LOVE RHINO LOVE LIFE RHINO AWARENES CAMPAIGN e lo
n
o lo
BACKGROUND
e rhi
ve
f
v
compiled by: Lynette Strauss
li
CET: August/ September 2011
At two communities in the Acornhoek area, the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, through CET, used the opportunity to raise awareness of why our rhino population needs to be protected and what we are doing to protect them, not only in South Africa, but also in the KPNR in particular. Adopting the theme, ‘Love Rhino, Love Life” CET focused on a positive message of the rhino as a species and the need for its protection and habitat conservation.
PROJECT OBJECTIVE Raise awareness of South African, as well as KPNR, rhino conservation and anti-poaching efforts with the communities of Seganyane and Matikinya as well as with the employee children of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve as theme for the October holiday workshop.
ACTIVITIES • MOHOLOHOLO TRIP Trip to Moholoholo to facilitate an introduction to rhino and provide an interactive, faceto-face experience. EVALUATION: - Teacher Judith Thete (and others) commented on the immense value of seeing (touching, feeding) a rhino after the lessons. Entrenching the facts. Not only for the children, also for teachers. - Spoke to some of the children at Moholoholo and they were excited (if not a little afraid) to be so close to a live rhino and feeding it.
RHINO AWARENESS |1
• ACTIVITY BOOKLET AND LESSON PLANS Activity book to be completed by the children over three weeks with lesson plans at Seganyanye and Matikinya Primary Schools - Focused on the species, habitat, poaching and technical skills such as poster making. - Revised the booklet after a training session with the CET trainers - less complicated, less facts. EVALUATION: - According to Winky and Rhulani, they have learnt a lot from the booklet and found it a great tool to teach the children. The sessions beforehand have also helped a great deal to ensure clarity of content and consequent confidence when training. • “LOVE RHINO, LOVE LIFE” FESTIVAL AT SEGANYANYE AND MATIKINYA PRIMARY SCHOOLS Held the festival on 23 September 2011, sandwhiched between International Rhino Day and National Heritage Day. Comprised a formal programme of poems, speeches and choral verse, as well as speakers from the Kruger National Park. Most of the programme was initiated by the schools themselves. The day was officially concluded with cake and tea for all. The ‘rhino’ cakes were sponsored by Hoedspruit Spar. EVALUATION: Seganyane: The festival at Seganyane was extremely well organised, started mostly on time (except for the speakers who arrived late) and happened in good spirit and with great enthusiasm. The children were keen to showcase their rhino knowledge and ended the programme with an official pledge of support to the rhino. Matikinya: Even though the festival was not well organised, possibly due to the absence of the principal at the school, the speakers and general atmosphere did stir some interest amongst the children to the extent where impact was notable in some of the questions asked ie, “where can one study to become a ranger?” - apart from the usual questions focused on rhino and poaching. • SPEAKERS Three speakers from the Kruger National Park (KNP) addressed the children at the rhino festival. They were: Sgt William Ndobe, head field ranger at Letaba Section, Lucas Sibuyi, interpretive officer, Letaba Camp and Steven Oosthuizen, trails ranger, Olifants Trail. EVALUATION: Feedback from Winky indicates the grade 6s and 7s appreciated the content of campaign as it was reinforced by such important people. The younger children were generally impressed and inspired by the speakers - especially at Seganyanye. RHINO AWARENESS |2
• MEDIA Two press releases to local print media: one on the visit to Moholoholo and another on the rhino festival Moholoholo visit appeared in: Hoedspruit Herald, Bushbuskridge News (both 16/9/2011) Rhino festival appeared in: Lowvelder, Bushbuckridge News (both 30/9/2011) A snippet on the rhino festival was posted on facebook groups: Phalaborwa Information Group (1045 members) and Kruger National Park group (18 048 members) - received three likes at the time of writing the report.
Hoedspruit Herald, 16 September 2011 • HOLIDAY - - - - - - - -
Bushbuckridge News, 30 September 2011
, Bushbuckridge News 11 20 er mb 16 Septe
Lowvelder, 30 September 2011
WORKSHOPS Two-day workshop with four trainers (Reuben Motloutsi (KPNR HQ), Thabo Maphanga (Adrian Anderson), Dolmet Nhlongo (Camp George) and Catherine Letsoalo (Mike Anderson) and facilitated by Zani Four days of workshop with children of the Reserve. 210 children attended. Great North Transport Service donated busses for the excursions to Moholoholo every day. The value of the donation: R12 000. Moholoholo arranged half an hour of rhino interaction for free. A young black rhino was the main attraction. After the excursion the children returned to HQ, to complete worksheets in booklets. After lunch the children designed posters using Love Rhino, Love life and rhino facts. A clay rhino was created by every child and they took it home to remind them of the rhino experience. Thank you to KPNR HQ staff for assisting, once again, with the logistical aspects of the workshop.
SPONSORSHIP The campaign was generously supported by: • Klaserie Private Nature Reserve Campaign management and administration Activity Booklet: compilation, design and printing • Great North Transport: Transport RHINO AWARENESS | 3
• Moholoholo Rehabilitation: • Kruger National Park: • Hoedspruit Spar:
Environmental Educational Facility Speakers (all logistics) Refreshments, including two ‘rhino’ cakes, enough for all learners at both schools
CET STAFF
e lo
e rhi
ve
f
v
li
CET staff responsible for the rhino awareness campaign: • Campaign coordinators: Lyndsay Finnay and Lynette Strauss • Training staff: Winky Makgope and Rhulani • Photographs: Karen Randall • Administration: Laura Craig • Holiday Workshop trainers: Reuben Motloutsi, Thabo Maphanga, Dolmet Nhlongo and Catherine Letsoalo • Holiday workshop facilitator: Zani Kunz • Management: Zani Kunz
n
o lo
RHINO AWARENESS | 4