All Gauteng roads led to the Johannesburg Zoo on World Environment Day (5 June) to commemorate the annual campaign.
Schools from as far as Orange Farm and Boksburg came in their numbers to participate in the event which was both educational and fun-packed.
Joburg Zoo and City Parks senior environmental specialist and emcee, Nathi Mvula started off the programme by prompting the children from Rondebult and Rabipabi primary schools to sing the national anthem.
He then welcomed everyone present and invited Joburg Zoo marketing and education manager Sophia Mtshali onto the stage. Mtshali stated that she hoped the knowledge that the youngsters and their teachers got from the event would be taken and used at school and even further in their homes.
“The aim is that you serve as a vehicle to encourage worldwide awareness and action for our environment. Also, encourage sustainable living making sure that you are very much aware of what the environment is all about. Then highlight the damage by humans towards the environment,” she said.
As the children would leave the place equipped with all the necessary tools they needed to make an impact, Mtshali encouraged them to go back to their communities and share what they had learned.
Veterinary section manager at Joburg Zoo, Dr Arnold Kanengoni also addressed the audience and stated that their department specialised in looking after animals which was very much a big part of taking care of the environment.
“You can contribute in terms of looking after our animals by not littering, not throwing plastics, especially in the enclosures where the animals are, because animals may eat that litter and then get sick and that will require us to cuddle them and nurse them so they do not die,” he said.
Thereafter the schools went on a guided tour around all the stakeholders’ gazebos and were taught all they needed to know about World Environment Day.
When the educational part of the campaign was done and dusted, Mvula addressed the audience again and thanked the stakeholders, Pikitup, Sci Bono, Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Botanical Gardens and some of the students who were part of the internal learnership programme. He then urged attendees to take what they had learnt and use it to impact their surroundings.
Thereafter he gave them the green light to tour the rest of the zoo and see the big five.
Details: Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo 011 712 6600
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