Jaws of Death (5-minute Video)

A gin trap is a mechanical device with a simple yet brutal design. In Mozambique, rural blacksmiths use rudimentary materials and tools to make gin traps from old car springs.

The typical components include:

1. Metal Jaws: Usually made of steel or iron, these semi-circular components form the gripping mechanism. Traditional gin traps feature serrated or toothed edges designed to prevent escape by piercing flesh and bone.
2. The Powerful Car Spring: The heart of the trap's mechanism provides the force that slams the jaws together when triggered.
3. Trigger Plate: A pressure-sensitive pan in the center of the trap that, when depressed by an animal's weight, releases the spring mechanism.
4. Chain and Drag: Some gin traps include a chain attached to either a fixed stake or a "drag" (a heavy object that limits movement but allows some mobility).

Poachers typically set the traps in a hole concealed under a thin layer of soil, leaves, or grass. When triggered, the jaws snap shut with tremendous force, designed to clamp onto an animal's limb and enough force to break bones in smaller animals and cause deep lacerations in larger ones.

What makes gin traps especially cruel is that animals rarely die quickly. Instead, they often suffer for days, attempting to free themselves and frequently causing additional injury in the process.

Many animals resort to gnawing off their limbs in desperate attempts to escape. These traps also pose a real danger to anti-poaching rangers.

Poaching with gin traps in Mozambique represents a significant conservation challenge. Poachers typically set these traps along wildlife corridors and near water sources, targeting various species, including elephants, lions, and antelope species. The traps are indiscriminate, often capturing non-target species and causing prolonged suffering as animals may remain trapped for days.

Gin trap poaching increased significantly following Mozambique's civil war period, which created economic hardship and destroyed traditional livelihoods. The practice continues today for several reasons:

1. Subsistence needs - rural communities with limited food security
2. Commercial bushmeat trade - supplying urban markets
3. Low-level entry point into wildlife crime networks

Zambeze Delta Safaris' anti-poaching team has had great success in containing the threat of gin traps in Coutada 11.