Children at The Lyceum are very eco-conscious and are very keen to take action to help save the planet, one step at a time!
Bella in Year 6 and Lea from Year 3 both pitched to Mrs. Wyatt to hold a whole school charity day to raise money and awareness for the devastation of the rainforest and to save the elephants. All year groups learnt about what is going on with the rainforest and how endangered elephants are. The school held a bake sale and a book sale and they let loose with their creativity in the art room. We will reveal how much was raised once it has been counted on our social media!
Bella also had the opportunity to interview Kate Studholme, CEO of the charity, Tale2Tail…
- How did you become interested in elephant conservation?
I was researching my book and was shocked to learn how endangered elephants were. I had not realised that they were on the brink of extinction and that humans were the main danger to them. - How does the work of the charity Tale2Tail differ from other elephant conservation charities?
We are trying something very novel. We are trying to stop the demand for illegal wildlife products by educating kids. We want people to stop buying and selling elephant products, like carved ivory. Most other charities try to save the elephants by stopping the supply of ivory and stopping people from killing elephants, this is also very important work. - What is the role of girls and women in conserving elephants in traditional communities?
There are some very powerful women and girls called the Black Mambas. These Black Mambas are very brave because the poachers are armed. The Black Mambas are an unarmed force of 22 women and 1 man, they carry only black pepper spray and handcuffs. They patrol the area to stop mainly men from poaching. They are role models for their local communities, here is some more information https://www.blackmambas.org. There is also a very kind woman called Dame Daphne Sheldrick who dedicated her life to saving baby elephants. She discovered that the orphaned elephants died without a special milk formula made from coconut milk, and also they died without love, so she made sure that they had special milk and a dedicated person who loved them and cared for them. She understood the elephants and their fragility, their intelligence and their capacity to love. You will find her work included in several documentaries, including BBC’s Elephant Diaries. - Are there any recent success stories from your charity?
We feel very proud that we released free education packs for schools globally. We hope children all over the world will find out about elephants and help stop the demand for ivory. - What are the real challenges that your charity is focussing on at this time?
Making sure our education pack is used by schools everywhere. - How can we create jobs for people who are currently poaching elephants that will enable them to earn money by helping elephants?
There are many examples of poachers turning into rangers. Rangers are often funded by charities who then create specially protected areas for elephants. - What can we do to help you?
Tell all your friends and teachers about our free education pack. Use our education pack in your school, and perhaps perform the play. It would also be lovely if you could fundraise to help us make more films and education packs.
