|
Wisdom 4 Wildlife Programme
11 Feb 2008
Wisdom 4 Wildlife Trust was borne out of the realisation that the rural youth of Victoria Falls community have had little exposure to the wildlife in the area and with little or no understanding there would be little respect for the value that wildlife can add to the area.
Grade 7 pupils (average age of 13 years) are given the opportunity to the involved in an educational one-day Wisdom 4 Wildlife programme in the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve, approximately 18km from Victoria Falls village. Shearwater and the Safari Guides from the Reserve, in conjunction with Rani Resorts started the programme in November 2006, and have rolled out 7 educational interventions to date.
The Safari Guides who have 10 or more years experience with youth curriculum’s and wildlife, include in the programme:
• Interactions with Elephant, Lion and Black Rhino
• Interactive Team exercises where the group has to source various flora and fauna in the area, and collect and identify them. They are taught the medicinal value of plants and various tree bark and leaves for everyday life.
• Identification of spoor and tracking of animal on foot.
• A quiz to understand the levels of learning and insight into wildlife.
• A story writing task in which the youth have to relate their experience and write about what they can give back to their own communities with respect to learning and understanding the value theta animals can add to their own futures.
This educational excursion in Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve allows the youth to understand the vastness of the area and the importance of minimal destruction of wildlife habitat.
These children may be Victoria Falls future Conservationists, Game Scouts and Guides or Environmentalists.
The funds raised from this programme are being used to give greater opportunity to the children in the area to be exposed to the importance of wildlife in our community.
Author: Shearwater
|
