Rooikat Conservation

12/05/2026

Join the Rooikat Conservation Snare Walk at Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve | Saturday, 16 May 2026 🐾

We invite you to take part in our next official Snare Walk at Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve on Saturday, 16 May.

Rooikat Conservation will once again lead a structured sweep of designated areas to detect and remove illegal snares. These walks are a vital part of our broader anti-poaching and environmental protection strategy in the Roodeplaat and greater North Gauteng region.

Don’t miss this hands-on opportunity to gain deeper insight into combatting snare poaching. The reserve often yields multiple snares, and your participation directly helps reduce threats to wildlife. Join us and be part of the change!

📅 Date: Saturday, 16 May 2026
⏱️ Time: 08:00
📍 Location: Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve
📝 Organised by: Rooikat Conservation
🔐 Booking is essential: https://www.rooikat.org/event-details/roodeplaat-dam-snare-removal-walk-16-may-2026

🚫 No RSVP via the official link = No access on the day.

Help us share this post and get the good word out!

09/05/2026

Check it out!

New to iNaturalist (or just want a guided intro)? Join us for a free webinar on May 15 — the iNaturalist team will show you how to explore nature near you and turn your photos into real scientific data!

Can't make it live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording!

➡️ May 15, 9am Pacific Time
🔗: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_KMKOKc5WTMaQ8-NqxzCtcw #/registration

06/05/2026

Don't feed the animals 😉

A couple weeks ago we talked about why it can be harmful to feed injured and orphaned wildlife (unless you are a trained wildlife rehabilitator). But what about wildlife that isn't orphaned or injured? Why is it so important to allow wildlife to fend for itself instead of offering food?

It's because feeding wild animals puts them in danger❗

🦌 Feeding teaches wild animals to approach or be less cautious around people. Approaching the wrong person can get an animal hurt, and sometimes animals can become very insistent when they expect food that isn't appearing.

🐞 Usually the foods we offer aren't part of the animal's natural diet, and can be unhealthy. Bread, corn, and peanuts are the top offenders, but human foods and commercially available animal feeds are not the same nutritionally as the food animals get from the wild.

🏞️ Feeding stations bring lots of animals in close contact with one another, which increases the spread of disease, degradation of the surrounding habitat, and sets animals up to be easy prey for predators. Over time, feeding can cause a population to grow beyond what the area can naturally support, which causes further imbalances in the ecosystem.

Wild animals do need our help - they need protection, habitat, and strong, biodiverse ecosystems!

There are lots of ways to offer help! You could plant native plants 🌾, let leaves 🍂 stay in your yard, avoid pesticides 🐝, keep pets indoors or on leashes 🐈, avoid yardwork or pruning during nesting season 🌳, and so many other options!

So let's skip the handouts and help wild animals thrive on their own! 🦉

Wildlife rehabilitators, if you'd like to reuse this post (or any other IWRC infographics), you can share from here, or find and download them on our Shareables page: https://theiwrc.org/resources/shareables/

06/05/2026

please help us spread the word! We were a bit occupied this week and did not have enough time to post the event earlier. We will allow RSPV's until Friday, so come join us and have some fun in the bush while doing good things!

Join the Rooikat Conservation Snare Walk at ARC Roodeplaat | Saturday, 09 May 2026 🐾

We invite you to take part in our next official Snare Walk at ARC Roodeplaat on Saturday, 09 May.

Rooikat Conservation will once again lead a structured sweep of designated areas of the property to detect and remove illegal snares. These walks form a vital part of our broader anti-poaching and environmental protection strategy in the Roodeplaat and greater North Gauteng region.

Don’t miss this hands-on opportunity to gain deeper insight into combatting snare poaching, as this property often yields a significant number of snares. Join us and help make a real impact!

📅 Date: Saturday, 09 May 2026
⏱️ Time: 08:00
📍 Location: ARC Roodeplaat
📝 Organised by: Rooikat Conservation
🔐 Booking is essential: https://www.rooikat.org/event-details/arc-roodeplaat-snare-removal-walk-9-may-2026

🚫 No RSVP via the official link = No access on the day. Only registered participants will be permitted to join the walk.

02/05/2026

A big thanks to everyone who joined us out at Die Bosveld today. Your time, effort, and presence on the ground is what makes this work possible. 💪

We located and removed one snare. Every snare taken out is a direct impact, and a reminder of why these walks matter.

Beyond that, I hope you all enjoyed the time in the bush and picked up a few insights along the way.

