings and longitudinal striations, but are smooth towards the tips. In South Africa the Red Duiker is classified as rare.

Students, thus, had the mission to track the animal’s spoor in an attempt to also find snares so that the animal do not get hunted by poachers. The picture above shows how small the spoor is. Farmers Weekly (http://www.farmersweekly.co.za) explains that “tracking is the art of following a spoor, which may include tracks, scents, blood spatter, scat and broken foliage.”

Fight for Rhinos writes “Patience and a eye for detail is required not only to find this spoor but also to find snares. Poaching, an ongoing global threat to wildlife, usually brings to mind bad guys with guns and machetes intent on stealing rhino horns and elephant tusks. But another poaching method, silent, yet just as deadly are snares. Relatively easy to come by telephone or cable wire is used to trap whatever comes into its path. While some animals caught in snares will end up in the cooking pot, as many as an estimated 90% will be left to rot in the bush  -Nick Tucker: Horror of Snares, Africa Geographic”. [Read more on http://fightforrhinos.com/tag/snares/].

At Milites Dei Academy, students learn this skill and much more. Once qualified they are able to get a job in any of the following fields:

• On cruise ships, private yachts and cargo ships;
• As private investigators;
• Anti-poaching units;
• Security at mines, lodges and 5-star hotels;
• Farm security;
• Under-cover agents;
• Assets in transit;
• At big international security companies based in SA and Africa;
• As trackers;
• Students can also start their own security companies and complete freelance risk solutions.

You can also see in picture format (and 1000’s of pictures) on the Facebook Page what students learn and master at this exclusive Military Style Academy that offers Education, Training and Accredited Qualifications: http://www.facebook.com/SPECIALIST.OPERATIVE/