Words: Reputation Matters
On 27 July 2015 a magnificent collection of children’s wildlife art will be judged at the Vineyard hotel by respected conservationist and business leader, Braam Malherbe, and conservation photojournalist and K-way ambassador Scott Ramsay.
This is the third annual wildlife art competition hosted by the Cape Leopard Trust (CLT). This year’s theme encompasses all predators of the Cape. The main objective of the competition is to educate learners to acknowledge the role that predators play in natural systems.
Of the many beautiful pieces of unique art, 12 will be selected to make up the 2016 Cape Leopard Trust calendar. The artworks will also be framed and displayed at the Trust’s annual fundraiser in August 2015. The young artists will each win a spot to attend an exciting a Cape Leopard Trust camp in the Cedarberg Mountains.
“I am honoured to be a judge alongside Scott in this fantastic initiative. Without educating our children about the vital role that animals play in our ecosystems, there will be little respect not only for animals but also for the importance and significance of ensuring wilderness areas remain pristine for generations to come. Our children are tomorrow’s leaders and unless we show them how intrinsically linked all of life is, we will continue on this dreaded path we have created for ourselves. We must show our children that greed and over-consumption of our natural resources will not only be the demise of so many species, but ours as well,” says Braam Malherbe.
Malherbe continues, “I am proud to be the official ambassador for the MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet fundraising programme who support the Cape Leopard Trust. When I was at the South Pole with the MyPlanet flag I said ‘if we do not have good education, how can we respect and look after our villages, and indeed, our planet?’ The Cape Leopard Trust not only protects our leopards but also takes children on wilderness camps in the magnificent Cederberg mountains. I cannot over-emphasise the importance of outdoor environmental education and the priceless value it can bring to a child, as a future leader and global citizen.”
“One of our Big Five, the rhino, is already in danger of extinction. Thanks to the MyPlanet Rhino Fund we are now raising over R200 000 per month for best practices in rhino conservation. Elephants and lions are also being threatened. What an indictment on humanity if we lose one or more of our Big Five! The role that organisations like the Cape Leopard Trust play in education and protection of species such as the leopard (also one of the Big Five) is to be applauded,” concludes Malherbe.
For more information about the Cape Leopard Trust, please visit www.capeleopard.org.za. For more information about Braam Malherbe, visit www.braammalherbe.com.
