Richard Bay school prominent in rhino campaign

Richards Bay High School was a major contributor to last weekend’s World Youth Rhino Summit at the Seula Zimbili camp on the banks of the Tugela River.

Schools from around the country and various international conservation leaders were brought in to deliberate on poaching and other wildlife crimes.

‘The main focus was raising awareness about what is happening on our doorstep. This platform is used to train our youth and educate them about issues affecting rhinos,’ said the Bay team’s coordinator, Lucy Steenkamp.

Aside from being active role players in the initiative for the past four years, Richards Bay High was also one of the first schools to sign the anti-poaching declaration.

One of the students who participated in the debate, Renske Verburgh, found the summit to be an enriching experience.

‘The summit opened my eyes and made me realise that there is hope. We as the youth are the solution to ending this war and saving our precious rhinos.

‘I want to continue spreading the word about wildlife crimes and educate my peers about how we as the youth can fight this war,’ she said.

With technology being at the forefront of today’s youth, the school capitalized on raising awareness by creating a Facebook page ‘HSRB – SAVE OUR RHINOS’, and encourages the public to get involved.

The summit was organised by Project Rhino KZN in conjunction with the Kingsley Holgate Foundation and The Ventures Group.