Identifying areas of high snaring risk in Kruger National Park: A novel citizen science approach for carnivore conservation

Wire snares are a frequently-used method for illegal bushmeat poaching and are increasingly recognised as a global threat to biodiversity. For large carnivores, wire snares can negatively influence population persistence through both prey depletion and direct mortality and injury from snaring by-catch. However, studies investigating the underlying drivers of snare placement and areas of increased likelihood of detecting snared animals are lacking, particularly in fenced protected areas. We estimated the occurrence of large carnivore snaring incidents in Kruger National Park, South Africa, using citizen science records reported on social media pages. Using occupancy modelling to account for imperfect detection, we assessed the drivers of snare occurrence and predicted areas of high snaring risk across the protected area. Our results suggest that the probability of snared large carnivores increases with proximity to areas of higher human activity. Specifically, snare occurrence is significantly higher at the reserve boundary in areas that are bordered by human settlements. Prey biomass also significantly influenced the probability of snare occurrence, with areas of lower prey biomass significantly more likely to detect snared carnivores. Our findings suggest that areas of increased accessibility are the primary motivator for snare placement in fenced reserves, rather than ecological and environmental considerations. Spotted hyaena were the most frequently observed snared large carnivore, in accordance with previous literature that suggests snare bycatch may be an underrepresented threat to the species’ survival. Our novel approach can be used to predict areas of increased snare occurrence and inform applied law enforcement and mitigation strategies.