Four students from St Mary’s Primary School, in Malvern East, have presented Werribee Open Range Zoo with a cheque in celebration of last month’s World Rhino Day.
Isabella Clancy, Remy Duane, Charlotte Fay and Lizzie Muller (pictured with southern white rhino Kapamba) raised almost $600 for rhinoceros conservation and were thanked for their efforts by zoo management.
After learning about the plight of the endangered animals, the 10-year-old girls came up with the idea of raising money with a raffle.
All five rhino species in Africa and Asia are declining as a result of illegal poaching.
Over the past year, 1215 Southern White Rhinos were poached in South Africa. The annual World Rhino Days, which began in 2010, raise awareness of threats to the species’ survival.
The Werribee Zoo’s general manager, Russel Traher, said the students’ efforts showed there was hope for the future.
