Did you know that snares pose a threat to chimps? Well, they do! Snares are mostly used by hunters to catch small game. A photo example of a snare set up is above. Chimps inadvertently get caught in these snares and that can result in the loss of fingers, toes, hands, and feet. This article is mostly going to focus on chimps on Kibale National Park in the Ngogo territory. I’m just skimming the surface here on this topic. If you want a more in depth look into this topic, let me know in the comments, I have a pre-recorded video that I can upload to YouTube that goes into much more depth.

Above, in photo A, Lita is pictured and as you can see she has lost her left foot and this was from a snare injury. In photo B, you can remnants of a snare are wrapped around Peterson’s finger.

What can we do to prevent snare injuries to chimps? Ngogo has implemented a snare removal program that started in 2011. During the first year of the program, park rangers removed 195 snares and in the following year, they removed 286 snares. Due to the existence of this program, it is quite rare for snares to exist in the Ngogo territory. Personally, I think we need to expand this program past the Ngogo territory into other areas that chimps occupy to help reduce snare injuries. Additionally, displaying warning signs in areas that are known to have snares, may be helpful in the reduction of them. Another way that we can help prevent the use of snares is the use of camera traps. By using camera traps, we can help identify who is setting up these snares. Lastly, community education and involvement is crucial. If the community & local hunters don’t understand the harm that snares can cause to chimps, then they are unlikely to change this behavior. If hunters hunt small game for food or money, we should offer them a fair alternative and/or incentive to stop using the snares.

Let me know in the comments one thing you learned and if you knew that snares had a negative impact on chimps or not.