Rhino SA at Yebo Gogga Wits Exhibition

"Everyone is inspired by different things. For some people it is the sun that kisses the morning sky with rays that shine light into all of our lives. For others it is an adventure that they didn’t expect but neither of those things inspired me to write my two books.

In order for you to understand I’m going to take you back in time to December 2012 where a younger version of me was sitting on a game vehicle surrounded by my family. It was half past five in the morning and my eyelids kept drooping as I tried to scan the surrounding area for some animals. I looked and looked but the only thing I managed to spot was a wild dog’s ear which actually turned out to be a rock.

So, being a thirteen year old girl I eventually gave up searching and closed my eyes. My sister whispered a joke and my aunt laughed but I barely heard them. I was snuggled inside my fluffy jacket slowly drifting into dreamland.

But then the game vehicle shuddered to a halt. I opened my eyes and saw two of the most beautiful animals in the world. A rhino mother and her calf posed in front of us completely oblivious to the fact that their species was quickly going extinct. To be honest with you, it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. And more than that I couldn’t help but wonder why these animals deserved to live such short lives. It wasn’t their fault that horns grew from their heads. I racked my brain for an answer but I couldn’t find one. That was when I realized there wasn’t one. These animals didn’t deserve to die and I was determined to make sure that the world knew that. In that moment whilst I watched the rhinos in their natural habitat I decided that I was going to find a way to help save this species and a few seconds later I came up with three words which blossomed into two books.

You see, it was because of those two rhinos that I was inspired to write my books and it was because of them that I started blogging for Nikela. They were the ones who lead me to Rhino SA, an organisation that believes in the same thing that I do, that by educating the youth we can save this species and prevent other animals from landing up in the same situation. 

Me at the Rhino SA stand (I hope you enjoyed reading my speech )

So, let me just introduce myself I’m Kirsten A. Everett, a South African teenager who believes the youth of this country have the power to make a difference through spreading the word about the truth of the rhino horn, and thus I believe there is hope for the rhino species."

Among the organizations that were at this exhibition Rhino SA focused on educating the school children and other people, about rhinos, rhino midden, poisoning rhino horns as well as the current situation where poachers are targeting rhinos.

I learnt a lot as I listened to the speeches that Rhino SA gave. For instance, I didn't know that the rhino horns have to be redye every four to six years in order to make sure that the poachers know that the horns are poisoned. Hopefully the poison and the dye will save these rhinos from being brutally murdered.

There were many people who presented speeches for Rhino SA including Irene, Jolandie (an Askari Game Ranger), Godfrey and Bernard (two members of the Vlakfontein Community Programme) as well as myself. We all encouraged our listeners to do what they could to help save the species.