School rhino project launched
Wetsi the life-size wire rhino is back in Hermanus.
The artwork was crafted in Hermanus by Bongani Chenera and Farayi Mukonde from the Little Shoppe, in partnership with Stop Rhino Poaching, for an awareness campaign which dovetailed with the 2011 Hermanus Whale Festival.
The decision not to auction Wetsi, as originally planned, was not taken lightly and was swayed by the impact he would have in a long-term awareness campaign in the area
The original goal of raising funds for the Clive Walker Foundation’s Waterberg Living Museum and the rhino Metsi remains the same.
Metsi is an eight-year-old black rhino who is unable to survive in the wild.
Wetsi is the key to this long-term project known as Schools for Rhino a Stop Rhino Poaching initiative in partnership with Eco-Schools
Wetsi will be visiting schools that want to participate in the rhino awareness project competition.
To get the ball rolling, on Wednesday 14 March Wetsi and Alda du Plooy visited Bosko Christian School. The presentation was highly informative and gave the pupils a much clearer understanding of the threat our country’s rhinos are facing.
She told the children that at the current rate rhino are being slaughtered for their horns, in 10 years time rhinos will be extinct. This year 135 rhino have already been killed.
Scholars are required to create an awareness campaign which addresses the plight of the rhino and the myth surrounding rhino horn. The project must be implemented with maximum impact and must raise funds for Metsi. The projects will be evaluated according to originality, practical implementation and fundraising effectiveness. The closing date for entries is 14 September. Winners will have an opportunity to spend a day with a real rhinoceros.
The Overstrand Friends of Metsi Rhino Project is an awareness, educational and fundraising campaign which is open to all schools
If you would like Wetsi to visit your school, call Alda du Plooy on 073 231 7445 or email: alda@whalemail.co.za.
By KERRY VAN RENSBURG
Source: Hermanus Times