Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Running to raise money for orphaned baby rhinos
A VALIANT fighter for the well-being of animals will be making as much noise as possible for those who do not have a voice.
The ambassador for Fit4Rhinos, Mark Easter, will run 200km to raise funds for Rhino Connect next month.
His target is to raise R100 000 for the NPO, which takes care of rhinos in various conservation programmes.
He will start and finish at Lizette’s Kitchen in Hermanus. A support vehicle will accompany him throughout.
Easter said rhino poaching has been a problem for many years.
“Rhino conservation organisations need all the support we can give them. Our focus is on the aftermath of poaching and making sure rhinos orphaned by poaching are fed and well cared for.
“The theme for our fund-raiser is called #rememberthemilk as rhino babies can’t drink full fat milk due to the difference in sugar and lipid content.
“We’re supposed to be custodians of our wildlife but unfortunately humans tend to be awful, and political, corporate and personal gain keeps placing our wildlife under severe strain. We need to see our majestic rhino population thrive and people need to do something about it,” he said.
With regards to the race, he said the plan was to run in under 45 hours.
“While I’m still kicking and breathing, I’ll continue to be the voice for those that can’t speak. I’ve been given a ‘buddy’ for the 200km run who’ll keep me going when things get tough.
“I’ll continue to move through the
200km in one go. There will be support stops to refill supplies and hydration but there will be no sleeping.
“I’m a massive fan of trail running because it connects me with nature and keeps me in the outdoors. Sport builds communities and brings people together. This is why #fitnesswithpurpose and #findyouralive are important tag lines for me,” he said.
Fit4Rhinos is made up of Easter and Liezl Schoeman, a fund-raising team whose goal is to raise funds for all emergencies relating to feeding orphaned baby rhinos: vets, day-today management and security costs for NPOs working with them.
“Our target audience is the fitness, #swimbikerun and coffee followers environment on Instagram and Facebook. Until now, they’ve been a relatively ‘untapped’ market for rhino conservation donations,” Easter said.
Founder and group chairperson for Rhino Connect, Tersia Jooste, said anybody who runs for rhinos is remarkable. “People are realising that there is still a fight going on. A fight that with a lot of attention and awareness can still be won if people pitch in and make enough noise,” she said.
For more information, email: liezlf@gmail.com.