Three Rescues in One Week: Why Every Snare Matters

In one week, three elephants were found carrying the silent reminder of an old threat: snares left behind in the wilderness. Between 27 September and 3 October, the Matetsi team responded to three separate elephant disentangling operations. The first two rescues happened only a day apart, and the third followed less than a week later.

Three elephants. Three snares. One important reminder of why the work of the Amaganyane Anti-Poaching Unit matters every single day.

27 September: The First Rescue

On 27 September, the team responded to an elephant with a snare tightly caught around its front leg. Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust and ZimParks were on the ground to assist, working alongside the Grace team to safely remove the snare. Thankfully, the operation went smoothly. Working together, the team removed the snare and saved another life.

It was a successful rescue, but also a sobering reminder that old snares can remain in the environment long after they have been set.

28 September: Two Elephants in Two Days

There was little time to pause. The very next day, on 28 September, the Grace Foundation and Matetsi Victoria Falls teams responded to another elephant caught in a snare, making it two elephant rescues in two days. This time, the elephant was spotted by Head Guide Paul and his guests, who alerted the team and helped make the rescue possible. It was another successful intervention, and another elephant given a second chance.

Finding two elephants on consecutive days was a powerful reminder of the reality on the ground. These are not isolated incidents. Snares can remain hidden in the landscape for months or even years, waiting to catch an animal.

3 October: A Familiar Face

Then, on 3 October, the team was called out once again. This time, an elephant had a snare around its back leg. The operation was carried out successfully. Thankfully, the snare had not yet cut into the elephant’s flesh.

But there was something that made this rescue particularly meaningful. This was the same elephant from which the team had removed a snare some time ago.

To find the same animal caught again was a stark reminder of how persistent the threat can be. The elephant had already been given a second chance, and once again, the team was there to give it another.

Why the Work Cannot Stop

Three elephant rescues in one week is a statistic that is difficult to ignore. The snares involved may have been placed some time ago, potentially within the same concession or in neighbouring areas. Regardless of exactly where or when they were set, their presence continues to pose a serious threat to wildlife moving through the landscape.

And this is where the daily work of the Amaganyane Anti-Poaching Unit becomes so important. Every patrol matters, every kilometre walked matters, every snare removed from the bush matters.

And every alert from a guide, guest, community member, or member of the team can mean the difference between an animal being found in time and an animal being lost.

The work is not only about responding when an elephant is already caught. It is also about being out in the field, monitoring the concession, removing snares, gathering information, and reducing the threat before another animal becomes a victim.

These three rescues were made possible because people noticed, responded, and worked together. From the Matetsi Victoria Falls team and the Grace Foundation Amaganyane APU to Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, ZimParks, and the guests who helped spot and report the animals, each person played a part.

In the space of just one week, three elephants were given another chance.

And that is why the work continues.

Over the next few weeks, our Amaganyane APU team will be doing joint snare sweeps just outside our boundaries, in collaboration with operators in neighbouring areas, in an endeavour to identify where these snares are being picked up and to remove them.

Every day. Every patrol. Every snare. Every life matters.