Rhino youth activists head to Vietnam

A GROUP of young South Africans are gearing up to make history and help bring rhino poaching to an end as they head to Vietnam next month.

The five Youth Rhino Ambassadors have been selected to carry an important appeal to Vietnamese citizens and Asian government leaders to urgently bring an end to the rhino poaching crisis.

This is the first time South African youth have been invited to visit Vietnam – internationally recognised as a key consumer country and hub for the sale of rhino horn – and participate in a government-led demand reduction campaign.

They will be guests of Operation Game Change, a joint Vietnam/US government initiative aimed at ending wildlife crime in Vietnam, especially rhino horn trafficking.

The youth representatives include Phelisa Matyolo (Gauteng), Jared Robinson (KZN), Emma Van Der Meulen (Mpumalanga), Jacome Pretorius (Western Cape) And Nadav Ossendryver (Gauteng).

Joining them as adult representatives are Richard Mabanga – Rhino Art Zulu Cultural Ambassador and Grant Fowlds – Rhino Art Ambassador and Fundraiser.

Declaration

The campaign seeks to increase awareness, change behaviour and catalyse action through a series of events and activities leading up to WildFest – a live, high-profile, public event designed to engage, entertain, and influence public debate in Vietnam around illegal wildlife trade issues.

The ambassadors will also present the World Youth Wildlife Declaration to Asian government representatives and engage directly with Vietnamese youth and leaders during their week-long visit at the end of October, speaking about their personal experiences of the rhino poaching crisis in South Africa.

The Zululand-led Declaration project has spent the last year collecting thousands of signatures and messages ranging from rural school children to Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Dr Jane Goodall.

It is currently taking part in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park’s ‘My Rhino, Our Future’ Rhino March and will collect further signatures and messages at the 2015 World Rhino Day event.

Thereafter it will travel to the USA and Canada, before heading for Vietnam.

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