South African Scholars Head to Vietnam for Project Rhino

Date: October 22, 2015 | Posted in Eco News | Lifestyle | News | Wildlife

With no respite in the decimation of South Africa’s rhinos by poaching syndicates supplying the ongoing demand for rhino horn, five Youth Rhino Ambassadors have been selected to represent South Africa and carry an important appeal to Vietnamese citizens and Asian government leaders to urgently bring an end to the rhino poaching crisis.

PHELISA MATYOLO: African cultural dancer, Lesedi Cultural Village, Johannesburg (Gauteng). JARED ROBINSON – Maritzburg College, Pietermaritzburg (KwaZulu-Natal)EMMA VAN DER MEULEN – Uplands College, White River, Mpumalanga JACOME PRETORIUS – Glenwood House, George (Western Cape)
NADAV OSSENDRYVER – LatestSightings.com, Johannesburg (Gauteng)

This is the first time South African youth have been invited to visit Vietnam and participate in a government-led demand reduction campaign. They will be guests of Operation Game Change, a joint Vietnam/US government initiative aimed at ending wildlife crime in Vietnam, especially rhino horn trafficking.

Selected for their leadership, activism against rhino poaching and participation in the 2014 and 2015 World Youth Rhino Summits, they will present the World Youth Wildlife Declaration to Asian government representatives and engage directly with Vietnamese youth and leaders during their week-long visit at the end of October, speaking about their personal experiences of the rhino poaching crisis in South Africa.

Operation Game Change (OGC) has high-level support from Vietnam’s important Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment and Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as the support of the US State Department and US Embassy in Vietnam. It seeks to increase awareness, change behaviour, and catalyse action through a series of events and activities leading up to WildFest – a live, high-profile, public event designed to engage, entertain, and influence public debate in Vietnam around illegal wildlife issues. Alongside the South African youth delegation, Asian government representatives, celebrities, business leaders, NGO partners, and media will be attending WildFest to show their joint commitment to ending the illegal wildlife trade.

“This invitation to participate in Vietnam’s Operation Game Change and hand over the World Youth Wildlife Declaration carries both a serious responsibility as well as a wonderful opportunity for South African youth representatives who are actively taking a stand against rhino poaching,” said Sheelagh Antrobus, coordinator of Project Rhino KZN, OGC’s South African partner. “They will be speaking directly to Vietnamese youth as well as government leaders and appealing for the buying of rhino horn – whether for medicinal or other purposes – to stop.”

The World Youth Wildlife Declaration is a world-wide call to action from young people against rhino
poaching and all other forms of wildlife crime. It was launched on World Rhino Day last year at the
inaugural World Youth Rhino Summit, which took place in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and brought youth leaders from 20 nations together – including Vietnam – to debate, discuss and learn about the rhino poaching crisis.