On Friday,3 June 2011 two game ranger conservationists namely, Paul Jennings and Sboniso Phakathi addressed the girls at St Andrew’s School for Girls. Their aim was to direct large-scale attention to rhino poaching in South Africa as the illegal slaughter of rhinos has reached a crescendo with approximately 169 animals been killed to date in 2011. Their modus operandi is to walk almost 2 000km, from, Musina in the north of South Africa to Cape Town, in the south between 9th May and 31st July 2011. Their tireless walk is to raise awareness and funds for the project RIGHTS FOR RHINOS that was established under the auspices of the Game Rangers Association of South Africa (GRAA).
Funds raised during the walk would be utilized to:
- improve and implement better education programmes that address the issues of conservation, poaching and training.
- procure better equipment to assist conservation field staff in the employ of organizations tasked with thino protection.
- work with nearby communities to raise awareness and develop strategies to eradicate poaching.
- help with improved intelligence gathering for relevant reserves, including joint ventures with relevant law enforcement agencies.
To raise funds for this worthy cause, each pupil from Grades 2 to 7 has been asked to donate R10. The R10 note displays a picture of this magnificent creature. The school’s donation would contribute towards ensuring the continuation of the rhino species. Without our help, our children will not have any rhinos to admire.
