Enlisting the help of anti-poaching units and rangers is a vital but often costly expense for reserves and farms in SA. Knowing the pressures that wildlife crime brings, Nick has offered his services to those who need it most for free this week.
Howick, South Africa (21 April 2026) – South African anti-poaching ranger Nick Duranty has built a following of over 148,000 on social media, where he educates audiences on wildlife poaching, sharing insights into his work alongside his K9 tracker, and the raw realities of life in the bush.
This week, Duranty took to his platform not to educate, but to offer his professional help.
Wildlife poaching is a serious problem in South Africa. It’s a crime that plagues national parks and protected areas, private game reserves, farms, rural and communal lands, and wildlife corridors. Our country is home to some of the world’s most valuable wildlife including rhinos, elephants, and pangolins, species that are all major targets for poachers.
The issue doesn’t stop at those ‘high value’ species, either. Bushmeat poaching is an equally serious threat, often targeting antelope, zebra, buffalo, and warthog. Even predators like leopards, lions, hyenas, and African wild dogs fall victim to illegal snares. Bushmeat poaching is opportunistic by nature, meaning any animal that crosses a poacher’s path becomes a target.
Nick knows these realities well. For more than 15 years, he has patrolled South Africa’s most vulnerable wild areas alongside his faithful K9, tracking people who don’t want to be found, often through dangerous terrain. Fighting wildlife crime has become one of his life’s greatest missions.
Knowing that many farms and reserves are buckling under the pressure of poaching, Duranty and his K9 have offered their time this week to make a meaningful difference in the Howick and Midlands area. The offer is free, and it’s aimed at those who need it most.
“I’m very busy but I am willing to offer free patrols, block sweeps for snares, and checks for any criminal activity on farms, game farms, and reserves in the Howick Midlands area that are in desperate need,” Nick shared,
He’s doing this in partnership with Task Force Rhino, an NPO dedicated to combating wildlife crime, and he’s already hit the ground running. Nick has completed patrols along the Umgeni River in Howick, where he successfully located and removed snares left to trap wildlife.
“It is quite a beautiful river, so we want to do what we can to protect it and clear it of any snares or criminal activity,” he said.
South Africa needs more trained professionals like Nick who are willing to lace up their boots and walk into the dark. Poaching networks are well-funded and relentless and individuals like Nick who are armed with bravery, experience and a loyal K9 are the thin line standing between survival and loss for so many species.
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