Welcome to the week, everybody! Recently, we received an exciting update from the team at the Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project. From heart-warming donations to a visit from a huge star, it’s been a fantastic few months for the project, with February in particular being a fun month indeed! Read on to find out what our volunteers have been up to recently…
Team-building activities are no new addition to the Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project – our volunteers are always taking part in activities designed to help them get to know each other, such as raft-building and obstacle courses - but back in February, the team decided to try something new altogether! The first-ever scarecrow building competition took place at the project site, with the volunteers being split out into groups to make the best scarecrow of all. One of the entrants’ designs can be seen above – isn’t he a handsome specimen?
February also saw the return of four-time volunteer Yvonne who, this time around, decided to bring with her an invaluable gift. Many of the local school children must undertake long journeys to attend school (typically by foot), but thanks to Yvonne, one student’s daily commute is to become much easier. Tinotenda was the lucky recipient of a bike kindly donated by Yvonne, and since his morning journeys will now be that much shorter, he will now have more time to spend with his family and to study. Thank you, Yvonne!
We’re happy to reveal that a famous face paid a visit to the Rhino and Elephant Conservation Project back in December. Fans of Black Panther or The Walking Dead might be familiar with Danai Gurira, the Zimbabwean-born American actress and playwright known for playing the roles of Okoye and Michonne respectively. To those in the conservation world, however, she might be better-known for the work she does alongside WildAid: she is an ambassador for the organisation, and is currently working on a campaign to combat poaching. The other star of this all-important campaign is another individual our volunteers may be familiar with: Mac the elephant co-stars with Gurira in the campaign, so keep your eyes peeled for more by following Danai, WildAid, and their shared Twitter hashtag, #PoachingStealsFromUsAll. (For those who haven’t met Mac, there he is at the top of this page!)
Interested in volunteering with rhinos and elephants? Get involved by heading to the project page now!
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Come face to face with one of the world’s most misunderstood predators whilst aiding great white shark conservation. As a volunteer, not only will you get the incredible opportunity to dive with sharks, but you will also assist the team in raising awareness of the great white as you work alongside tourists and local school children to provide them with knowledge of the local environment and the importance of living in harmony with South Africa’s marine life.
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