This morning a large group of people gathered at Newscafe at King Shaka Airport for a unique rhino unveiling event, to support 2 local sports celebrities, Pat Lambie and Shaun Pollock, as they pledged their commitment to the fight against rhino poaching.
Pat and Shaun were the first two celebrities to raise their hands to become involved in the Durban leg of the Wildlands’ Rhino Parade, an innovative fundraising campaign based on the internationally renowned Cow Parade concept. The initiative seeks to raise funding for the war on rhino poaching by getting South African Ambassadors to adopt and help design a ¾ life size black rhino sculpture, which is then auctioned at a high profile Gala Dinner, set to be held on the 29th of November at Durban City Hall.
The Rhino Parade concept caught the attention of avid wildlife fan and International rugby player, Pat Lambie. “I have grown up visiting Nature Reserves around the country and my family and I have always been passionate about the conservation of wildlife,” says Lambie. Pat is fairly soft spoken off the field, but very outspoken about the rhino poaching crisis we are currently faced with. “The butchering of rhino for their horn is something that makes me very angry and sad. It is a selfish and senseless act, especially considering that it’s based on a misconception that the horn has medicinal advantages,” he says.
Shaun Pollock is a retired South African cricketer said to be one of the best bowling all-rounders in the world. He is the leading wicket taker among South Africans, taking over 400 test wickets and scoring over 3,700 test runs in his 108 Test matches.  Having travelled the world, Shaun still stands by the fact that there truly is no place like home. “It is fantastic to be part of something that is trying to protect our country’s heritage, and what makes us unique â€" our wildlife,” says Pollock. “I hope that my children’s children will be able to see a real live rhino and for this reason saw the need to get involved with the Rhino Parade. I have been blessed with success in my life, but now I am focused on making my life significant.”
The 2.5m long and 1.8m high rhino sculpture that is used to tell each celebrity’s individual story is made from a water-based resin, originated by Peter Hall, and then cast following a mould-making process by Kim Goodwin of the hugely respected Goodwin Foundry in Lidgetton.
DUT (Durban University of Technology) enthusiastically agreed to support the Rhino Parade by tasking their third year Graphic Design students to turn the blank rhino sculptures into true works of art, which they did above and beyond.
Vahenee Heeramun & Dean Irving are the bright young minds behind the Shaun Pollock rhino, in all its green and gold, patriotic beauty. Pat Lambie’s rhino, incorporating his passion for the environment and rugby, was the brain child of Bradley Bhramadu, with one element inspired by Justine Barry. The students got to meet and interact with some of the celebrities, and this formed part of the artistic process that ultimately inspired their designs, which the students also implemented.
The Durban Rhino Parade includes 4 celebrity rhino, with the first 2 having been adopted by Shaun and Pat and the second two by legendary musician Ray Phiri and Olympic Gold Medalist Chad le Clos. These rhino will ultimately help fund the below mentioned conservation initiatives, with a vision to curb the poaching statistics.
• Supporting the establishment of a network of NGO’s working together to stop the poaching (Project Rhino KZN www.projectrhinokzn.org)
• Project Rhino Tracker â€" Piloting innovative GSM based tracking technology.
• Project Rhino Aerial Support â€" Complimentary helicopter surveillance.
• Project Rhino Investigation & Prosecution Support
“We are honoured to be a part of this campaign as part of our Corporate Social Investment and assist by hosting these beautiful rhino artworks,” explains Communications and Brand Manager at ACSA, Colin Naidoo. “The rhino poaching crisis is directly linked to the tourism and travel industry and is therefore obviously a concern for us, however I believe this is EVERY South African’s problem â€" we need to all value and protect our heritage, and hope that through this parade we can inspire people to do just that. We are very confident that by having the rhinos displayed at King Shaka International Airport we will be reaching out more to the public and that each rhino will fetch a decent price at the auction in November to ultimately contribute funding to Wildlands’ conservation efforts.”
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For further information please contact Lauren Laing at laurenl@wildlands.co.za or 0833994665
ARTISTIC INSPIRATION behind the RHINOS
Pat Lambie Rhino â€" Pat’s rhino reflects his love for surfing, the environment and obviously rugby. You will notice there is also a little shark peeking its head out of the “waves” which obviously talks to the fact that Pat plays for the Natal Sharks Rugby team.  “Wish it. Dream it. Do it.” is the mantra which Pat lives by and the second quote “Black and White â€" it really does matter” is a play on the NATAL SHARKS slogan â€" “Black and White â€" nothing else matters” with one referring to rhino and the latter obviously in the context of rugby. The red hand with a TARGET over it refers to the unnecessary blood shed of rhino for their horn â€" and a plea to put the barbaric killings to an end. The baobab trees talk to Pat’s passion for the environment and the fact that he is currently in his final year of studying towards his BA in Environmental Management.
Artist: DUT Student - Bradley Bhramadu (with the target element inspired by Justine Barry)
Shaun Pollock Rhino â€" The rhino is predominantly green and yellow (gold) â€" our Springbok colours, with the horn painted in the same colours as the South African flag to reflect Shaun’s patriotism. The rhino is based on a ‘treasure map’ concept, mapping Shauns road to success and significance. The protea, the national flower of South Africa, refers to one of Africa’s unique gems and is also the name of our national cricket teamâ€" obviously pertinent in this instance. The praying hands talk to his religious side, while the aeroplane reflects his personal journey to “significance.” The navigation symbol that encapsulates a heart and “my heart is at home” are both elements that talk to Shaun’s patriotic spirit and his love for not only South Africa and its wonderful diversity but his family (wife and 2 daughters who he treasures more than anything) and the people that live here. The treasure chest contains Shaun’s cricket bat and ball â€" where his passion lies.
Artists: DUT Students - Vahenee Heeramun & Dean Irving
• For more information around the work that Wildlands are doing visit www.wildlands.co.za and click on OUR WORK and OUR RHINO PROJECTS.
• Rhino Parade HISTORY: The first leg of the RHINO PARADE was held in Nelson Mandela Square. Those 4 rhino were adopted by Freshlyground, Oscar Pistorius, Nthathi Moshesh and Lee Swan. These rhino were auctioned at a function in at the Michelangelo in March 2012, raising over R 600 000 for Rhino Conservation.
• DUT Students involved in painting the RHINO: Vahenee Heeramun; Dylan Dealmezda; Caz Mtetwa; Bradley Bhramadu; Mileshaa Subramani; Keagan Dunn; Jacqueline Timm; JP Myburgh; Jaco Oosthnyzen; Carla Ziady; Keagan Dunn

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