Month: September 2012

The 22^nd of September is ‘World Rhino Day’, a day that aims to highlight the poaching crisis that rhino are currently faced with world-wide. The most recent poaching statistic indicates that 381 rhino have already been poached in 2012, fast approaching (and estimated to overtake) the 448 that were poached in 2011.

The Wildlands Conservation Trust is one of many organisations that have joined the war against rhino poaching. We have joined forces with several other government, non-government and private organisations to form Project Rhino KZN, an association of like-minded organisations with the safety and conservation of rhino as the collective primary goal.

‘World Rhino Day’ marks the first anniversary of this collaborative association, which has in its short existence made massive inroads into securing the rhino populations in KwaZulu-Natal (seewww.projectrhinokzn.org). Each individual organisation brings with it a set of skills, allowing the association to play a much bigger role than each individual organisation would on its own. In terms of Wildland’s involvement, we are focusing on three main elements:

• Project Rhino Tracker – the fitting of the latest GPS technologies to rhino to allow better monitoring of rhino populations on key protected areas;
• Project Rhino Aerial support – supporting and strategically positioning aircraft across northern KwaZulu-Natal, to provide aerial surveillance over the key rhino properties;
• Project Rhino Investigations and Prosecution Support – providing a professional and well-managed investigation process at each and every rhino poaching incident, ensuring that all relevant forensic information is collected, resulting in an improved rate of prosecutions of poachers.

One of the innovative fundraising campaigns supporting projects such as these is Wildlands’ RHINO PARADE. The campaign seeks to raise funding for the war on rhino poaching by getting South African Ambassadors to adopt and help design a ¾ life size black rhino sculpture, which is then auctioned at a high profile Gala Dinner, set to be held on the 29^th of November at Durban City Hall.

Yesterday marked the first of 4 “rhino unveiling” ceremonies at King Shaka International Airport, which included Pat Lambie and Shaun Pollock who each unveiled their very own colourful rhino artwork. The Durban Rhino Parade involves 4 celebrity rhino in total, also including rhino inspired by Ray Phiri and Chad le Clos, set to be unveiled in early October and November respectfully.

In line with ‘World Rhino Day’ Wildlands have also launched  our RHINO PROJECTS pages on our website, which offer detailed information around our rhino conservation projects and partnerships, as well as ways in which you can help protect this critically endangered species. Visit http://www.localhost/import-data-post/our-work/our-rhino-projects/rhino-parade/ for more information on how you can become a Rhino Ambassador for Wildlands or even Adopt-a-Rhino.

We do however hope that you don’t only focus on the rhino poaching crisis, but also celebrate all those ambassadors and people that are committed to the protection of these magnificent creatures day in and day out, often also putting their lives on the line. To those people – we salute you.

 

This morning a large group of people gathered at Newscafe at King Shaka Airport for a unique rhino unveiling event, to support 2 local sports celebrities, Pat Lambie and Shaun Pollock, as they pledged their commitment to the fight against rhino poaching.

Pat and Shaun were the first two celebrities to raise their hands to become involved in the Durban leg of the Wildlands’ Rhino Parade, an innovative fundraising campaign based on the internationally renowned Cow Parade concept. The initiative seeks to raise funding for the war on rhino poaching by getting South African Ambassadors to adopt and help design a ¾ life size black rhino sculpture, which is then auctioned at a high profile Gala Dinner, set to be held on the 29^th of November at Durban City Hall.

The Rhino Parade concept caught the attention of avid wildlife fan and International rugby player, Pat Lambie. “I have grown up visiting Nature Reserves around the country and my family and I have always been passionate about the conservation of wildlife,” says Lambie. Pat is fairly soft spoken off the field, but very outspoken about the rhino poaching crisis we are currently faced with. “The butchering of rhino for their horn is something that makes me very angry and sad. It is a selfish and senseless act, especially considering that it’s based on a misconception that the horn has medicinal advantages,” he says.

Shaun Pollock is a retired South African cricketer said to be one of the best bowling all-rounders in the world. He is the leading wicket taker among South Africans, taking over 400 test wickets and scoring over 3,700 test runs in his 108 Test matches.  Having travelled the world, Shaun still stands by the fact that there truly is no place like home. “It is fantastic to be part of something that is trying to protect our country’s heritage, and what makes us unique – our wildlife,” says Pollock. “I hope that my children’s children will be able to see a real live rhino and for this reason saw the need to get involved with the Rhino Parade. I have been blessed with success in my life, but now I am focused on making my life significant.”

