Safeguarding the Grumeti Concession: The Tireless Efforts of the Conservation Management Team
The Grumeti Fund’s Conservation Management (CM) team plays a pivotal role in ensuring the health and wellbeing of the Grumeti Concession ecosystem. This dedicated team works tirelessly to maintain the ecological balance of this vibrant natural space, ensuring it remains functional and thriving for both human visitors and its diverse wildlife residents.
The CM team’s mission is far from simple. Each day, they face high-stress challenges in their quest to protect the wild animals and habitats within the concession. Among these challenges, the prevalence of illegal hunting, or poaching, is one of the most pressing and distressing issues. Poaching poses a severe threat to many protected areas in Africa, with snare poaching being one of the most common and insidious methods encountered in the field.
Wire snares, designed to trap animals by tightening around them as they move, are lethal devices often made from repurposed metal wires, such as those from vehicle tire reinforcements. These snares are set along well-traveled game paths to capture herbivores like wildebeest and zebra, or placed in trees to trap giraffes. Poachers sometimes create man-made funnels to force animals into these traps.
The primary targets of snare poaching are “bushmeat” species, including wildebeest, buffalo, giraffes, and zebra, which are sold in nearby communities or areas with high demand for their meat. However, snares do not discriminate and can entrap any animal that crosses their path, including elephants, lions, and hyenas. While larger animals may break free from the snares, they often suffer severe injuries as the wire cuts deeply into their skin, causing extreme pain, infection, and sometimes death.
To combat this cruel practice, the Grumeti CM team collaborates with regional wildlife authorities such as TAWIRI, TANAPA, and TAWA. Together, they work to prevent the inhumane deaths of animals by removing snares and enhancing law enforcement efforts.
The Grumeti Fund is committed to reducing illegal hunting within the concession to improve the health of the Serengeti ecosystem and its inhabitants. Their strategy includes not only law enforcement but also education and the provision of employment opportunities. Many poachers resort to illegal hunting to sustain themselves and their families. By involving local communities in conservation efforts and providing alternative livelihoods, the Grumeti Fund aims to create sustainable solutions that benefit both the regional communities and conservation goals.
Through these combined efforts, the Grumeti Fund and its CM team hope to foster a safer environment for wildlife and ensure the continued prosperity of the Grumeti Concession ecosystem.
