A void left by illegal horn income may now be driving neighbouring communities to snare and shoot species such as African buffalo in the park's southwest sector. Despite the lowveld's searing heat, thorny canopy and tough terrain, Kruger's staff and honorary rangers say they are fighting back -- on foot.

WARNING: This article contains graphic descriptions that may upset sensitive readers.

Fortified in fatigues and chaps, Pretoriuskop section ranger Rangani Tsanwani patrols the southwest reaches of the park most days. In all seasons, Tsanwani and his team do daily 10km sweeps of this wild country by foot -- whether the mercury hovers in the high forties, or winter brings its own set of trials.

It is in the colder, drier months that the parks sees an uptick in snaring, which has surged by 200%, as Daily Maverick first reported in October.

To make snares, poachers typically fix a camouflaged wire or cord noose over animal paths which tightens upon disturbance. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Tsanwani and his colleagues have removed 14,000 such snares throughout the park.

In 2022, at least 7,270 snares were removed -- compared with 2020's 2,407 snares.

"There is an increase in snares, but it's seasonal," Tsanwani told Daily Maverick in Pretoriuskop, after accompanying six honorary rangers on a snare sweep. During a single 8km patrol between 7am and 10am in late October, Tsanwani, his staff and the volunteer honorary rangers flushed out and destroyed 66 snares.

"During dry seasons, and when the area is burnt,...