The 2.5m long and 1.8m high rhino sculpture that is used to tell each celebrity’s individual story is made from a water-based resin, originated by Peter Hall, and then cast following a mould-making process by Kim Goodwin of the hugely respected Goodwin Foundry in Lidgetton.

DUT (Durban University of Technology) enthusiastically agreed to support the Rhino Parade by tasking their third year Graphic Design students to turn the blank rhino sculptures into true works of art, which they did above and beyond.

Vahenee Heeramun & Dean Irving are the bright young minds behind the Shaun Pollock rhino, in all its green and gold, patriotic beauty. Pat Lambie’s rhino, incorporating his passion for the environment and rugby, was the brain child of Bradley Bhramadu, with one element inspired by Justine Barry. The students got to meet and interact with some of the celebrities, and this formed part of the artistic process that ultimately inspired their designs, which the students also implemented.

The Durban Rhino Parade includes 4 celebrity rhino, with the first 2 having been adopted by Shaun and Pat and the second two by legendary musician Ray Phiri and Olympic Gold Medalist Chad le Clos. These rhino will ultimately help fund the below mentioned conservation initiatives, with a vision to curb the poaching statistics.

• Supporting the establishment of a network of NGO’s working together to stop the poaching (Project Rhino KZN www.projectrhinokzn.org)
• Project Rhino Tracker – Piloting innovative GSM based tracking technology.
• Project Rhino Aerial Support – Complimentary helicopter surveillance.
• Project Rhino Investigation & Prosecution Support

“We are honoured to be a part of this campaign as part of our Corporate Social Investment and assist by hosting these beautiful rhino artworks,” explains Communications and Brand Manager at ACSA, Colin Naidoo. “The rhino poaching crisis is directly linked to the tourism and travel industry and is therefore obviously a concern for us, however I believe this is EVERY South African’s problem – we need to all value and protect our heritage, and hope that through this parade we can inspire people to do just that. We are very confident that by having the rhinos displayed at King Shaka International Airport we will be reaching out more to the public and that each rhino will fetch a decent price at the auction in November to ultimately contribute funding to Wildlands’ conservation efforts.”

Collaboration was the order of the day as Yenza, the rhino, was unveiled on the ground floor lobby of the Durban Art Gallery on the Thursday last week.

Decorating Yenza is a great success story for the recently-invigorated ‘eThekwini Community Foundation’ (eCF). Yenza – a nearly life-size rhino sculpture – forms part of the fabulous, awareness-creating Rhino Parade, pioneered by Wildlands Conservation Trust.

The eCF is a proactive, results-driven, forward-thinking, not-for-profit public benefit organisation strategically aligned to the eThekwini Municipality whose mission is interfacing people – projects – the planet.

The Rhino Parade is an innovative campaign based on the internationally renowned Cow Parade concept, aimed at profiling the plight of South Africa’s Rhino whilst raising funds to support Wildlands’ rhino conservation efforts. The Wildlands Conservation Trust is an active, strategic partner of the eCF.

The eThekwini Municipality is adding a unique rhino to the Durban parade. Fondly named “Yenza” (isiZulu for a term similar to “just do it”) the Rhino was housed and decorated in the KZNSA Gallery garden. The crafters have been working together for less than a month to give Yenza an extreme make-over. Artists working with recycled waste, who are deeply engaged in uplifting the skills of community-based crafters and who are absolutely passionate about saving our rhino, worked with local craft collectives to put on the Rhino’s finery.

Yenza has now moved to her new home: the lobby at the Durban Art Gallery. However Yenza will be out and about during Heritage Month: as part of the city’s busy ‘Celebrate Durban’ heritage season, she will be on the Durban beachfront on the 22 September taking part in the myriad festivities there – including the “walk a mile” (an initiative of the Waterberry Trust), on International Rhino Day.

“Durban is blessed with an amazing creative community”, says Kathryn Kure, “which we need to support and celebrate; it was a joy to behold the collaboration that occurred, the networks and friendships that formed and the skills that were developed. Yenza is about social cohesion in practise”.