Appreciation to Team Rooikat and everyone at Die Bosveld for the continued support in making these walks happen.

Also a big thanks to Grubhouse Diner for sponsoring a few awesome goodies! Join a walk and earn yourself a voucher to refuel your energy afterwards.

Until next time, see you out there. 🐾

30/04/2026

From first-time volunteers to familiar faces; every walk, every kilometer covered, every snare removed… it all adds up. And it only happens because volunteers show up.

To everyone who has joined us in the past, thank you. Your time and effort are making a real, tangible impact where it matters most.

Want to get involved? RSVP on our website.

See you at Die Bosveld this Saturday 🐾

29/04/2026

Great to see Rooikat boots on the ground helping at the Friends of Borakalalo weekend!

A big well done to everyone involved. Some seriously solid work went into restoring and securing infrastructure at Fish Eagle camp (a new roof was installed), as well as maintenance work at the main gate. This is exactly the kind of practical, hands-on conservation impact we want to be part of. A big thank you to everyone who contributed with their love, time, effort, and financial assistance.

Also encouraging to see strong collaboration between park staff, various organizations, entities and individuals. That kind of teamwork is where real, lasting change starts. 💪

As Rooikat Conservation, we’re proud to be a part of Friends of Borakalalo and to contribute to efforts like this. Still plenty to be done, but this is a strong step in the right direction.

Let’s keep the momentum going.

Get in touch if you would like to get involved. Friends of Borakalalo Nature Reserve

28/04/2026

Join the Rooikat Conservation Snare Walk at Die Bosveld | Saturday, 02 May 2026 🐾

We invite you to take part in our next official Snare Walk at Die Bosveld on Saturday, 02 May. Rooikat Conservation will once again lead a structured sweep of designated areas to detect and remove illegal snares. These walks are a vital part of our broader anti-poaching and environmental protection strategy in North Gauteng.

📅 Date: Saturday, 02 May 2026
⏱ Time: 08:00
📍 Location: Die Bosveld
📝 Organised by: Rooikat Conservation
🔐 RSVP: https://www.rooikat.org/event-details/die-bosveld-snare-removal-walk-2-may-2026

🚫 No RSVP via the official link = No access on the day. Only registered participants will be permitted to join the walk.

please help us spread the word by sharing this invitation or tagging a friend who may want to get involved.

28/04/2026

The Brown hyena is one of Africa’s rarest and most misunderstood carnivores.

Unlike the more social Spotted hyena, brown hyenas are largely solitary scavengers. They cover vast distances each night, relying on an incredible sense of smell to locate carcasses, often long before other scavengers even know it’s there.

What you’re seeing here, captured on camera somewhere in North Gauteng, is classic behaviour:
returning repeatedly to a carcass, removing as much as possible, and carrying it off to cache or feed elsewhere. This “collect-and-go” strategy reduces competition and time spent exposed at a carcass.

Brown hyenas play a critical ecological role. By consuming and removing carrion, they help limit the spread of disease and recycle nutrients back into the system. In many landscapes, and especially outside of protected areas, they are one of the last remaining large scavengers still quietly doing this work.

Despite this, they are often persecuted due to misconceptions, even though scavenging makes up the majority of their diet.

Protecting species like the brown hyena means protecting the processes that keep ecosystems functioning.

Every carcass cleaned is a service to the system, and a reminder that nothing in nature goes to waste.

07/04/2026

Join the Rooikat Conservation Snare Walk at ARC Roodeplaat | Saturday, 11 April 2026 🐾

We’re heading back to ARC Roodeplaat for another impactful Snare Walk — and you’re invited to be part of it.

Rooikat Conservation will lead a structured sweep of the property, actively searching for and removing illegal snares. This area consistently produces results, making it a valuable opportunity to learn, contribute, and make a real difference on the ground.

Whether you’re new or a regular, this is a hands-on experience in conservation and anti-poaching efforts in North Gauteng.

Event Details:
📅 Saturday, 11 April 2026
⏱ 08:00
📍 ARC Roodeplaat
📝 Hosted by Rooikat Conservation

🔐 Booking is essential:
https://www.rooikat.org/event-details/arc-roodeplaat-snare-removal-walk-11-april-2026

🚫 No RSVP via the official link = no access on the day. Only registered participants will be allowed to join.

Come walk with purpose. Every step counts. 🐾

06/02/2026

Give all our friends some love and a follow. All of them doing amazing work! Keep it up champs!