St. Anne’s Dioscesan College for Girls in Hilton, KZN on Saturday 13 June 2015, became what is believed to be the first school in South Africa to actively take up the fight for a regulated trade in rhino horn as a means of reducing the poaching scourge. Together with staff some 45 girls from the St. Anne’s Enviro Club walked the 14 km from the school to Hilton College, the hosts, (for which a big thank you) and proceeded to descend into the Umgeni Valley through the Hilton College Nature Reserve in a demonstration of their commitment to support of sustainable utilisation of wildlife and the current campaign for trade in horn being waged by The Conservation Imperative Group.

All participants sported special T shirts on which was inscribed “Farm me don’t Harm Me” – very original and certainly eyecatching !

It was a very stout effort on the part of these enthusiastic girls. Dave Cook, Chairman of The Conservation Imperative gave a brief talk at a well deserved braai held on the banks of the Umgeni river and congratulated the group on their achievement. The group has latterly seen, and been involved in educational discussions, around the film Rhino’s in Crisis: A Blueprint for Survival” and have also written to the State President in an appeal for a proposal for a legal trade to go forward to the CITES CoP in Oct. 2016.

Well done St. Anne’s – you are leading the pack!