The crafters who worked on her are: Wendy Chatterton and the Ukhamba Crafters from Hammarsdale; Dawn Haddon and the Sydenham Community Resources Centre; Robin Opperman and Jackie Sewpersad from Umcebo Design who work closely with the team from Refugee Social Services (crafters from the Great Lakes region); The Ubunye Crafters from Mzimela with Debbie Eustice; Jutka Devenyi and the team from HIV911; Magda van der Vloed and her crafters from Zimbabwe and KZN, and Paula Thompson and the crafters from the Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust, which covers the Valley of a 1000 Hills.

At the unveiling ceremony, each crafter presented a testimony. Each participant praised the vision of the project and its partners, saying that prior to Yenza, each crafter considered the other to be competition – but after working on this project all together, each one understood in real terms the tremendous power of collaboration – in terms of sharing artistic ideas; increasing capacity and product volume; pooling resources; minimising competition and strengthening business.

Yenza is a ¾ life-size female rhino – measuring 2.5 m long by 1.4m high by 1m wide, she is totally environmentally friendly, being made from a water-based resin. The rhino was originated by Peter Hall, and then cast following a mould-making process by Kim Goodwin at the hugely respected Goodwin Foundry in Lidgetton.

The Rhino poaching pressure has continued to build. The Wildlands response to this onslaught is structured around three complementary strategies, that are funded through campaigns such as the Rhino Parade: supporting the establishment of a network of NGO’s working together to stop the poaching (Project Rhino KZN www.projectrhinokzn.org); Project Rhino Tracker – Piloting innovative GSM based tracking technology and Project Rhino Aerial Support – Complimentary helicopter surveillance and Project Rhino Investigations & Prosecutions Support.

“Today celebrates a unique partnership that has brought together the eThekwini Municipality, eThekwini Community Foundation, the Wildands Conservation Trust and the Durban arts and craft community behind one of the most pressing issues in South Africa – the loss of our Natural Heritage. This is graphically represented by the ongoing onslaught on our Rhino, with over 370 having been poached this year alone. Rhino poaching is simply the tip of the iceberg. We need to stand up and fight for our natural heritage, as it this heritage which shapes and supports us,” says Wildlands CEO, Dr Andrew Venter.

“What drew us into this project with eCF was the fact that they were determined that the broader community be represented through the many crafters who have helped shape this beautiful sculpture. In the process, this great team of visionaries have shaped YENZA into an Ambassador for all of us, embodying the spirit of uBuntu Earth,” he said.

The Wildlands Conservation Trust in partnership with Save Hyper and The Witness, recently launched a “Green Future Store,” in Pietermaritzburg’s commercial hub. The store forms part of Wildlands “Trees-for-Life” project, which allows participating members of local communities to sustain themselves by planting and growing indigenous trees, which they can then barter for vouchers that can be redeemed for food, building supplies and bicycles, for example.

This specific “Green Future Store” was held at the Save Hyper (Cash & Carry) Store on Victoria Rd in Pietermaritzburg and was sponsored by The Witness, who have made a significant donation to Wildlands in order to express their passion to help support the greater Sobantu communities.

“Whereas previously Wildlands only exchanged limited goods for vouchers through its own outlets, this store allows people to choose from a wide range of items that Save Hyper has on its shelves,” comments Initiatives Manager, Graeme Farley of Wildlands. “Interestingly enough, most people continue to buy similar items to what Wildlands provided at their community Green Future Stores in the past. Nevertheless, some people have bought cameras, fridges, as well as products such as meat, milk and other cold items, which previously we could not supply for logistical reasons. This is the first Green Future (voucher) Store in the uMgungundlovu district, and we are excited about the many stores still to come,” says Farley.

Wildlands’ Trees-for-Life programme was launched some eight years ago. The programme has had a wide impact throughout South Africa and continues to expand, with new project nodes already established in Mpumalanga, Gauteng and the Western Cape.

Based on a conservative estimate of five people per homestead, in 2011 some 10 570 individuals in 23 Communities benefitted from the sale of 306 583 trees for some R1.8 million. The Wildlands’ Green-preneur model improves people’s daily lives through income models that give them access to necessities, and would not be possible without the support of donors like The Witness – we are truly grateful.