Sondela's Game Capture

Game Capturing

This was a project that Sondela had to do because of a overpopulation on a 400 hec. field that had to much game like Kudus. In the beginning the plan was just to capture all of the kudus but that soon changed.

Captured:

• Kudus
• Blue-Wilde bees
• Eland
• Blesbuck

We all helped with the construction of the boma, by carrying poles, putting up the sales cleaning the area of branches and bushes in the way of the sales. It takes quite a long time to construct the boma, it took us a whole day and the next day we started capturing.



The method that was used to capture was simple. The whole plan and layout consisted of erected poles and opening and closing sales. The structure is usually in a triangular shape with the sales narrowing to the truck that kept all the game.


At the entrance of the boma there will be a sale closing that traps the animals inside when the chopper has chased them inside, followed by a second, third and fourth sale that brings them into the truck. We as students got the opportunity to help drag the sales closed and get the animals into the truck. We saw how they gave the game some relaxers and then put some pipes on the horns of the Blesbuck.

When the truck was full of game they transported them to an auction. The game were sold and the profit went to Sondela.


The whole experience was very exiting for me and I got to see how the "pro's" do it. I even got the opportunity to fly in the chopper and look for the game, it was amazing and my heart was pounding when we lifted up in the sky!!! It was a chance to see what the future may hold for some of us and if we want to pursue this kind of work!!!