Rico’s nose to help save rhinos

The Run 4 Rhinos trail running event, staged to raise funds and awareness for the war on rhino poaching, took place at the Hanglip plantation last Saturday.

Ridgeway Independent School gr. 6 learners, Casper John Venter and Marco Marcos organised this event.

Extending the theme of raising awareness of the need to protect rhinos, a demonstration by Rico the sniffer dog and his handler, Ettienne Taylor on how sniffer dogs can play an important role in catching poachers smuggling rhino horn, was a highlight.

Casper and Marco have been raising funds to support Rico and the work he does since 2011. To date they have managed to raise R60 000 through a number of events and activities.

Last Friday the group gave talks on rhino conservation with demonstrations by Rico, at schools in Makhado.

The learners were very impressed with Rico’s incredible sense of smell and how well he was trained.

Nearly 100 people participated in the walk that followed last Saturday’s event and prizes included soft toys, cricket balls autographed by Sean Pollock and wildlife books, sponsored by the Endangered Wildlife Trust and Coca-Cola.