The two young save-the-rhino activists of Makhado (Louis Trichardt) had an exciting experience on Monday (10th) when 50/50 came to shoot an insert about them for a possible television broadcast!

Casper-John Venter and Marco Marcos, both aged 11 years,  started projects last year to save the rhinoceros from becoming extinct because of poachers. The two boys started their project in their individual capacity, but it soon caught the imagination of everyone at Ridgeway Independent School, where they both are students. To date, their projects had earned R7 000 for Endangered Wildlife and they support the rhino-poacher tracker dog, Rico, who has since become the school’s mascot.

Footage was shot to show Casper-John and Marco in their daily environment and activities, such as at the Venters' homestead on their farm on the Witvlagroad. The 50/50 team also accompanied them to the forest just outside of town, where the boys were filmed cycling on a single track in the forest.

They had the privilege of meeting actress and 50/50 presenter Faye Peters, who is known for her role as Vivian Majozi in Generations (2000 to 2003) and currently stars as Bernie Cupido, the talented chef in The Wild on M-Net. Said Faye after interviewing them: “They’re so smart and knowledgeable and passionate about their project. If one thinks that children like them are our future, then our future is looking good!”

Producer Susan Puren said that the two boys would be interviewed in the studio in Johannesburg, probably in January next year, and that the edited insert of the footage taken on Monday would be shown in the background. It was still too early to say when the broadcast would be. It couldn’t, however, be a moment too soon. By the end of November, 588 rhinos had been killed for their horns, escalating from 448 for the whole of 2011, 333 in 2010 and 122 in 2009

Marco was adamant that he wanted to see a future with rhinos with their horns intact. Both said that the person who inspired their project was Spoonie Phangile, who walked from Beit Bridge to Cape Town to raise awareness for the endangered rhino and who visited their school. What Casper-John wanted to achieve with the possible broadcast is to make more people aware of their project.

“Then people may help a little bit more with Rico in his ‘career’ of sniffing out rhino horn and catching the traders,” said Casper-John, who had grown very fond of Rico the couple of times that he could play with him.

The two moms, Mrs Sarah Venter and Mrs Marinda Marcos, said that they were very proud of their boys. “They come up with bigger and bigger ideas, and we are there to make sure they get all the support they need,” they said.