Knowing the immense pressure local reserves face from poaching, Nick Duranty and his loyal tracker dog have stepped up once again! This time, by empowering ordinary citizens to join the fight.
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa (26 May 2026) – Last month, we celebrated Nick Duranty, a dedicated ranger with over 15 years of experience in the bush, who heroically offered his specialised tracking services for free to struggling farms and reserves in the KZN Midlands.
This month, Nick and his four-legged partner, K9 Nitus, took that generosity a step further by hosting a hands-on Snare Finder workshop at the Bisley Nature Reserve.
Bisley, like so many protected areas across South Africa, has been locked in a relentless battle against illegal poachers. Wire snares remain one of the silent killers – these traps clamp down on anything that walks into them, from antelope and warthogs to predators like leopards.
To combat this, Nick partnered with the Friends of Bisley Nature Reserve and Task Force Rhino to turn community and organisation members into more informed protectors of the bush.
“We had a great turn out of around 60 people, ordinary and from organisations like snare aware, honorary officers from Ezemvelo,” Nick shared.
The workshop shed light on the dangerous but vital work Duranty and other anti-poaching units do all across South Africa. Nick shared invaluable insights into how different types of snares poachers deploy and how they operate, and attendees learned exactly what to look for, where poachers hide these deadly traps, how to conduct effective patrols, and how to safely sweep an area.
Duranty also educated the public on safety protocols, teaching them what to do should they come across poachers in the wild, how rangers use the natural terrain to their advantage, and how highly trained working dogs give handlers an upper hand.
“I then gave everyone a short practical demonstration with my dog on how obedient he is and how he searches for firearms and ammunition.”
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Cape Town Kayakers Rescue Starving African Penguin Far Out to SeaAfterwards, the community laced up their boots and the 60-strong crowd was split into three groups, with each section assigned a specific zone of the reserve to patrol and sweep.
“I think it went really well considering the amount of people that took part, we managed to find 5 snares in total between the three groups…” Nick said.
Nick expressed his gratitude for the hands on deck. Every pair of helping hands and watchful eyes helps make a difference for the future of our wildlife.
“Thanks to everyone that showed up and supported a very good cause and I hope you learnt a few things. Thanks to Snare Aware for the help and the amazing work you guys do!”
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