Rhino Poaching

by Sheila Naidoo
(EMS Teacher)

WHPS Boys take a Stand against Rhino Poaching

On Wednesday, 22 September 2010, the Grade One and Grade Seven boys (the rest of the boys were away on camp) protested against rhino poaching.

In keeping with the school theme for the term, Making a Difference, these WHPS boys acceded the call by the Citizen newspaper "to dust off their vuvuzelas and make a noise to stop poaching."

The Grade Seven boys carried their posters and blew their vuvuzelas, trumpets and horns or played their djembe drums and other musical instruments loudly during a walkabout around their school, stopping especially at the busy intersections to decry the poaching of rhinos.

They were upset about the five rhinos killed in the Pilansberg Nature Reserve, which brought the total of rhinos killed in South Africa this year to 210.

The Grade Ones also participated in the protest against poaching of all animals, a lesson that was dealt in the classrooms too. On Wednesday, they were told another story about a mother rhino and her calf and they discussed animal poaching and the abuse of animals for human profit.

This is a topic that is dealt with in greater detail in EMS with the Grade Five boys at WHPS.

The Headmaster, teachers and boys wanted to make a difference by standing up (albeit noisily) against the poaching of animals and animal exploitation.