A group of Year 6 pupils from Oldfield Park Junior School in Bath have been inspired to take action to protect one of the world’s most endangered animals – the pangolin.
The idea began when pupil Hayden Brown watched a wildlife documentary with her aunt shortly before a family trip to South Africa. Fascinated by the gentle, scale-covered creatures and shocked to learn that they are at high risk of extinction, Hayden decided she wanted to help.
During her visit, Hayden spoke with game rangers at the Sabie Game Reserve and discovered a pangolin conservation project that uses GPS trackers to help protect the animals from poachers. On returning to Bath, she shared her passion with friends at school – and soon a group of 13 classmates joined her to raise funds for the cause.
Completely child-led, the group have been making and selling handmade crafts at school every Tuesday lunchtime. Items include a comic about pangolins, bracelets, Fimo clay creatures and colourful headbands made by one pupil’s grandmother. All proceeds go directly to fund GPS tracking tags for the pangolin conservation project.
The children are aiming to raise £200 – enough to pay for one tracker – and have already reached almost £80 through sales and donations. They also recently spoke in a school assembly to raise awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation.
Hayden explained, “I first became interested in pangolins when I watched a documentary about them with my aunt, just before we went to South Africa. I was shocked by how endangered they are and thought, I really hope I see one when we go!
“When we were there, I learned that pangolins eat termites and that their scales are so strong that even a lion can’t bite through them when they roll up in a ball. I thought, these animals are so cute – what happens if they go extinct? That’s why I decided to make a stall to help them.”
Game ranger Jess, who met Hayden during her visit, praised the children’s efforts, saying, “The pangolin is a special creature to see – small, scaled and vital to the environment. They play an important role in keeping ecosystems healthy by controlling insect populations and improving soil quality. Conservation efforts like these are crucial to help protect them from extinction.”
Through creativity, teamwork and compassion, the Oldfield Park pupils are proving that even the smallest actions can make a big difference to wildlife conservation.
Find out more about pangolin protection and the work of Sabie Game Reserve at www.sabiepark.com or by searching for Sabie Game Reserve on social media.
www.oldfieldparkjuniorschool.com
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