Setting the scene in the studio.
Connie and her beautiful rhino. This project will continue far beyond the Hermanus Whale Festival and rhino crafts will be available to purchase from The Little Shoppe. We are hoping to gain support from reserves and curio shops wanting to stock rhino crafts.
An almost completed Wetsi - the wire Metsi - made his appearance at the Hermanus Whale Festival in 2011. Alda had arranged an old Synagogue, filled with bunches of donated vynbos, for presentations by Braam Malherbe in the morning and Clive Walker and Li Lotriet early evening. Clive's talk on the first rhino war, followed by Li's on the current rhino war made for interesting comparisons. Performed on the eveninng by the Lemon Studios artists was their rap rhino song, Please Save Me.
Our sincerest thanks to the Hermans Backpackers for accommodation, and to Jeremy Bergh from Alu-Cab for his incredible support, transport and the trailer for Wetsi.
Perhaps on of the most humbling moments during this whole project was meeting up with a group of wheelchair bound, and beaming, StopRhinoPoaching.com supporters. Alda had told me that all 25 of them had placed one of our stickers on their wheelchairs. Thank you, rhino heroes.
WETSI WILL BE SPENDING TIME IN HERMANUS WITH ALDA AND THE TEAM, VISITING SCHOOLS AND TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT RHINO CONSERVATION AND THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE IN THE WORLD TODAY.